Drug rehabilitation center, Shalimar Bagh, New Delhi

Abstract

Drug Abuse and addiction are spreading like cancer among the youth of Delhi. The number of deaths and crimes related to drug consumption and its abuse is on the rise. Therefore, the need of the hour to eradicate this problem is to build new and efficient drug treatment and rehabilitation centres in the state. These alarmingly rising numbers of substance abuse which is observed more prominently in the younger generation of the street peddlers depict that the current conventional infrastructure is not able to help people with their habits. Conventional Rehabilitation centres have visible differences in the approach of how they proceed to help this problem but the relapse rate is not decreasing. Conventional centres are not relying on the complete treatment of the user whereas the project has devised a holistic treatment for them utilising open spaces, built landscapes, spiritual and peer learnings to help them towards their full recovery from these evils and instil a sense of belonging in them to contribute to the betterment of the society. Rehabilitation is a process and as a treatment is not given much importance in our society. With this concept in hindsight, much of the established infrastructure is not built around the holistic treatment of the people seeking help. Mostly they are either not given allocated spaces and they have to rent out common halls, or unused spaces. Government built facilities are so, to say the least, concerned about their habitable space for their treatment. In short, we do not have the required infrastructure to support and help people who are trying to turn around their lives whilst battling urges. This project is built around the concept of overcoming all the shortcomings of already existing facilities in India. The central idea of the design is to integrate natural, spiritual and physical treatments so that anyone who is undergoing the process, is provided with a holistic treatment. The use of open spaces in the project is to overcome the closed and confined spaces which are existing in the currently established facilities. Community housings are built to promote peer learnings. Landscape design incorporating Zen and healing gardens which would help the patients by utilising the healing powers of the earth in their journey to overcome their addictions. The main arching design of this centre is to change peoples’ stereotype and stigma against rehab centres and create a welcoming and comforting environment for people whom the centre is providing shelter. This thesis aims to explore how architecture can optimize the healing process through the senses, community and spiritual methods. This will be applied in a clinical setting, to Drug rehabilitation centre creates a therapeutic environment. Following the concept that a healing space can be a space which is not just experienced visually but through all the senses.