A psychiatric hospital near Lyon has inaugurated a unit for patients with severe autistic disorders. Its architecture was designed based on neurology concepts to soothe patients.
Devices to absorb sounds, alcoves to isolate yourself, soft colors: a psychiatric hospital near Lyon has just inaugurated a unit unique in France, whose architecture was designed to avoid stimulating the senses of affected patients severe autistic disorders. The first residents moved in on Thursday in this structure at Vinatier hospital which includes 10 beds, but also a gym, a balneotherapy facility and a winter garden.
In the new 1,107 m² unit built by Citinea (a subsidiary of Vinci construction), everyone has their own room with bathrooms. In the middle of the vast common space, a fossilized tree bathes in natural light. Patients, who spend about six weeks there, can observe the outside through large windows or curl up in small “niches” to isolate themselves from others and cut themselves off from the world. Its architect, Lionel Thabaret, says he was inspired by his experience in spa design.
“We were already involved in hydrotherapy and spas rather with people who feel good, but it is also a form of care and the environment must encourage well-being,
he explains.
For this achievement, we also benefited from the help of the Vinatier teams and research from the CNRS Institute of Neurocognitive Sciences.”
A collaboration with scientists which opens the way towards neuro-architecture, this design of living spaces where everything is determined by the functioning of the brain of its occupants.
Soothing effect of greenery
At Vinatier, it is about addressing residents who do not have the capacity to interpret the places around them, so we must be able to adapt to the different needs of each person and generate as little stimulation as possible. Hence these colorful atmospheres adaptable to everyone’s wishes and a multitude of niches where patients can isolate themselves. There is a set of eight alcoves which offer as many possible stops on the way to your room.
“The rounded shapes also create an enveloping building, creating a feeling of protection and we built the premises around the garden and existing trees, multiplying as many openings towards green spaces as possible,
souligne Lionel Thabaret.
Studies have proven by taking two comparable school groups, one of which will have crossed a town for 20 minutes and the other through a forest, that the second succeeds much better and much faster in its work.
“This project aims for deeper and more lasting relief, making it possible to limit the use of psychotropic drugs, with the idea that the walls could truly have a healing role”
explains Caroline Demily, head of the neurodevelopment center, her voice muffled by small holes in the walls. According to autism specialist Laurent Mottron, most researchers consider that
“the place of perception is more important”
in people suffering from autistic disorders than in the general population and that it is necessary, if we want to adapt their environment, to limit noise and overcrowding. These patients
“often seek shelter from socialization (…) and therefore need to have a place of retreat, while remaining accessible”
for the healthcare team, notes the professor of psychiatry.
Bright ceiling
But they are not all disturbed by the same factors and, while architecture has a role to play,
“the big word is the individualization of care”
he insists. At Vinatier,
“we have a set of spaces that are very flexible, so that the person, depending on their needs, can find a place where they feel good”
adds Caroline Demily, hoping that this unit, the first in France entirely designed for and with autistic people, does not remain an isolated enterprise. Although this type of architecture has developed greatly in the United States,
“in France, we have always remained on the fringes because we consider that we are creating functional structures”
believes Ms. Demilly.
“Quality of life is not really taken into account in hospital buildings”
.
“We have done a lot of work on ceilings which often pose a problem for autistic people,
explains Lionel Thabaret.
There is a high ceiling and we designed a chlorophyll sky with three types of screen-printed opalescent glazing which recreates a landscape.”
There is also a Snoezelen room or sensory rest room, equipment which is increasingly being developed in nursing homes and psychiatric establishments.
“Here, the equipment is really very complete,
explains Lionel Thabaret,
because in addition to light therapy, there is hydrotherapy equipment and the possibility of simulating a starry sky without forgetting the ionizing ceiling which allows you to breathe better.”
Vinatier invested seven million euros in this project, said Ms. Duchamp, but the development of outpatient services and the reduction in length of stay and rehospitalizations made it possible to close 36 beds at the same time. In the United States, the HKS firm has specialized in this new line of research called neuro-architecture.
“Before, these things were the first to fall by the wayside in budgets”
notes Eric Kutche, one of its architects, himself autistic. Today, we measure that
“the return on investment is significant, and not just in dollars, but with better patient health outcomes”
.
