Spatial characteristics of community mental health institutions in urban contexts—Using the architectural design of the Mallet ST Youth Mental Health Centre in Sydney, Australia as a case study

Promoting the Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2030 issued by WHO, there is a global trend to transform the mental health care system from a psychiatric hospital-centred mode to a community-based network. Under this trend, decentralised community mental health institutions are gradually replacing psychiatric hospitals and mitigating the stigma of mental illness in the community. Plus, the operation mode and functions of mental health facilities become different, with their space design emphasising different features and requirements. Especially in urban contexts where it is crowded and people face more stressors and complex environments, mental health facilities have more challenges in dealing with the relationship with the surrounding community, reducing stigma from the community, and the impact of the space on patients’ mental health. The goal is to explore the spatial characteristics of community mental health institutions in cities and to establish architectural design strategies for these institutions. Through a summary of theories on the built environment of community mental health institutions, combined with an analysis of internationally approved projects, five spatial characteristics were identified: (1) community shared space, (2) threshold space, (3) therapy space, (4) activity space, and (5) natural space. The research on the above five spatial characteristics, combined with the local social and cultural background and the specific needs of adolescents’ mental health, was innovatively applied to the architectural design of the Mallet ST Youth Mental Health Centre in Sydney, Australia.