Yuzhi Gu

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.