CONTEXTUAL FILTER

Core III Studio - Behavioral Health

YSOA | Emily Abruzzo | STEP-OUT | Fall 2021

This proposal addresses behavioral health and schizophrenia as a condition linked to the interaction between external factors in the environment and the internal psychological state of the individual. Research indicates that experiencing schizophrenia can be associated with an abundance of stimuli.

This project aims to provide a filter for users to focus on their treatment. The design includes a layered approach that serves as an experiential filter. Furthermore, the materiality is arranged to organize the program sectionally in relation to the user; from a wood membrane, relating to the buildings on site, to a thicker brick layer separating the site from the concrete central courtyard. The plan arrangement works towards creating a filter of memory through a shift in perception. The exterior of the proposal aligns itself within the urban context of the pitched house typology; however, when one goes through the facade, the previous expectation is skewed and shifted to let the users distance themselves from the outside environment and any associations they have of a clinical institution.

Programmatic diagram illustrating the programmatic distribution in respect to the concept

Site plan

Diagrammatic series illustrating the formal explorations of indexicality

This project for STEP seeks to blend with the neighborhood. Using the existing house typology and creating a psychiatric center that respectfully interacts with the site and the users. The project merges the traditional rectilinear pitch roof with a circular logic to create this intimacy between the interior and exterior. Moreover, the interior is further delineated through a shift of the organizing grid and two layers of materials on the outline conditions. The facade is composed of white brick overlayed with white glass, which wraps around the building. The roof is achieved through a wood gable structure overlayed with white plaster on the outside.