Verdance Point In-Patient Mental Health Center

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Individual Project| 2025 | XMH | Duration: 1 weekend

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This is a speculative/hypothetical design project: a thought experiment in reimagining behavioral health environments around trauma-informed principles, dignity, and the calming presence of nature.

In the U.S., psychiatric hospitalization has long echoed carceral systems, often prioritizing control over care. Many psychiatric inpatients report experiencing coercive interventions like restraints or forced medication.

This legacy of institutionalization can retraumatize rather than restore. The NIMH suggests that about two‑thirds of U.S. adults with serious mental illness receive care, meaning one‑third go untreated (1). We urgently need alternatives grounded in dignity and choice.

Rooted in the regenerative idea of verdance / lush greenness, the design embraces softness, natural materials, and curved geometry to create spaces that are intended to feel safe without being sterile. Earth tones, diffused light, and plant-integrated architecture offer a sensory environment that supports regulation and reflection. The layout prioritizes choice, control, and psychological safety.

1.https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness