Yuzhi Gu

Education

MA Interior Design, Royal College of Art

BA Interior Design, Academy of Art University

Experience

Interior Designer Assistant, Studio Y, Chengdu 2020

Interior Design Intern, Aedas, Shanghai 2019

Interior Design Assistant, Pamper Haus Design, San Francisco  2018

Medical shortages have always been Lowestoft’s biggest problem; And Lowestoft has suffered increasing mental health care issues after the pandemic. ‘Garden House’ visualizes a mental health support ‘home’ to create convenient access for local people in Lowestoft; By building a ‘home’ outside ‘home’ as a transition area into society for people with mental illnesses. Challenging the traditional ways of curing people with mental illness, I proposed a space that combines community and psychotherapy, with a natural therapy treatment that allows the surrounding natural environment to ease the negative feeling that these people suffer.

The entrance area is like a hidden oasis garden in the city, surrounded by tall trees. The open and flexible pavilion allows treatment sessions to happen; Meanwhile, the place acts as an urban catalyst attracting people to come together, bringing a second chance to the declining High Street. Rotating the original building transforms the initial architectural shortcomings the site faced into advantages, the rear portion of the building functions as a more prominent entrance. The most important feature of the space is that each floor has its functional garden; Highlighting the indoor and outdoor threshold encourages people to interact freely with the outdoor garden.