flamingo mental health rehabilitation center

Sana'a University

Project idea

The idea of the project: Trying to change the stereotypical image of mental health centers in our country and the societal stigma of patients with mental disorders by creating an appropriate, suitable and properly studied health environment that provides them with treatment and comfort so that they can return to society as effective and productive members of it.

The reference for this idea was the flamingo and the similarity between it and a psychological patient at one of the stages of his life, as the flamingo migrates from the northern Europe in the winter to the city of Aden to settle in the Al-Haswah Reserve looking for food and the appropriate warm atmosphere. On the other hand, the person with a psychological disorder needs to leave the environment in which he lives and go to a place where he finds treatment and comfort in order to overcome this crisis that he is going through and then return to integrate into society again.

Embodiment I embodied this idea through the body of a flamingo and abstracted its lines to achieve the current block shape.

Project description

Flamingo center is a center that deals with mental health problems. Patients in this center are divided into three sections: intensive patient, intermediate patients, and convalescent patients. Every section has suitable treatment. flamingo center offers modern suitable attitudes, for example: electric treatment, treatment by consultation, physical treatment, sport treatment, and open natural green yards.
The project is located in the city of Aden near the Al-Ghadir coast, on the seashore and relatively far away from the city and its noise. The location was chosen to provide the center's users with comfort and tranquility due to its connection to the natural atmosphere and its proximity to the seashore, as the sound of the sea and water represents an important part of the psychological treatment.

Technical information

The center is designed to be insulated about weather by using sustainability ways.
-Earth air tunnel system: this system works by taking air from the top surface deep to 3 meters at least to become cooler and then passes into middle of the building and parses throw all levels to make them cooler by fresh air.
-Solar chimney system: this chimney built inside building that is faces the sun. The air inside the chimney gets heated and because the top of the chimney is kept open, the hot air escapes out.
low-emissivity glass: this kind of glass is used to insulate buildings from sun rays.
-Urban courtyard: urban are used in the project a lot about 12%. It helps to cool the surface.