Work submitted for the competition
"Best Diploma Architecture"
Awareness of mental health is growing, and so is the number of diagnoses being made. Unfortunately, today's psychiatric facilities are remnants of an isolationist system of care. They are outdated and malfunctioning, and do not take into account the needs of patients who react more strongly to their environment than healthy people.
building axonometry
© Zuzanna Siwek
The aim of the project was to introduce the assumptions of modern concepts to support the treatment process. Ostrów Island on Lake Siecino in Cieszyn was chosen as the location of the Mental Health Center. The island is connected to the village by a causeway, and the area is dominated by tourist buildings. The area provides proximity to nature, but is not isolated from the world. The island is a walking space, with urban centers nearby.
cross sections A-A and B-B
© Zuzanna Siwek
The layout of the building is based on several smaller blocks. The whole has gained the character of a small town, and by assigning a separate function to each block, the communication system has been authenticated. The designed object was adjusted to the existing topography. The courtyard was placed on the flattest area of the plot. The blocks of the lobby and administration in accordance with the elevation of the terrain, making the main access intimately recessed in relation to the surroundings, and the blocks of the two wards — in accordance with its slope, which helps to illuminate the rooms below.
north and east elevations
© Zuzanna Siwek
Many buildings in Pomerania were erected in half-timbered construction, including the Church of Our Lady of Częstochowa in Cieszyn. It was the main inspiration for the building's facade. The stone plinth was rendered in the elevation of level -1, and the form of the facade of the upper floor, finished with fiber-cement panels, refers to the transoms, posts and brackets.
visualization
© Zuzanna Siwek
The masses of the two units were decided to be intersected by a series of horizontal windows, visually separating the facades of level 0 and -1. This allowed to illuminate some of the rooms on floor -1 and to light up the mass from outside.
Due to the building's location on the lake, reference was also made to nautical design. The angled walls of the -1 floor resemble the hull of a boat, and the porthole windows allude to the naval style.
visualization
© Zuzanna Siwek
To provide as much privacy as possible for the building's users, additional laths were used on the facade where the various blocks lie closest to each other.
axonometry of the 24-hour zone
© Zuzanna Siwek
The 24-hour stay area was adjusted to gradually expand the patient comfort zone. Each room is single-bedded, providing a secure base. The first step is to go into the space in front of the rooms. It is here, sitting down on a bench, that the patient can go beyond the familiar area of the room, being constantly near it. From here you can see the green patio well.
visualization
© Zuzanna Siwek
Within the ward, two common areas have been planned. From the windows of the first one, one can observe the courtyard, while the second one offers a panoramic view of the lake. Reaching them is the next step for the patient, while still remaining within the ward. The final step is to pass through a glass connector to a separate part of the common area, where patients of both wards can integrate.
interior visualization
© Zuzanna Siwek
There is no typical nursing station within the center, and staff can supervise and care for patients from benches along the corridors. Since the corridor runs around a patio, staff can make discreet observations of patients through its glass walls. The same is true in the adjacent block of the common area, where the "filtering object" is a series of openwork shelving units. The treatment is intended to offset the inequality in hierarchy between the two user groups.
interior visualization
© Zuzanna Siwek
Underneath the solids of the two wards, zones complementing traditional therapy have been placed, in line with the idea of a multifaceted approach to treatment.
The construction is dominated by CLT cross-laminated timber and BSH glulam, supplemented by reinforced concrete in the foundations and underground walls. Wood was chosen because it is a pleasing material, providing an extra sense of comfort for people with mental disorders. In addition, CLT wood has very good structural rigidity and is environmentally friendly (small trees can be used, and dead trees, windfalls and wood suitable only for firewood are also used).
interior visualization
© Zuzanna Siwek
Zuzanna SIWEK
Illustrations: © Author
