Advancing state-of-the-art design for mental health, two pods have been developed by two winning teams of spatial design students, under the mentorship of PTW, whose major works include the Water Cube (Beijing Olympics) and the Mental Health Unit, Canberra Hospital and Professor Fang Xu of UNSW. PTW have guided the teams in developing their designs to address the needs of school students who may experience mental health or attention issues, or who may simply benefit from a calming environment.

MORI CENTRAL, by Christiana Huang, Sally Hu and Hayley Coy, takes its name from “mori”, a Japanese word meaning for wood forest, and suggests an organic hideaway that provides relief in a busy location. The space is designed to privatise but not isolate the user, and the biophilic design integrates natural elements into the architecture and interior.

The Capsule is by Kelsey Leeds, Katerina Kammas and Anna Hamilton, who say: “We created a raised plywood pod. When entering The Capsule the user should feel aware that they have entered a separate safe space.The curved, cylindrical nature of the pod encloses the body while the voids provide open sections of light and allows the user to see their surroundings”

Find the pods at UNSW Galleries (20 September – 11 November 2017) and Parramatta Riverside Theatre courtyard (13-21 October 2017), before they’re delivered to Penrith Public School and Ingleburn High School.

Supported by the NSW Government, PTW, Growthbuilt and D’Ambrosio Consulting.