rewrite the scripts
DESIGNING AN ALTERNATIVE WAY TO TREAT PAIN
The opioid epidemic in the United States has unveiled a void in our current healthcare system. Legislative action has shut down over-prescribing pain clinics without replacement for the care many people rely on, new preventive approaches, or services to help those who have become addicted in the aftermath. With the use of settlement funds, architecture can play a major role in filling this void by creating places to find comfort both physically and psychologically.
This project aims to model a design approach for an alternative pain treatment center for post-surgery/injury patients, chronic pain patients, and recovering addicts. The goal is to debunk the stigma surrounding addiction by uniting these distinctly different populations to foster a system of treating and preventing opioid addictions.
The city of Anniston, Alabama hosts the country’s most concerning statistics on opioid prescriptions, providing an opportunity to revitalize a community by giving opioid addiction a place to be discussed, prevented, and overcome.
POST SURGERY /
INJURY PATIENTS
may chose to recover in the proposed pain treatment center as an alternative to being sent home with potentially-addicting opioid pills. These patients will have individual patient rooms, as well as access to a variety of treatments for their acute pain, including virtual reality therapy.
CHRONIC PAIN PATIENTS
visit this center to experience alternative forms of relief during intense pain episodes, or to receive daily or weekly treatments. They also can learn how to better fight their chronic illness and find relief at home, rather than simply refilling their opioid prescriptions at a typical pain clinic.
RECOVERING OPIOID ADDICTS
can utilize this pain treatment center during their recovery. Staff can provide help in various forms of non-opioid medications during withdrawal, treatment of any continuing pain, individual and group counseling, as well as tools to re-acclimate into society.
Pharmaceutical companies have dealt with thousands of lawsuits due to their marketing of pain treatment substances despite knowing their addictive qualities.
The makers of OxyContin, Purdue Pharma, allegedly are “responsible for starting and sustaining the opioid crisis.” In response to these allegations, the Sackler family, who owns the company, is offering to settle more than 2,000 lawsuits against the company, for $10 billion to $12 billion.
A crucial question that is now being asked by many victims and their families is whether the settlements will result in “a tangible improvement of services in each community” and how “states and local jurisdictions decide how to use the money they finally receive.”
There certainly is fear that due to the elongation of many of these settlements and the proposed payments being spread over a long period of time, there will be little that can be done to meet the immediate and urgent needs of current victims. This could lead to these funds being directed to other purposes, without ever being returned to the cause.
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Map of the states and municipalities that filed suits in state courts in regards to the opioid epidemic from 2012- 2016.
The thesis explores an architectural approach to an immediate and tangible improvement of services in communities affected by the opioid epidemic. Implementation of new, holistic pain treatment centers and / or the redesign of existing pain clinics to cater towards victims, provide non-opioid treatment options, and suggest preventative measures against future opioid addictions will require the funding from these settlements, but ensures the money from these settlements is used towards helping solve the problem immediately and properly.
DESIGN STRATEGIES
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south-facing glazing to maximize winter sun exposure, overhangs to fully shade in summer
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double pane high performance glazing on west, north, and east, clear on south for maximum passive solar gain
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tiles or slate (even on wood floors) to store winter daytime solar gain and summer nighttime ‘coolth’
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high ceilings and tall operable windows protected by deep overhangs and verandas
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sunny, wind protected outdoor spaces
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use trees/ivy to minimize heat gain on west facade
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orient shaded windows to prevailing breezes for natural ventilation
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long narrow building floor plan can maximize cross ventilation
PROGRAM
WELLNESS CENTER
PAIN TREATMENT CENTER
ENERGY
On Site PV Generation Potential =
28.7 kBtu/ft2-yr
Rated Capacity
= 357 kW
Estimated Area for Collectors
= 25,626 ft2
biophilia + healing
An innovative approach that emphasizes the necessity of maintaining, enhancing, and restoring the beneficial experience of nature in the built environment, biophilic design can reduce stress, enhance creativity and clarity of thought, improve our well-being, and expedite healing. While everyone can benefit from biophilic design , studies show healthcare patients have substantial healing benefits when within environments that incorporate principles of biophilia.
Numerous studies have shown that when connected in some way to nature, pain is mitigated enough to allow for the elimination, or decrease, of pain relief drugs. The reason behind this being that positive feelings like relaxation can distract the patient’s focus from their injury, closing a gateway from nerves to the brain, creating a reduction in pain. In relation, biophilic design can also help patients better control their emotions, fears, and anxieties related to their illness.
Hospitals and other healthcare facilities are looking to implement principles of biophilic design to promote healing in their patients, as well as provide a better work environment for staff members. Providing an outdoor garden has been shown to reduce turnover rates and improve overall job satisfaction for doctors, nurses, and other staff members who regularly experience stress and could definitely benefit from aspects of biophilia. The pain treatment center project not only includes surrounding healing gardens on underutilized land, it also proposes the addition of a healing garden on the roof of the existing main hospital.
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preventative care
A design decision was made to include a neighboring wellness center, connected to the pain treatment center, on Anniston’s medical campus to promote the importance of preventative care as a treatment for future pain. Those struggling with pain will be able to physically see the connection between healthier habits and pain relief.
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In a society that is geared towards a sedentary lifestyle, it’s vital to incorporate consistent exercise in order to keep muscles and the nervous system functioning, helping to prevent degenerative conditions. Exercise and meditation also decrease stress levels, boost mood, therefore improving mental health.
Unlike a normal gym, the wellness center will have medical professionals on staff for help with nutrition, physical therapy, and health screenings. Some group exercise classes will be offered according to specific health conditions, age, gender, etc. in order to cater the activity and make the participants more comfortable, such as a yoga class specifically for those with arthritis.
path to pain relief
A major form driver for this project was the desire to create a journey through the building, allowing those seeking pain relief to spend time physically and mentally getting to their treatment room. More intimate spaces for individual therapies become smaller and retreat underground as they become more meditative and spa-like, while areas designed for group collaboration and therapies are much more open and lively.
The video below depicts this passage from an open public space, through smaller, more intimate private areas, and returning to a larger collaborative space.
