Creating healing environments: humanistic architecture and therapeutic design

Abstract

Humanistic architecture aims to place human welfare at the heart of the art and science of building design and environmental management. In this article we aim to show how humanistic architecture can contribute to public mental health and mental health promotion, using as an example our own architectural and design practice, Nightingale Associates. Nightingale Associates aims to combine psychotherapeutic methods with traditional architectural design to create healing healthcare environments that, evidence shows, can enhance and support the care and treatment process.