I completed this project for my senior thesis. We were given the task of choosing a building and re-purposing it into something other than it's original use. I chose my great great great grandparents farm and decided to design it into an outpatient mental health facility. There was a lot of research that went into this project. Rural health care, making a commercial space feel residential, and understanding mental illnesses that would be treated at a facility like this were the main topics of my research. 

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It was important to make the doctors' offices fit each possible doctor that would utilize the room and also make the offices and waiting area as homey feeling as possible. Another important aspect of the design was to help blur the lines between interior and exterior. I designed to have large outdoor porch spaces to help with this finding from the research.

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I also converted the barn into a complementary alternative medicine area. The design of the barn includes three floors, with multiple types of treatment for the patients other than medication and therapy. The redesign incorporated massage therapy, an exercise space, a room to hold nutrition/cooking classes, and a quiet room to allow patients to visit and escape for a little bit. Again, multiple views to the exterior were included in the design to help with bringing nature indoors. 

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Because the property the farm is located on is 103 acres, there is plenty of room for expansion and/or creating walking trails through the woods, volleyball courts, or baseball fields. The property also includes a man-made pond, which could also facilitate healing for the patients.

CAPSTONE