Communal Healing

Communal Healing is a facility designed to provide underprivileged communities with the opportunities to learn about general health and self-care and receive clinical health treatment. Communal Healing melds the boundaries of community health, community education, and medical accessibility and uses biophilic patterns to enhance the mental health of patrons. The Bates-Hendricks neighborhood, located just south of Downtown Indianapolis, IN, is a perfect example of an underprivileged community. Bates-Hendricks is separated from the Old-South Side and Garfield neighborhoods by railway, major highways, and interstates. This separation limits the pedestrian access to healthcare and emergency vehicle response to medical needs. Communal Healing is designed to eliminate that separation and connect Bates-Hendricks residents to healthcare, health knowledge, and neighbors. Communal Healing uses walkable roofscapes to connect over streets and to offer people safe, walkable paths that connect the residents of Bates-Hendricks, Old-South Side and Garfield neighborhoods to health services, to engage with art, and to engage with others in a place for healing. The ground level of the facility acts as a sound buffer filled with trees and concrete walls filled with local art.