
Christina Balesh defending her thesis at the École Spéciale d'Architecture in Paris. (Credit: Julia Dubs)
Awarded a 19 out of 20 for her thesis with the jury's congratulations, Christina Balesh, 24, saw it as academic recognition, but above all a validation of her commitment to the often-stigmatized topic of mental health. A subject that, throughout her research and reflection, has ended up transforming her.
The Lebanese admitted that these congratulations encourage her to continue championing this cause.
“They mark a beginning, a responsibility to deepen my research, to give a voice to those experiencing mental suffering, and to work so that architecture becomes a tool of dignity and appeasement. It's like a momentum given to pursue this mission, which is no longer just a diploma project but a life path,” Balesh said.
For her, “mental health is no longer a luxury, but an emergency.”
Starting from the observation that in Lebanon this issue remains a taboo subject that “is talked about with restraint, even shame, as if this suffering should remain invisible,” she decides, as an architect, to “not only raise awareness of this reality but also to design spaces that bring hope.”
This involved, among other things, creating a place conducive to interaction between patients, caregivers and civil society.
“The aim of my project was to reinvent the perception and role of a psychiatric hospital in the Lebanese context. It was about offering a care space that is not only functional but also helps reduce the stigma associated with mental health,” she explained, especially since architecture plays a significant role in the recovery of patients.
“It can be a powerful tool for alleviating mental suffering, offering spaces that reassure and soothe. Madness is often associated with an inner disorder, and architecture has the power to organize, frame, and structure spaces to promote a sense of security and well-being. At the same time, it must remain sensitive, avoid confinement, and respect the diversity of human needs.”
A bridge between a rich past and a humanistic conception
For her thesis, she chose the first university psychiatric hospital in the Middle East, which operated from 1900 to 1973: Asfourieh, officially known as the Lebanon Hospital for Mental Diseases.
“It's a place with significant historical heritage, once an emblem of psychiatric care in Lebanon, now abandoned and forgotten,” she stated.
Through her exchanges with Prof. Sami Risha, head of the psychiatry department at the USJ Faculty of Medicine, her decision to work on this hospital was confirmed.
“Thanks to his book Psychiatry in Lebanon, I discovered a historical and human depth related to this place, which embodies both the progress and challenges of psychiatry in the country. This project allowed me to bring life back to a site marked by stigmatization, by reimagining it as an open, soothing space carrying a message of hope. So, Asfourieh not only became a field of architectural study but also a bridge between the past and the future of mental health in Lebanon,” Balesh said.
She was convinced that the architecture of this psychiatric hospital must, above all, be humanistic. The spaces she designed promoted well-being and healing.
“Architecture must act as a catalyst for rehabilitation, an extension of care itself. This project seeks to deconstruct the image of the hospital as a cold and closed place, offering psychiatry a new future where it is an integral part of the urban fabric, as a space for life, exchange, and care,” explained the architect.
Placing patients and their interaction with the natural environment at the center of her approach, she developed various architectural aspects in her thesis, such as buffer spaces between interior and exterior, like patios, semi-open courtyards, and wide circulations overlooking bay windows.
“These architectural pauses establish a smooth transition between the inside and outside, allowing for visual and emotional breathing through constant connection with the surrounding nature,” she said.
Similarly, she organized her project around therapeutic green spaces, sensory gardens and vegetable gardens, “inviting relaxation and rejuvenation.”
Constituting a main axis of her work, nature contributes “to the psychological well-being of patients,” as does the natural light entering through the bay windows and patios.
For materials, she chose natural ones, such as wood and stone, in subdued tones, promoting “a calming atmosphere that reduces stress and anxiety.”
Regarding the building's shapes, Balesh wanted them to be enveloping, “with curves and organic volumes, creating a sense of protection and intimacy. These architectural choices provide a secure environment for users while suggesting an openness to outdoor spaces.”
In parallel, she designed the organization of the rooms to provide a sense of security and intimacy for patients.
“Thanks to a diagonal arrangement, caregivers can ensure discreet surveillance, while patients maintain their personal space. Shared spaces nearby strengthen social connections while offering visual continuity for respectful and non-intrusive supervision,” she stated.
She also included, in her work, areas open to the public, “reducing stigma and raising awareness about mental health.”
Mental health at the heart of her mission as an architect
To design her project, Balesh based it on exchanges she conducted with patients, families and caregivers.
“I took into account their specific needs and expectations, which allowed me to understand that a psychiatric hospital should not be a mere cold place, with long white corridors where time seems to stand still. I wanted to break away from that image,” she said.
Care and well-being being the pivot of her design, the hospital would become “an environment conducive to healing,” as well as “a true support tool for health professionals, patients, and their families.”
After leaving the country following the Beirut port explosion in 2020 to continue her studies in France, after two years of study at the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts, Balesh wanted her project to be “an act of love” for her country, “a testimony of resilience and hope.”
“By reviving Asfourieh, I wish to offer the Lebanese people a space where invisible wounds can be acknowledged, cared for, and heard, with dignity and respect,” the architect said.
Today, she seeks to continue her mission, hoping to work within agencies specializing in the design of hospitals and care spaces, “where architecture plays a central role in the healing and well-being of patients.”
