Built environment vs. mind: the psycohological effects of architecture

“A sick thought can devour the body's flesh more than fever or consumption.” – Guy de Maupassant Architecture is a multi-sensorial and non-verbal experience that relates us to space and time. It is a tool of transmitting emotions and psychological effects to the public, while offering specific functions and services. The perception of space and its components is initiated through our sensorial system while we relate our body with this external world. The mental state of the human being is complex and unique. It is always under the influence of places, people and details that are part of its everyday life. So, the environment he lives in is not only physical but it includes many events, interactions and phenomenon. All of these elements influence the state of mind directly or indirectly. This may bring slowly and unexpectedly the transformation of an individual. If the dialogue between the environment and the individual is harmonious, conformity is reached; if it has a negative notion, it may easily bring dispersion in the emotional state, and as a consequence, affects his behaviour and relation to the society. We coexist everyday with the built environment, and yet do not know the consuming or healing power of architecture. This research aims to analyse the relationship: Environment-Individual and Architecture-Psychology in a place where this connection is the focus, a Psychiatric Hospital. In this paper is analysed the importance of architecture as a psychological therapy, by understanding how people with mental disorders perceive space and architecture and proposing architectural solutions for altering architecture as a healing tool.