Mental health challenges are increasing, particularly among teens and young adults, while opportunities for prevention and mental health education remain limited. Many people lack the knowledge and tools to understand, manage, and strengthen their own well-being before problems escalate. This graduation project explores how architecture can support preventive mental health by enabling mental health literacy within an accessible civic setting: the public library.

The project proposes a public library that combines learning, social interaction, and spaces for reflection with low-threshold mental health resources. Located on the former Pyrkal site in Athens, the building is positioned at the intersection of pedestrian routes and designed as an open and accessible environment for young people, supporting both collective and individual use.
The library is embedded beneath a public park landscape, allowing the site to remain open and publicly accessible while creating quieter and more private environments below ground. A series of pavilion entrances distributed throughout the park provide multiple points of access to the building. Inside, the library is organised as a sequence of longitudinal bands that accommodate different functions and atmospheres, ranging from active and social spaces to areas for focused study, consultation, reflection, and retreat. Daylight is introduced through atria and skylights integrated into the landscape above, while materiality, atmosphere, and spatial sequencing reinforce the gradual transition between different modes of use and levels of privacy.
By integrating mental health literacy into a familiar civic typology, this project explores how architecture can create accessible environments for learning, reflection, and support while lowering barriers to engagement with mental well-being. ... Read more

This thesis investigates how Edo-period (1603–1868) Japanese residential architecture intuitively embodies biophilic design principles, centuries before the term was formally defined, offering potential insights for contemporary sustainable and health-supportive housing. Biophilic design, which emphasises the integration of natural elements into built environments, has been shown to support mental well-being by reducing stress, enhancing mood, and improving cognitive function. While the concept has received growing attention in recent decades, traditional architectural styles often incorporated nature in ways that closely aligned with these principles. This study explores that relationship through a comparative analysis of modern biophilic frameworks and Edo-period design.
Using the theoretical framework developed by Zhong et al. (2021), which defines biophilic design through three strategies and eighteen elements, this research applies a visual-analytical method to evaluate two case studies: the Katsura Imperial Villa and the Aizu Samurai Residence. These case studies were selected for their architectural richness and representation of elite social classes, allowing for detailed exploration of material use, spatial organisation, and connection to nature.
The findings reveal a strong alignment between Edo-period residential design and modern biophilic strategies, including features such as open indoor-outdoor transitions, use of natural materials, seasonal responsiveness, and patterns inspired by nature. While certain aspects of contemporary biophilic design, such as technological interventions or explicit biomorphic symbolism, were not present, the core principles were inherently embedded in historical design practices. These findings highlight the relevance of Edo-period architecture as an early example of biophilic design avant la lettre, and suggest its continued value as a source of inspiration for contemporary housing strategies that aim to reconnect people with nature in urban contexts.
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