Kimberly Grovu
Architecture and Dwelling Design for Care
It Takes a Village: An investigation into the decentralization of Neurodiverse & Psychiatric care within a small Dutch locality
The facts: we are in a global mental health crisis. Affecting 450 million people globally, treatable conditions are aggravated by an overburdened healthcare industry (CAMH, n.d.), and in the Netherlands alone, over 80,000 people face four-month long waitlists to access mental health support (NL Times, 2024).
Studies find early intervention to be crucial in tackling this crisis – identifying the ‘emerging adult’ (16-30 yrs) as the optimal treatment window to prevent early symptoms from taking root.
To capture and address this period of vulnerability, this project proposes a prototypical solution that blends a decentralized care system within existing community infrastructures. In essence, it spreads the caregiving responsibilities throughout the community by integrating a network of informal care centres (public living rooms) into a neighbourhood’s local park-scape. Combining Dutch boathouse construction principles with a modular and prefabricated kit of parts, individual pavilions re-activate community engagement by hosting skill-building recreational therapies while minimally affecting their surrounding natural environment.