Chloe Lin
37 Bulwer St
Environmental Design
2020
In this student project, I was asked to design a home for an architect who is suffered from Agoraphobia. My client was 45 years old architect, and he lives with his wife. Agoraphobia was a type of anxiety disorder in which patient would fear and avoid places or situations that might cause him to panic and make him feel trapped, helpless or embarrassed. The given site was a proposed 228.6 square meters live/ work dwelling, which located in a nitty gritty lane in 37 Bulwer street, close to the busy intersection of Queen Street West and Spadina Avenue in Toronto, Canada.
“The concept was “enclosure”. Enclosure is defined as an area that is sealed off with an artificial or natural barrier. I explored the relationship between human, nature and architecture, and I aimed to connect nature with an enclosed environment, as well as bringing sustainability to the building. Thinking of my client suffered from anxiety disorder, I aimed to provide him a calm and tranquility space to separate him with the surrounding, to reconnect with nature, to help him overcome fears and anxieties, as well as relaxing through panic. This project was customized for my client, and the goal was to bring nature from outside to inside while maintaining a healthy balance of space for both individuals to compose a meditational space, as well as providing a belonging and healthy environment to spend time in.”