Dissertation Proposal 1 (First Option)

Sense of Space: Cogency of Built Environment on Mental Well

being

Name: Muskaan Rampal

Roll Number: A/3137/2018
Year: 5th Year
Date of Submission: 18th June 2022

RESEARCH QUESTION : What impact does architecture and built environment have
on a person suffering with mental health issues? What are the various factors that
should be kept in mind while designing that help in mental, emotional and physical
wellbeing of a human?
KEYWORDS : Mental health, Mental wellbeing, Built environment, Psychology
Mental illness affected 14% of India's population including 45.7 million suffering from
depressive disorders and 9 million from anxiety disorders. The Covid-19 pandemic has
further accentuated this mental health catastrophe with reports from across the world
indicating that the Virus and associated lockdowns were having a significant influence
on the population – particularly among the younger generation.(India, 2021)
The built environment has two primary effects on mental health. Characteristics of the
built environment can have a direct impact on mental health. Environmental
characteristics with direct effects on mental health include housing, crowding, noise,
indoor air quality, and light. In addition to direct effects, the built environment can
indirectly impact mental health through modifying psychosocial processes that have
been linked to mental illness. For example, higher residential density interferes with the
development of socially supportive ties within the family. (Evans,2004)
The design of a space has vital repercussions on a person having mental health
disorders. Crowded, noisy, dilapidated,unsafe places, or places lacking greenspaces
generally link with negative consequences such as social withdrawal and
isolation,depletion in cooperative behavior and in some cases, even psychological
distress and depression.These conditions can also lead to occasions of mild
aggression, or even severe violence. (Sullivan and Chang, 2011)
The interchange between human psychology and architectural design is critically
important yet it is highly overlooked and even remains unconsidered both in and outside
the design fraternity. The correlation between psychology and design is not only
consequential but is bifacial.(Ricci, 2017)

With advancements in modern medicine, the world has made great strides with
combining medication and therapies to heal patients. However, It is and should be
beyond the scope of just medicinal approaches to incorporate factors that help manage
mental health issues. Our built environment plays an eminent role in either assisting or
hindering positive mental health.This dissertation will help us in dwelling deeper into
understanding and identifying these various parameters that affect the mental health of
human beings. (Macabanti, n.d.)

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