Design for Wellbeing

Good design can really make us feel better.

Whether it's architecture:
Futures Forum: Building green >>> wellness, sustainability and architecture
Futures Forum: 'The power of architecture to lift the spirits and help in the process of therapy.'
Futures Forum: the (small) hypermodern local acute hospital >>> >>> >>> “Yes, it is possible to provide gold standard acute hospital care in a small local hospital in a cost-effective way... it is just difficult and requires a number of NHS conventions to be defied.”

or gardens and landscapes:
Futures Forum: Tranquility garden at Sidmouth Victoria Hospital
Futures Forum: Landscaping for Health: inspiring projects in the south-west

or clever design ideas:
Futures Forum: Design for Care >>> "How can we support people to make effective choices for their own care needs or those of a loved one?"
Futures Forum: Resilience and Salutogenesis: "Environment, health and resilient cities: what constitutes salutogenic environments?"

There is a very obvious idea:

Design for Wellbeing

Salutogenesis is a term coined by Aaron Antonovsky, a professor of medical sociology and is derived from a mix of Greek and Latin that roughly translates to “health origins” and describes an approach focusing on factors that support human health and well-being, rather than on factors that cause disease.

A Salutogenic Approach to Designing Behavioral Health Facilities

And we can see these ideas in action more and more...

The Design Council is currently working on a project with local councils:
How six local councils are using design to tackle public health challenges | Design Council

There is an interesting scheme happening in the new NW Cambridge development:
North West Cambridge: MUMA adds a sense of community | Building | Architects Journal

“Storey’s Field Centre aims to fulfil the ambitions expressed in its unique architecture, reflecting the aspirations of the communities itserves, where a vibrant cultural and social life inspires a sense ofcommunity and wellbeing”

Overview - Storey's Field Centre

Which is a reminder of the first Garden City Letchworth - and its recent incarnations:
Futures Forum: Green cities, garden cities @ Radio 4

And the attempts by the District Council to do the same with its newtown:
Futures Forum: Designing Cranbrook: how to 'respond to lessons learnt from the completed housing'

Although there are still many questions:
Futures Forum: Cranbrook wins 'Best Overall Development' and 'Affordable Housing' awards ... but what exactly is 'affordable'?
Futures Forum: The Cranbrook project >>> where's the town centre >>> the infrastructure >>>the 'growth point'?

The biggest questions being on health and design:
Futures Forum: Cranbrook: 'healthy town'?
Futures Forum: Cranbrook: where's the 'good design'?

The NEW Devon CCG has a plan:

Cranbrook - A healthy new town

Developing a new town offers the rare opportunity to plan health and wellbeing from the start.

Designed in the right way, Cranbrook’s built environment, health, care and wellbeing services, can collectively make it the norm for people to lead healthy, connected and sustainable lives.

Cranbrook is one of ten sites selected to join NHS England’s national Healthy New Towns programme.

This provides a unique opportunity to work with and learn from a wide range of national and regional partners to further our ambitions to create a healthy, vibrant, attractive and sustainable town of which the residents are proud.

Three organisations responsible for healthcare and wellbeing have written a strategy:

• Devon County Council’s Public Health Department
• Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group
• East Devon District Council.

In essence, the strategy sets out to support the development of a town where:

• Children and young people have a healthy start in life
• People of all ages have access to healthy lifestyles
• Health, wellbeing and care needs are met early on
• People can access care and support in the right setting at the time when needed

Cranbrook - A healthy new town – Northern, Eastern and Western Devon Clinical Commissioning Group

Sidmouth resident and former chair of Art & Architecture Graham Cooper has a considerable archive of professional material which covers health and design:

Wellcome Library Western Manuscripts and Archives catalogue

His book 'Art and Nature' looks at how these ideas have developed in Britain and Japan:

ART AND NATURE: HEALING Design for Health in the UK and Japan

Produced in collaboration with the Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, 'Art and Nature: Healing' by Graham Cooper describes some of the most illuminating and useful recent healthcare projects from the UK and Japan. 

Grounded on the principles of evidence based design this book explores issues and ideas on the future of healing environments. 

The aim is to raise awareness for how art, nature and health design can combine to improve quality of life through linking the users to their surroundings. 

 It considers the latest developments in cultivating health and the case studies are grouped under four themes: Art as nature's way to feed the senses, Benefits of nature, Building Health in the community, Health care in Japan.

Art and nature: Healing Book, Design for Health in the UK and Japan, BookArt

Art and nature: Healing. Design for health in the UK and Japan.: Amazon.co.uk: Graham; Sharp, Dennis Cooper: 9780947648039: Books
Art and Nature : Healing - Design for Health in the UK and Japan | Arts Health and Wellbeing
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