A breath of fresh air – the positive impact of landscape architecture on mental healthcare

The positive impact of fresh air and outdoor space on mental health is widely acknowledged, yet in forensic psychiatry it often conflicts with strict security requirements. This project therefore adopts a specific design approach, placing the relationship between landscape and architecture, access to nature and activity-based programming at its core.

The landscape design makes optimal use of the site’s topography and integrates seamlessly with the architectural concept. Ten units are connected by a central node which also hosts the group activities. Shaping the project like “hands” creates four smaller clusters of 20 to 30 beds, operating at the scale of the patient, with every room facing open green space.

Long views over the surroundings soften the institution’s sense of enclosure.

Outdoor areas range from gently sloping gardens to patios and terraces, each calibrated to specific security levels. A generous ‘forecourt’ on the city side organises all mobility flows and establishes a link between the institution and the town, offering places to wait, meet, pause and have lunch.

In close collaboration with caregivers, the outdoor program was carefully designed through a participatory process organized around workshops, working groups, and presentations. The result is a vibrant selection of outdoor spaces that reconnect patients with the outside world, including open gardens, urban farming plots, patios, dining areas, sports fields, and therapeutic outdoor rooms, directly connected to the indoor occupational therapy facilities.

The ambition of the project is to grant patients as much autonomy as possible within a secure perimeter, with therapeutic benefits and reduced workload for staff. Shared amenities and the logistics infrastructure across the institute underpin this ambition.

Safety is achieved through rapid detection and de-escalation of aggression, employing graded protection zones and a transparent architectural approach that combines expansive views of the landscape with clear sightlines for care teams. Generous circulation spaces opening onto greenery reinforce this supervisory logic.

Interactive walking routes and an activity-based design make the dynamics of the therapeutic process spatially legible. Upper-floor units open onto covered common areas and patios, while ground-floor units connect directly to gardens and park-like landscapes. Within clearly defined boundaries, this creates a sequence of seamlessly connected spaces where patients can move freely, relax, and reflect.

Through landscape and architecture, we strive to positively impact both the environment and users’ well-being. To accomplish this, we utilize a holistic approach to mental healthcare where landscape design and activity-based planning work together to support the therapeutic process and guide patients step by step toward rehabilitation.