Architecture and Health
Over the past year, the connections between our built environment and our health have been made clearer than ever before.
In this episode we will be examining the changing way that societies through history have addressed these problems by building institutions that provide different forms of healthcare. Our contributors discuss what lessons we can learn from the history of architecture and health, considering the connections between the built environment and the treatment of different illnesses, maladies and afflictions. In this episode we discuss the architecture of the early NHS, Imperial British Naval hospitals in Menorca, St Bart's Hospital and the treatment of mental health in 18th century England.
You can listen to this episode on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Fig 1: Wexham Hospital
Contributors:
Ed DeVane, a PhD student in the Centre for the History of Medicine at the University of Warwick, who researches the planning, design, construction of NHS facilities in postwar Britain, and is also a fellow in the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.
Ann-Marie Akehurst, an independent Architectural Historian and Programmes Officer of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain, who works on Early Modern Architectural History, particularly the development of hospitals and the institutions of healthcare.
Will Palin is the Chief Executive of Barts Heritage, a charity concerned with restoring the historic St Bart’s Hospital, London, previously serving as the Conservation Director at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich and Director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage.
Sarah Akigbogun is an architect, photographer and film-maker whose historical research has examined The Retreat in York, an institution for the treatment of mental health needs founded in the 18th century, and whose work addresses race, gender and problems of representation in architecture.
Your hosts were Matthew Lloyd Roberts and Dr Jessica Kelly, and this project was devised with Neal Shasore. This podcast is produced by Front Ear Podcasts.