| This thesis explores the condition of those who experience serious mental illness, and takes a critical position with respect to the existing social and physical institutions which provide services to this population.;Using Halifax as a context for investigation, the thesis explores the design of three building orders, as they relate to the three fundamental stages of recovery. Specifically, the thesis explores the psycho-therapeutic potential for an architecture of presence, as a paradigm capable of supporting the reconciliation of mind, body and city.;Through an investigation of the relationship between mental health, architecture, and the city, the thesis seeks to understand the role architecture can play in the rehabilitation of people who live with mental illness. This thesis does not presume that architecture alone has the power to heal, but rather, it seeks to explore the physical and mental dimensions of place as a therapeutic milieu. |
