The Architecture, Design and Health chair (ARCHIDES) was established at the start of 2022 to make healthcare facilities more conducive to patient recovery and wellbeing through architecture and interior design. This humanist approach has been accredited and approved by the Ministry of Culture. 

The chair will carry out monitoring, research, collaborative development, educational and training activities relating to architecture, interior architecture and design focused on health in the broadest sense and the hospital as a rapidly changing environment. “The aim is to understand how we can shape health spaces to promote therapeutic support,” explains Donato Severo, the chair’s scientific director.
The partnership between the national school of architecture (ENSA) and AP-HP Paris dates back to 2017. Dozens of students presented final-year projects on the redevelopment and architectural transformation of hospitals such as Bichat-Claude Bernard in the 18th arrondissement of Paris, Beaujon in Clichy, and Poincaré in Garches. Over 150 leading figures from Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris sat on the various judging panels.

“The Architecture, Design and Health chair (ARCHIDES) aims to examine the therapeutic contribution made by architecture and design to patients’ care pathways and life courses, while developing the creativity specific to the project’s design,” says Donato Severo, architect and historian at ENSA Paris-Val de Seine, and scientific director of the chair.

The chair is organized around several key activities. Six study grants were awarded to students in 2021. An international research seminar began on January 19, entitled “Enhancing health pathways, care pathways and life courses”. 

The chair also hopes to support research projects and activities on specific topics, such as housing for the elderly, accessibility for people with disabilities, and mental health. 

Monitoring activities will also be carried out, in parallel with efforts to promote training courses open to all.