Objective and subjective evaluation of psychiatric ward redesign

The authors describe the redesign and evaluation of a 30-bed psychiatric unit. The design approach was user oriented, employing a psychoenvironmental model that postulates an interaction between the physical environment and the psychotherapeutic milieu. Objective and subjective instruments demonstrated that environmental redesign based on this model correlated with behavioral changes in clinically desirable directions. These changes also correlated with reduced psychopathology and might have been facilitated by "social organizers," design solutions that encourage social interaction focused on ward activities.