Design interventions for orphan children to accommodate their psychological needs

Design interventions for orphan children to accommodate their psychological needs

Devvrat Chowdhary2010BARC009

SEMINAR - III

AIM• To assess the psychological issues

prevalent in orphan children and propose design interventions accordingly.

Objectives• To assess the psychological impact on the children

who have lost their parents or those who are growing without biological parents.

• List the various psychological issues.

• To understand the relationship between the spatial character and psychology of children with special reference to those who have gone through trauma of separation from biological parents.

• To make and attempt to mitigate the negative impacts of orphan hood in children through design.

Scope and Limitations• The age group of 0-12 years is considered for the

purpose of this dissertation.

• The study will aim to arrive with schemes to guide the design of children’s homes but will not provide rigid details of design interventions.

• Only literature case studies will be referred for the scope of this dissertation.

Background Study

• Definitions

• Facts

Literature Review

• Psychological Issues

• Methods to Counteract psychological problems

Case Studies

• SOS Village, Jordan

• Amsterdam Orphanage

RESULT

Methodology

Background study• Definition of an orphan:

▫ A child who is below 18 years of age and who has lost one or both parents may be defined as an orphan (George, 2011).

• Orphans in India:

▫ The number of orphans in India stands at approximately 55 million children of age 0 to 12 years, which is about 47% of the overall population of 150 million orphans in the world (GCM India; UNICEF, 2005).

1 billion + people

400 million children

50 million orphans

18 million homeless

(Shrivastava, 2007)

Literature Review

• An orphanage for young women in Srinagar was surveyed by psychiatrists using DSM-IV guidelines to evaluate children for psychopathology. Children were in the age group of 5 to 12 years.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV)

40.62%PTSD

25%Major

depressive disorder (MDD)

12.5%Conversion

Disorder

(Chan et al. 2006)

Psychological problems

• According to ”A study of psycho social problems in orphans in Kerala” a Ph.D. thesis by Benson. N the major psycho-social problems a homeless child faces are:

Literature ReviewPsychological problems

•Self-esteem•Recognition and approval•Love and Affection•Security•Independence•Creative expression•New Experience•dealing with others•Achievement•Isolation•Financial problems•Dealing with the opposite sex•Dealing with Authorities•Relation with Anxiety•Relation with Emotional Maturity

• Colour therapy

Literature ReviewMethods to counteract psychological issues

RED

•Strength

•Loosen restraints

•Energy

•Remove lethargy and depression

ORANGE

•Energising

•Warming

•Lift spirits of depressed and lonely

YELLOW

•Stimulate intellect

•Cheering effect

•Facilitate digestion

•Not ideal for stress

GREEN

•Harmony, Balance

•Hope

•Calming effect

•Optimism

•Excess may result in Complacency

• Colour therapy


BLUE

• Truth, Nobility and Serenity.

• Help for frightened or flustered

• Sedative

INDIGO

• Intellect

• Courage, authority

• Inner Calmness

Violet

• Stimulate intellect

• Cheering effect

• Facilitate digestion

• Not ideal for stress

• Healing Gardens▫ Child friendly entry▫ Comfortable space for staff and parents▫ Many options as possible for children to

interact with nature through their senses and or hands-on activities

▫ Plant a garden and harvest▫ Universal Accessibility▫ Multi-purpose setting for activities, social

gatherings▫ Shade▫ Provide plants and trees that drop leaves and

twigs -▫ Seeds and stones▫ Add a hill▫ Storage, potting shed▫ Fun signage


(Source-Basham & Lucas Design Group)

• Architectural Intervention

▫ Attachment to a certain architectural space, identification with it, and possibility of regulating privacy and recovering of environment results in appearance of favourite place phenomenon.


(Danica. 2008)

Vertical realms



Source- Queen Silvia Children’s Hospital



Source- The Little School in San Francisco, Mark Horton

• Psychological effect of shapes


•Connection, community, wholeness, endurance, movement, safety, perfection•Refers to the feminine: warmth, comfort, sensuality, and love.

•Order, logic, containment, security.•Rectangles provide a fourth point, which is mathematically the foundation for 3D objects, suggesting mass, volume, and solids.

•Energy, power, balance, law, science, religion.•Refers to the Masculine: strength, aggression, and dynamic movement.

• Children’s scale

• Linking paths and gardens

• Shaded courts

• Use of stone – irregular shapes, fantasy

• Arched pathways

Case studySOS Children’s Village – Jordan

SOS children’s village Jordan - PLAN (*Source – Aga Khan award for Architecture

Case studySOS Children’s Village – Jordan

SOS children’s village Jordan- View (*Source – Aga Khan award for Architecture

• Children’s scale

• Small informal pockets create areas of intrigue and discovery

• Reflective surfaces (material)

• Simple Geometry interaction to create interactive spaces

Case studyAmsterdam Orphanage- Netherlands

Orthogonal grid with diagonal pathways creating equal spaces (Archdaily)

Case studyAmsterdam Orphanage- Netherlands

Amsterdam Orphanage- Netherlands(Archdaily)

ACTIVITY SPATIAL

CHARACTER

COLOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUE

ADDRESSED

1 Eating Rectangle Yellow Independence, Dealing with

others

2 Study Rectangle, Triangle Blue, green Self esteem, New

experience, Independence,

Achievement

3 Creative Circle Red, Green, Violet Isolation, Creative

expression, Security,

Dealing with others, self

esteem

4 Resting Circle Orange, Blue Anxiety, Security, dealing

with others

ResultRelationship between shapes, coloursand the psychological issues addressed

• Articulated Classroom

ResultSpatial character suggestions


• Space as a Home Base

▫ Generally the spaces in an children’s home though for children are controlled by the administrative people and the children act as visitors

▫ There should be some permanent spaces for the individuals something like a nest from where you take off and keep returning to meet up again.

• Threshold space between classroom and corridor

▫ With corridors changing from circulation area to work area comes an even greater need for openness

▫ there needs to be a surveillance of those working outside as well as inside of the teacher and even though there is a physical detachment the children should feel connected.


Conclusion

References• Benson, N (2002). The study of Psycho-social

problems of orphans in Kerela• Browne, K. (2009). The Risk of Harm to Young

Children in Institutional Care. United Kingdom: Save the Children.

• Johnson, W. D. (2013). The Effects of Being Orphan

• James Sengendo and Janet Nambi. (1997)The psychological effect of orphanhood: a study of orphans in Rakai district

• M. Mudasir Naqshbandi ,Rashmi Sehgal,Fahimul Hassan (2012) Orphans in orphanages of Kashmir “and their Psychological problems”

• Shah Amir Ezham Ismail , . Zaiton Abdul Rahim, Asiah Abdul Rahim (2013) Muslim orphanage's village

• Unicef (2005). The state of the world's children 2006: excluded and invisible: United Nations Pubns.

• Danica Stanković (2008). Space in the function of psychological stability of a child

• Basham & Lucas Design Group (1998). Gardens that heal: therapeutic landscape and site design

• Yuanquan Xu (2012). Play therapy room design• Indiaparenting.com, Colour therapy for children• California state university Stanislaus, online

archive• Herman Hertzberger – Space and learning• Shrivastava D (2007). Child trafficking–A human

right abuse. Indian Police J