The rapid development of urbanization often associated with stress, has also been growing among college students due to undergoing major changes in their lives. For instance, the survey conducted in spring 2019 at Arizona State University (ASU), 64.8% of students expressed overwhelming anxiety in the past 12 months.
The thesis introduces the notion of mindfulness architecture through sensory experiences and takes from the urban design strategy “urban acupuncture” to propose interventions on campus to release students’ stress and promote wellbeing through a loop of mindfulness architecture interconnected spaces. Each tactical intervention within the loop is designed to activate all senses and tackles a variety of programming activities. This is carried out at multiple scales, from spaces of individual experiences to communal experiences to serves campus “acupoint” towards helping students reduce vulnerability to mental health issues.
