Design shame into pride with architecture | Sheenwar Siti | TEDxAmericanUniversityofKurdistan
The speaker proposes the Mediation Theory, an architectural design method that uses a gradual, transitional approach to bridge societal acceptance for any stigmatized subject. This theory, inspired by the WHO's treat-prevent-promote model, navigates clashes between activities (like therapy and sports) by creating linked, permeable transitions between them. The core argument is that physical space can guide societal change from concept to realized architectural structure.
## Speakers & Context
- Unnamed speaker; presents a theory developed during an architectural thesis in London, which he claims applies globally.
- The speaker is addressing an audience that includes people who may be suffering from common mental illnesses, noting that *a quarter of the people in this room that we are in right now have suffered or are currently suffering from one of the common mental illnesses*.
- The speaker positions himself as an authority on designing for mental health stigma, contrasting his theory with historical methods like *lockup asylums* and modern specialized hospitals.
## Theses & Positions
- The stigma associated with mental illness needs a systematic intervention beyond just building a specialized hospital; the new solution must be a *method of design*.
- The Mediation Theory is the core principle that bridges societal acceptance of mental health treatment by combining treat, prevent, and promote functions into a single, architecturally mediated design.
- The goal of the design is to create a transitional link between two otherwise clashing activities (e.g., the private nature of therapy and the public noise of a football pitch).
- The process begins with identifying a *community ready to take a leap in attitudes* toward accepting the stigmatized subject.
## Concepts & Definitions
- **Mediation:** The process of intervening in a dispute to resolve it; used here as a design method for societal acceptance.
- **Treat, Prevent, Promote:** The World Health Organization (WHO) model underpinning the theory:
- **Treat:** The function of a mental health treatment center.
- **Prevent:** The function of public sports facilities.
- **Promote:** Using sports as a visible, *stigma fighting public face*.
- **Mediation Theory:** A framework allowing a *careful combination* of treat, prevent, and promote factors into a single architectural design by creating transitional links between contrasting activities.
- **Transitional Link:** A mediated area or architectural element that bridges two distinct functional zones (e.g., between a quiet therapy room and a loud sports pitch).
## Mechanisms & Processes
- **Thesis Development:** Applied the WHO model to combine sports facilities with mental health treatment, initially finding clashes (e.g., placing a football pitch next to a waiting room).
- **The Mediation Process:** A multi-stage method applied to design:
1. **Opportunity Identification:** Determining if a society is ready for change (e.g., is the taboo dying, as in the UK?).
2. **User Range Determination:** Identifying a sample group (e.g., general community members vs. Gen Z).
3. **Activity Range Selection:** Finding the spectrum of activities, moving from therapy to familiar community activity (Sports).
4. **Mediation Implementation:** Creating the transitional link (e.g., proposing Leisure Therapy between Leisure and Therapy).
5. **Spatial Activation:** Using architectural elements (walls, paths) to ensure connections are active and visible.
- **Architectural Mediation Tactics:**
- Placing the central function (e.g., Leisure Therapy) to create a *transitional link* between two main areas (hospital edge vs. community edge).
- Using *transparent boundary types* (like horizontal slats) to allow glimpses of activity promotion at eye level.
- Turning a boundary itself into a transitional space (e.g., the fence/pathway).
## Timeline & Sequence
- **Pre-Design History:** Mental health design progressed from *lockup asylums* (experiments) to *more moral Retreats* (realizing patients have families).
- **Modern Shift (Last 50 years):** The change is marked by the emergence of drugs that treat symptoms, leading to home-based care over institutionalization.
- **Design Sequence:** Idea $\rightarrow$ Thesis (London) $\rightarrow$ Application Challenges $\rightarrow$ Conceptual Theory $\rightarrow$ Site Selection $\rightarrow$ Implementation via Architecture.
## Named Entities
- **London:** Location where the speaker developed the initial architectural thesis.
- **UK:** Example used when noting that the topic of mental health is currently a *Hot Topic* there.
- **The hook:** The location where the speaker is currently presenting; noted for having a smaller, more interconnected population.
- **Gen Zed or K-pop gen:** Designated as the "social media generation," perceived as being more aware of global trends regarding mental illness than the general population.
## Numbers & Data
- Period of development for mental health design: Over **400 years**.
- Statistic on common mental illness: **A quarter (25%)** of people in the room *may* have suffered or currently suffer.
- Stigma statistic: **More than half** wouldn't want someone showing signs of common mental illness to marry into their family.
## Examples & Cases
- **Initial Thesis:** Combining sports facilities with mental health treatment.
- **Clash Example:** The *choir* (private nature of therapy) clashing with the *constant shouting and clanging of a football pitch* (public activity).
- **Leisure Therapy Example:** Activities like *yoga, meditative Leisure Pond and Spa, swimming Gardens,* offering both therapeutic and physical benefits.
- **Site Application Example:** Placing the *clinic* on the hospital edge, the *public face* on the community edge, and the *Leisure therapy activity* in the mediating space between them.
- **Visual Example:** Using a fence with horizontal slats and gaps to allow *passing-by to get a glimpse of the activity on the other side* (eye-level promotion).
- **Symbolic Example:** The final drawing shows a holistic mediation path from "hospital on one side" to "community on the other."
## Tools, Tech & Products
- **Architectural Design:** The primary tool; involves manipulating space, walls, and paths.
- **Wall Types:** A catalog of wall types ranged in transparency, allowing selection based on the boundary needed (e.g., full enclosure vs. permeable view).
## Trade-offs & Alternatives
- **Clash (Alternative):** Treating the two activities in isolation (e.g., a private clinic vs. a public sports field).
- **Mediation (Preferred):** Creating a physical, transitional link to allow the activities to exist together without their defining conflicts being fully realized.
## Methodology
- **Design Methodology:** The Mediation Theory itself, which mandates finding an opportunity $\rightarrow$ selecting a user/activity range $\rightarrow$ applying mediation $\rightarrow$ physical realization via spatial design.
- **Architectural Technique:** Using architectural transparency and transitional paths to facilitate social acceptance.
## Conclusions & Recommendations
- The Mediation Theory is not just for mental health; it can be applied to *any stigmatized subject in society*.
- The process provides a *blueprint to fill the hole* society has left, moving from an abstract opportunity on paper to a concrete, physical solution.
- The ultimate goal is enabling society to slowly *Embrace and accept positive change*.
## Implications & Consequences
- The theory moves mental health care out of purely institutional settings and into visible, shared community spaces, challenging the notion that care must be hidden.
- Successfully applying mediation can foster a *new Gateway for treatment of an illness of our time*.
## Verbatim Moments
- *"mediation is the intervention in a dispute in order to resolve it."*
- *"the theory I developed during my thesis set in London is actually a theory that can be applied anywhere in the world."*
- *"what is the new Gateway for treatment of an illness of our time?"*
- *"I call the mediation Theory."*
- *"there could be clashes for example the choir and private nature of a Therapy Clinic against the constant shouting and clanging of a ball of a football pitch."*
- *"how do we pull apart these two clashing activities without splitting them entirely?"*
- *"I need to find a mediated range of activity from Leisure to therapy."*
- *"this Greenery would reduce views coming through the fence from the football pitch all the way across the courtyard to the Community Building."*
- *"the mediation Theory doesn't just have to be about breaking the stigma associated with mental health it could be for any stigmatized subject in society."*