ABSTRACT
Can architecture heal? It certainly can make people feel and be ill, so a fundamental first step is to ensure it doesn’t. We now know enough about sick buildings to avoid building them – though many are still built. But building sickness isn’t only about physical pathogens. Some places make us cringe, feel depressed, exhausted or ill to be in. Soul-destroying environment breeds illness: psychological, social and consequently physical. 1 To a large extent, all of this is about stopping architecture being harmful. More than just preventing harm, however, architecture can actively promote health. The better our state of soul, the lower is our propensity to become ill. Soul-states change with moods, but spirit sets the baseline frame. Architecture works on all three levels. Non-toxic environment avoids building-related sickness. Place-moods affect our moods. These affect our state of soul and – over a longer time-span or through deeper experiences – our spirit.
