Sienna Tardini

An acceleration in population growth and the resultant increase in high-density development has been followed by a wave of negative effects on health and wellbeing, provoking a new sustainability crisis in contemporary society. In this new and evolving paradigm, urban space is critical in the process of recovery and restoration, to improve physical health and psychological wellbeing in the population, across both individuals and the community more broadly.

This thesis aims to design a therapeutic center space for Coburg: encouraging individual and community healing through a journey of specific architectural moments, to cater for diverse wellness treatments. Creating a place for everyone to call home, rehabilitating individuals, and communities into a new vibrant social life.

The design creates a series of therapeutic moments for either interaction and engagement or retreatment and recovery producing an overall holistic healing experience. Individual healing for physical and mental wellbeing, Community healing by together combating social issues around loneliness and Environmental Healing, bringing awareness to the current climate crisis, encouraging sustainable practices, and increasing habitat.

The center consists of outdoor public gardens, and both public and semi-public programs internally. Separated through high and low-intensity programs, with careful consideration into threshold spaces between zones. The site transitions from high intensity on the lower levels for healing within the community, to low-intensity therapeutic spaces for individual and environmental recovery.