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Healing Together; A Psychiatric Center for Adolescent and Young Adults
(2026) Liu, Hanjin
This master thesis focuses on designing healing spaces for adolescent and young adults with psychiatric disorders. Thanks to rapid scientific advancements, awareness of mental health issues is growing, and different types of healthcare architecture of this field are evolving in response. The focus on this specific group in this thesis arises from an identified gap in the current system, where certain problems particular to this group are not sufficiently emphasized. Theories relevant to the research are adolescent psychology, psychology in emerging adulthood and healthcare architecture design, and research methods used to carry out the research include literature review, case studies of architectural projects in different parts of the world, and interviews with psychiatrists and patients. Researches show that healing spaces for adolescent and young adults with psychiatric disorders should have the following features or qualities: access to natural lighting, connection to nature, a soothing environment in general, space that facilitates autonomy, and spaces with different levels of interactions. In addition to the common demand of people with psychiatric disorders, adolescent and young adults especially need to feel the sense of belonging, have the opportunity to stay active and express themselves, and participate in outdoor activities in a psychiatric facility. The architecture should be integrated with a variety of activity spaces of different levels of privacy, a clear navigation system, indoor indication of nature, and different types of outdoor spaces to satisfy the demand of the possible users and promote well-being. A design project of a psychiatric center for the target group located in Utby, Gothenburg is carried out according to the outcomes of the research, and a booklet summarizing the key aspects to pay special attention to healing spaces for the target group is also written to complement and further develop the project. The results of the research should offer insights for other similar projects. According to WHO's latest Mental Health Atlas published in 2024, and estimated one in eight people suffer from mental disorders, and due to the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, GBD (Global Burden of Diseases) estimated a substantial increase in depressive and anxiety disorders. Yet progress and support related to treating mental health problems remain insufficient, which calls for more facilities and organizations to cooperate and provide the help people need. When it comes to adolescents and young adults, statistics have proven that the percentage of people aging from 15 to 24 with depressive, bipolar, anxiety, attention deficit and hyper-active disorders are actually higher than that of all age groups (see diagram on the next page). It also shows that females are more likely to suffer from mental health issues than males. Another research in the US also shows that half of the mental disorders present in adulthood had developed by the age of 14, and three quarters appeared by the age of 24. This also calls for interventions especially during the adolescent and young adult period of life. (WHO, 2024) As science and technology develop, we are gaining more and more knowledge of neuroscience and psychology, and psychiatric problems people can face are also better studied, and more scientific treatments are provided. Specialized psychiatric hospitals and institutes have been established to provide treatments to the patients and carry out research, yet certain gaps remain: As is mentioned in the previous page, adolescents and young adults are confronting certain psychiatric issues prevalent in, or even specific to their age group, yet they are often categorized either as “older children” or “young adults” in the present medical system, an approach that may not solve their problems properly (Norouzi, 2023). There should be psychiatric facilities dedicated to their issues and provide them with guidance according to research on the psychology of the age group. The research sheds light on how the needs of adolescents and young adults with psychiatric disorders defer from adults and what kind of architectural design helps them recover better not only in treatment rooms and wards in a hospital or clinic, but more importantly, in other spaces outside a hospital. Future design projects can either refer to the results, or continue investigating according to them.
Sustainable healthcare waiting room transformation; How to design a therapeutic waiting room at healthcare facilities
(2026) Zhao, Keming
With high hygiene, safety, and functional requirements, public spaces in healthcare facilities often look impersonal and lack warmth. Calm, cold colors, and airport-like benches can be seen at almost any waiting room in healthcare facilities. Do those function-prioritized choices help people going through their journey there, which are often accompanied by some painful or other negative feelings? In addition, people visit hospitals with an uncertain state of mind. They might not be familiar with the process of the visit. Many questions appear, such as where is the check-in, what is the drop in procedure?... There are many challenges in healthcare facility design, such as high hygienic standards, safety, and accessibility requirements. Though many demands come from the healthcare system, architects could still make an effort to improve the space quality in certain aspects, such as create easy way-finding. In this way, create a better visit experience. In waiting rooms, the state of uncertainty is quite high for visitors. This study investigates the potential of waiting room design in healthcare facilities, proposing that these spaces serve not merely as transitional zones but as integral ingredients of the therapeutic environment. Through a literature review of the EBD 2020 report (Chalmers Centre for Healthcare Architecture [CVA], 2024), I summarized sensory and spatial intervention suggestions towards a therapeutic waiting room. In the study of several high-quality waiting rooms, some design strategies are found to be similar to my intervention suggestions. I applied the suggestion to transform the sampling waiting room at Sahlgrenska Hospital. To show the diverse uses of intervention suggestions, I used sensory and spatial intervention design strategies to create one minimal and one holistic intervention. There are certainly many non-architectural opinions about the cost of such a gesture in public spaces in healthcare facilities, such as using the budget to provide more support for staff. But a little extra funding could make a great change and benefit patients, their companions, and the staff. This discussion will be nonstop. I sincerely hope my work could remind people that everyone in healthcare facilities, even the patients’ companions, deserves care.
Beneficial visits; Uppsala Diabetes Center; An identification and application of architectural strategies for healthcare centers to reduce
(2026) Johansson, Linnea
The relationship between the built environment and human health has received increasing attention within architecture. While hospitals and acute care facilities are frequently studied, outpatient centers managing patients with chronic conditions often receive less focus. Many contemporary healthcare environments are shaped by standardized models of planning intended to fit diverse medical functions. While efficient, these generalized spaces can overlook the emotional and social needs of certain groups. This thesis investigates how user-centered architectural design can reduce loneliness and negative illness perceptions. Young people with Type 1 diabetes manage a lifelong condition requiring frequent clinical visits, education, and self-management. Research indicates that this group is at a higher risk of mental health challenges, including isolation and illness-related distress. Despite these needs, many diabetes clinics remain generic, outdated, and unfunctional with lacking opportunities for comfort, social interaction, or a sense of belonging. The thesis explores how architectural strategies through spatial organization, materiality, color, and atmosphere can enhance well-being and encourage social connection in outpatient centers. By examining specialized design approaches, the research questions how healthcare environments can move beyond standardized models to respond to the actual experiences of its users. The multi-method approach combines literature review, theoretical frameworks, interviews, and spatial analysis. Existing diabetes clinics in Sweden were studied through site visits and spatial experiences, focusing on atmosphere, organization, and user experience. These observations were complemented by reference projects of contemporary healthcare that emphasize patient-centered design, EBD, and biophilic design. Findings are translated into architectural strategies and a design toolbox for user-centered outpatient centers. The research leads to a design proposal for a freestanding diabetes center at the campus of Akademiska Sjukhuset in Uppsala. This thesis aims at demonstrating how architectural design can integrate medical functionality with social and psychological support, creating spaces that promote users’ well-being
After-Care; Catalogue of Dismantled Materials Repurposed In a New Building Context
(2026) Wennberg, Lovisa
The building sector has focused strongly on improving sustainable production processes, but has cared far less about the later lifecycle stages of demolition and material aftercare. As a result, the sector remains far from achieving cradle-to-cradle resource flows and continues to be a major contributor to national greenhouse emissions. This thesis has explored how architects can engage with demolition processes and establish more sustainable resource flows when on-site preservation or transformation is not politically convinced. Rather than opposing new construction, the thesis has investigated how demolition and new construction can be linked to create circular material flows. The thesis practically explored this in the context of Gothenburg through a mapping exercise of a school building scheduled for demolition. The materials found during the mapping were later transferred to a new food court building at Södra Älvstranden in Gothenburg, an area that awaits large-scale transformation and new construction in the coming years. Through a resource mapping method, the thesis has developed a catalogue of reusable components from a donor building and further applied them in the design of a new architectural project. To connect material lifecycle endings to beginnings, the thesis has proposed a design-driven approach to care for materials previously seen as waste. It aims to move architectural design beyond the early stages of a materials lifecycle and has investigated ways to work simultaneously across both the early and later stages. The thesis has found it beneficial to use resource mapping to reduce building waste. The method provided a clear framework for the design process, in which form necessarily followed availability. It successfully achieved the aim of caring for materials previously considered waste. The project also covered clear challenges in providing for the full construction requirements of the new design. There was a clear challenge in reusing materials categorised as in-between layers, as they were porous and difficult to dismantle without damage. In future investigations, mapping a conceptual donor as a resource for a new building design would benefit from a larger mapping exercise, perhaps using waste from several demolition projects that provide a larger database, and thereby increase the reuse opportunities.
Plattenumbau; Transformation of a prefabricated panel building
(2026) Schwarz, Marlene
Prefabricated mass social housing buildings, known in German as Plattenbau, are the face of GDR (Deutsche Demokratische Republik) cities. They are the legacy of a country that no longer exists. Built in the 1970s, they are the consequence of engineers and architects' research on extreme standardisation of construction. After World War II, prefabrication was presented as the solution to house as many people as possible in good conditions across Europe. Taking a close look at the Plattenbau heritage reflects the question of collective memory. Since German reunification in 1989, far from their original appeal, they illustrate the failure of Soviet modernism. Today, more than one million units stand vacant, and entire districts are being demolished. The discrediting of these modern buildings is unreasonably blamed on their architectural features, and this unwanted heritage has, since the fall of the Iron Curtain, been hastily erased from the surface of the earth to make space for other types of housing. Housing is a human right, yet Europe is still facing a housing crisis. This thesis aims to expose the qualities of the Plattenbau as a resource to provide homes. By understanding the utopian ideology behind prefabrication and the development of living norms, it is possible to recognise the spatial and living qualities provided by this architectural legacy on one hand and the negative impact it had on societies on the other. Furthermore, the thesis also examines the spatial impact caused by demographic shrinkage. Indeed, uneven demographic changes have an impact on small and medium size towns of the former DDR. They lead, for example, to the under-usage or vacancy of standing buildings. The two mass social housing districts, built in 1975 next to the Hanseatic city of Stendal, are a striking example of the challenges former East German middle-sized cities are facing nowadays. This work presents both the availability of empty Plattenbau prone to demolition and the shrinking cities phenomenon as incredible opportunities for our generation of architects to think about housing in a post-growth European context. It explores through architectural and spatial interventions the possibility of regenerating Plattenbau as comfortable and spacious homes, following Renée Gailhoustet’s theory of living spaces. The buildings are seen as a composition of removable and movable prefabricated components. In a shrinking city context, the method used is the de-densification of the existing building by removing components and introducing a mixed-use program of living and working environments in the middle of nature. The result of the project aims to show the potential of Plattenbau for transformation.