The exhibition of therapeutic architecture featured scientific announcements, put up in the form of posters, issued by offices and research teams worldwide. These teams and offices had taken part in international conferences and competitions concerning buildings and applications of Therapeutic Architecture to everyday life (curator: Dr Evangelia Chrysikou, Architect Engineer and Researcher on Health Care Units Architecture). Furthermore, a symposium was held to examine Therapeutic Architecture health care facilities such as boarding houses, day centers, hospitality shelters and specially adapted residences. The proceedings included brief keynote reports by scientists from Greece and abroad to be followed up by interactive discussions and interventions from the audience. Dr Evangelia Chrysikou, architect engineer and researcher on Health Care Units Architecture, acted as chair of the symposium, while major speeches were delivered by Dr Upali Nanda (USA), Annette Ridenour (Canada), Dr Cornel Lustig (Israel) and many other internationally recognized authorities from Israel, America, Canada and the UK.
Studies have demonstrated that application of alternative therapeutic means to mental health care positively contributes, in both pathological and psychiatric terms, not only to promoting patients’ quality of life, but also to preventing illness from developing as well as to reducing medication taken. “Edra”’s pilot application of an alternative therapeutic means management model has produced positive outcomes, which were outlined at the symposium and announced to the scientific community by Alexandros Ikonomou, scientific director, and Chrysanthos Boulas, psychiatrist of mental health units run by Edra. Based on the report presented by Dr Tzoulia Tzortzi, landscape architect, forestry scientist and environmentalist, on Therapeutic Gardening and its application to Landscape Architecture, the second part of the symposium revolved around the creation and use of purpose-designed gardens as an alternative means of therapy and a way of setting an even pace of life. Specialists from home and abroad presented reports relating to the subject and Mihalis Maniadakis, floriculture technician and ecological agriculture consultant, highlighted cases in Greece.
The festival took place under the auspices of the Greek Ministry of Health, the Greek Ministry of Culture and with the support of Psychiatric Hospital of Athens, Pizza Fun, THE HUB.
