AIT 11.2025: Health and Spa – Healing Architecture

Edoardo Bianchini studied architecture, is confined to a wheelchair following an accident, and in his article “Inclusion!?” impressively describes his perspective on the (built) world, which has inevitably changed significantly for him. His remarkably unpretentious book “Breaking Barriers: Rethinking Architecture,” with its touching, hand-drawn illustrations, does not accuse, but rather provokes thought and enlightens. A must-read for anyone involved in healthcare buildings! We have focused on these very buildings for this issue on the topic of “Health and Wellness” and selected practices, clinics, sports facilities, and swimming pools that more than meet the requirements of “healing architecture” due to their sensitive, true-to-scale, people-supporting design. The fact that, in addition to the required function, the atmospheric effect of interior spaces is essential for a fear-free, trust-based quality of stay is particularly evident in projects for children – such as the Villa Kinderzahn in Gütersloh, the children’s hospice in Brno, and the kbo Children’s Center in Munich.