Closed psychiatric departments have locked doors. But it does not mean that the indoor environments need to have a heavy, institutional feel. The opposite is actually a precondition for achieving a healing environment.
An overall desire at Östra Hospital was to break the stigmatisation associated with psychiatric care. The fact that the aesthetics and function of the premises are very important for recovery is absolutely clear.
We worked from the goal of creating a free and open atmosphere, of avoiding all associations with compulsion and power. The design includes a welcoming entrance with an entrance hall three storeys high. Large glazed section and illuminated, red-stained birch panels set their stamp on a room that meets everyone – relatives, staff and patients on parole.
The psychiatric activities are grouped around a central passageway that connects to the top storey of the entrance hall. All public areas are situated along this passageway. Here are also the entrances to the actual treatment areas, as well as to administration and management.
The care departments are based on three cornerstones: The garden, “the heart”- where you gather the patients for activities, and the accommodation group. In the ‘protected outdoor area’ no staff cards are required, and some patients even have their own exit to the garden. The design is intended gradually to increase the patients’ personal spheres, from their own room, to the garden, café and public areas.
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