Files
Date of Award
5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Architecture
College
Arts and Sciences
Department
Architecture
Faculty Advisor
Stephen Wischer
Studio Coordinator
Stephen Wischer
Faculty Chair
Susan Kliman
Publisher
North Dakota State University
Rights
NDSU policy 190.6.2
URI
https://www.ndsu.edu/fileadmin/policy/190.pdf
Abstract
The following research explores the contemporary hospital and its design through the lens of theory, laying out the deeper problems that exist in the modern system. The treatment of physical sickness over time has drastically improved, but at the cost of emotional and spiritual comfort, healing, and well-being within the hospital setting. These spaces no longer extend from concepts of the whole, interconnected human being and architecture’s origins as a practice of resonance and harmony. The result is medical atmospheres that serve no aid in aligning the body, mind, and soul, and induce further stress on patients. The design proposal intends to remedy this, inviting resonant and positive atmospheres back into the hospital environment. The redesign of these atmospheres is to open up opportunity for cathartic release and healing within the sick – providing an avenue for emotional, physical, and spiritual healing through the built environment.
Recommended Citation
Pfeifer, Britta, "Catharsis in Illness: Atmospheric Healing in the Enclaves of Detroit" (2025). Architecture Theses. 46.
https://digitalcommons.ndsu.edu/architecture-theses/46