Many people underestimate the power our homes have to heal and contribute to our wellbeing.
University of Queensland Alumnus and architect Anthony Clarke practices empathic and experimental architecture.
He believes a well-thought-out and researched design can provide significant benefits to clients living with chronic conditions.
“I think people generally consider that architects incorporating health care into their design will result in a sterile or overly commercialised space, which we would say certainly isn’t correct.”
“It’s very much a holistic approach; we try and understand as much as we can about their unique condition.”
Mr Clarke established his own practice, BLOXAS, in 2010. He takes a range of elements into consideration during his design process, including whether the client would require control over light and sound quality, or could benefit from sensory or therapy rooms.
“It started with a brief from a family who wanted to create a space suitable for their autistic son and since then we’ve been designing homes and other projects for people living with trauma, dementia and myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome,” he said.
“Initially, we found people would refrain from sharing details about their health until it was too late. Now we are seeing that our clients are sharing openly because they’re starting to see that their information is part of a bigger picture in shaping healthy architecture.”
Mr Clarke joined fellow alumni in presenting at the UQ Art of Living Conference earlier in 2019. Head of the School of Architecture Professor Cameron Bruhn said the conference examined the way we live and how we’re pushing the boundaries in residential architecture, creating homes that respond to people and place.
Media: BLOXAS Architect, Anthony Clarke, anthony@bloxas.com, +61 409 255 144; UQ Communications, comms@eait.uq.edu.au
