Designing for Happiness: Exploring the Connection between Architecture and Mental Health

While not entirely dependent on one another, the relationship between architecture and mental well-being is an important topic, as designers and architects can contribute to creating a more enjoyable environment for everyone. From strategies to enhance mental health in shared workspaces to the ways in which architecture can contribute to preventing cognitive decline, understanding the potential impact of environmental neurosciences and the ways they apply to architecture is an essential skill for our profession.

+ 12

In celebration of World Mental Health Day, we have gathered a selection of editorial articles that delve into the intriguing interplay between architecture and mental health and a set of projects that showcase in a practical manner the solutions created in response to these challenges. The selection aims to provide insights into how the spaces we inhabit can affect us, from workspaces and homes to the centers dedicated to health and recuperation. Additionally, matters of psychology are discussed in relation to various typologies and at different scales, while the curated projects serve as case-studies for further exploration.

Read on to discover a selection of editorial articles exploring the multifaceted connection between architecture and emotional well-being, along with a survey of architectural projects that translate this relationship into built spaces.

Editorial Explorations

Architecture and Health: How Spaces Can Impact Our Emotional Well-Being

5 Design Strategies to Improve Mental Health in Shared Workspaces

Poetics of Space and Mental Health: How Architecture Can Help Prevent Suicides

Architecture for Preventing Cognitive Decline: Contributions from Neuroscience to Healthy Aging

How Copenhagen is Designed for Delight

Psychology of Space: How Interiors Impact Our Behavior?

How Environmental Neuroscience is Shaping Architecture and Urban Planning

The Second Studio Podcast: Architecture’s Mental Health & Burnout Problem

Architectural Projects Supporting Mental Health

Casa Verde Young Women’s Care Home for Mental Health / LDA.iMdA architetti associati

My House – The Mental Health House / Austin Maynard Architects

Psychiatric Center / Vaillo + Irigaray Architects + Galar + Vélaz

Carpe Diem Dementia Village / Nordic Office of Architecture

Residence and Day Center for the Mentally Handicapped / Aldayjover Arquitectura y Paisaje

The House of Silence / Natura Futura Arquitectura

Snøhetta Paris Designs New French Asylum Courts That Inspire Safety in Montreuil

White Arkitekter’s Design for Nuuk’s Psychiatric Clinic Emphasizes Nature in Mental Health Design