Design for Health and Well-being – Design Suggestions For Interior Design in Compulsory Care Facilities

Synopsis

We will present research on the significance of the physical environment for health and well-being in various closed settings such as forensic psychiatry, youth homes (SiS), and prisons.
Moreover, we will propose design suggestions that may have the potential to improve people’s wellbeing and health in these settings.

The healthcare environment serves as an active agent in the rehabilitation and habilitation of patients in psychiatric closed care. The design of the physical environment in psychiatric settings has been compared to the need for high-tech equipment in somatic healthcare. The physical environment itself becomes both a tool and support for patients and staff, primarily through its stress-reducing function, as highlighted by the field of Evidence Based Design (EBD). Our research shows that the environment can support the therapeutic alliance between patient/client and staff, especially by conveying a sense of trust, security, and autonomy. It is also reasonable to assume that the environment itself can reinforce or “redirect” and change the identity we carry.

The staff constitutes the essence of the care provided, and therefore, their need for a safe and secure working environment should be an integral part of the environment’s design. Only then can the conditions for good care and interpersonal encounters be established.

In any closed facility the feeling of confinement is at the forefront, accompanied by many losses. The question is whether the environment can compensate for these losses, or at least not exacerbate them. Despite the limited living conditions within institutional care, there are ample opportunities through environmental design to promote well-being. We see that physical and mental health could be positively influenced by designs that encourage e.g. physical movement both indoors and outdoors, a better designed sleep environment, and not least a sense of belonging.