Saijo Clinic by Aida Atelier

Mental health is rarely spoken about as much as physical health, there is much talk in the architectural press about the Maggie Centres (with a new Steven Holl one on the cards) at the moment, but what about a respite for the mind’s neuroses? The Saijo Clinic in central Tokyo is aiming to reverse this pattern, with a new private mental health clinic on the top floor of a building facing Shinjuku Gyoen Park. Designed by Aida Atelier, centre offers short-care and group-care programs within a series of simple huts, interlocking, adjacent or nestled next to each other. In doing so, the clinic hopes to blur the boundaries between the harsh setting of the treatment room and the daily life of the city.