Socio-architecture is a phrase coined by psychologist

Humphry Osmond Humphry Fortescue Osmond (1 July 1917 – 6 February 2004) was an English psychiatrist who expatriated to Canada, then moved to work in the United States. He is known for inventing the word '' psychedelic'' and for his research into interesting ...

and Canadian architect

Kyo Izumi Kyo can refer to: ;Anime, game and manga * Kusanagi 'Kyo', KOF 1994, one of the main characters of the ''King of Fighters'' series of video games * ''Kyo'', a manga comic created by Ryōji Minagawa in 1996 * Kyo Sohma, a character in the manga an ...

as part of their research for the best architectural form for Osmond's Weyburn Mental Hospital in 1951. Osmond is best known for his research into the treatment of

schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

, and on the other hand the facilitation of mystical experiences, with

psychedelic drug Psychedelics are a subclass of hallucinogenic drugs whose primary effect is to trigger non-ordinary states of consciousness (known as psychedelic experiences or "trips").Pollan, Michael (2018). ''How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science o ...

s, but his Weyburn hospital became a design research lab to examine the functional aspects of architecture and its impact on the mentally ill. Osmond based his ideas of hospital design on the species-habitat work of German zoologist

Heini Hediger Heini Hediger (30 November 1908 in Basel – 29 August 1992 in Bern) was a Swiss biologist noted for work in proxemics in animal behavior and is known as the "father of zoo biology". Hediger was formerly the director of Tierpark Dählhölzli (1 ...

, and on the research acid trips he took with Izumi. Osmond also coined the terms "

sociopetal Socio-architecture is a phrase coined by psychologist Humphry Osmond and Canadian architect Kyo Izumi as part of their research for the best architectural form for Osmond's Weyburn Mental Hospital in 1951. Osmond is best known for his research int ...

" and " sociofugal" to describe seating arrangement that encouraged or discouraged social interaction. His 1957 article “Function as the Basis of Psychiatric Ward Design” is considered a minor classic. His work regarding architecture was continued by his colleague

Robert Sommer Robert Sommer (April 26, 1929February 27, 2021) was an internationally known Environmental Psychologist and held the position of Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of California, Davis.

References

{{Reflist Environmental psychology Psychiatric hospitals

See also

References