About me
I'm Sarah Backhouse, a registered architect with a background in briefing, designing and evaluating workplaces and learning environments.
My long-held interest in how architects create environments for mental wellbeing led me to complete a Professional Certificate in Positive Psychology then a Master of Applied Positive Psychology. Since then, I've been researching and working at the intersection of architects, architecture and mental wellbeing.
Please get in touch by email if you want to know more: s.backhouse@deakin.edu.au.
My research
My PhD research explores mental wellbeing in the practice of architecture under the supervision of Professor Richard Tucker (architecture), Professor Tony LaMontagne (workplace wellbeing) and Associate Professor Fiona Andrews (wellbeing in architecture) of Deakin University.
The research focuses on architects because:
- there is little research on how to promote architects' mental wellbeing; and
- architects play a key role in the design of indoor environments that support our mental wellbeing.
My research addresses the question:
What evidence-based basic principles can help architects promote mental wellbeing in both their own workplaces and the indoor environments they design for others?
Mental wellbeing?
Mental wellbeing and mental health are related yet distinct concepts.
Mental health spans a continuum from good mental health to mental illness, and mental wellbeing spans a continuum from languishing to flourishing. This dual continua model explains why mentally healthy people can struggle, and those with mental illness can thrive with environmental support.
This view invites architects to go beyond focusing on protecting mental health by adopting the salutogenic approach of promoting mental wellbeing.
Mental wellbeing underpins people experiencing pleasurable and productive lives and reaching towards their potential.
Hedonia & eudaimonia
Mental wellbeing consists of two primary dimensions.
Hedonic wellbeing involves positive emotional experiences, low negative emotions and life satisfaction - feeling good - also known as subjective wellbeing.
Eudaimonic wellbeing encompasses experiences like autonomy, belonging, purpose and growth towards a sense of fulfilment - functioning well - also known as psychological wellbeing.
Hedonic and eudaimonic wellbeing are interlinked in lived experience.
Environments
Our sociocultural and built environments influence our mental wellbeing and our potential for flourishing.
Research into mental wellbeing in sociocultural environments such as workplaces is growing. However, research on architects' mental wellbeing and their workplaces is scarce. Furthermore, what works for promoting mental wellbeing in one context may not suit another, so profession-specific research is vital.
Research into mental wellbeing in built environments is limited and primarily adopts a hedonic perspective (e.g., mood, emotions). Eudaimonic wellbeing offers an important perspective for the design of the built environment, yet it remains understudied.
My research seeks to identify evidence-based basic principles to advance how architects design environments (their workplaces and their architecture) for mental wellbeing.