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Home > Journal > Issue Ten > On an Asylum On an Asylum - Ryan Kennihan
The role that architecture was called on to play was this: the almost utopian ideals of the reformist society, of morally rejuvenating every lost soul and feeble mind in their own image, found their embodiment in the architecture of the asylum. The building itself became considered, "emphatically an instrument of treatment" . The physical structure was thought as influential to curing madness, as any other mechanism available to the reformist. The architecture of the institutional asylum was to serve as psychiatrist, judge, dictator, symbol, and liberator for the patient and for the society as a whole. Without a properly designed asylum, curing the insane was considered an impossibility, but in 1814, when the need for such buildings was becoming increasingly clear, there were only vague notions of what a 'properly designed asylum' was. Tuke's York Retreat was again an essential influence at the time. The purpose built building embodied a number of ideals central to the new typology. Firstly, its siting in the countryside, outside of the city centre, was considered an indispensable feature. Fresh air, soothing views of natural landscapes, garden walks, and a general feeling of escape from the ills of metropolitan life (often considered a chief cause of insanity), and from proximity to family woes, were all vital to the cure of insanity. This sense of liberty, despite its physical actuality, was amplified by the structure of the building itself. Patients were provided with large dayrooms, and airing yards so they would not be locked in their cells all day. In addition, the windows at the Retreat were regarded as architectural innovations in that they eliminated the need for bars on the windows, and the detrimental effect on the mind that they produce. The mullions were made of iron, thus implementing measures of security, without gaining the appearance of a prison. The appearance of the building was vital. If it were to, "�put on the appearance of a Jail; Patients would become sullen or vindictive, and the chance of recovery reduced to almost nothing." The asylum had to be the icon of the social and moral principles that brought it into existence. This institutional building was to single handedly represent the benevolent will and intent of the institution for the sake of the patient as well as for the society of reformists. Society's ingenious new solutions to its ills exist as seen. In addition to appearance and setting, two of the most fundamental aspects crucial to the actual implementation of Moral Treatment were, the ability to classify and separate the patients in terms of sex, class, and type and severity of madness, and the ability to observe every public facet of their conduct. Curing madness was dependent on successful classification and the allocation of personal liberty based on behaviour and this could only be achieved through the careful design and structure of the building as a taxonomic and optical apparatus. The two most influential architectural examples available at the time were Bentham's Panopticon of 1781 and the more recent radial plans of George Stark for his Glasgow Lunatic Asylum of 1807. The benefits of the former in terms of continual observation are unmistakable and well discussed elsewhere, yet the pure form of the panopticon was considered too oppressive for the fragile minds of the insane and thus incompatible with the society's newfound intentions to cure them as opposed to just contain them. It also was incompatible with the central desire to classify and separate the patients. The radial aspects of the Glasgow Asylum, on the other hand, allowed for more sufficient classification, facilitating individual treatment, in addition to more ample lighting and ventilation potential.
Architectural Association of Ireland |