SUMMER SEMESTER 2019

Next to the University of Kassel campus, a “Center for Mental Health” is to be built on the hospital grounds by 2022. We are taking this project as an opportunity to collaborate with Reinhard Lindner (Professor of Theory, Empiricism, and Methods in Social Therapy at the University of Kassel) Martin Ohlmeier (Professor and Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Ludwig-Noll Hospital), to develop a prototype building that, by linking the university (Social Work and Psychology as academic departments) and psychiatry, will provide additional spaces with diverse spatial qualities for interaction, gathering, and relaxation for students, patients, and everyone. In addition to a multipurpose room with a cafeteria, café, and stage, this could also result in spaces for therapeutic use and seminar rooms—always fostering a connection between psychiatry, the university, and the public. The goal of the project is to develop visions that provide food for thought for further concepts bridging the gap between psychiatry and society—a public space that preempts the stigma associated with mental illness. A “genius loci” for the diversity of the psyche. Prof. Dr. Martin Ohlmeier and Prof. Dr. Reinhard Lindner have supported the projects with their expertise, both as potential developers and as lecturers. Specifically, there are three potential sites along the axis between the hospital and the university—designated as reserved areas in the master plan—on which the prototype building will be developed.