Naissance et évolution du plan pavillonnaire dans les asiles d'aliénés

Abstract

"Birth and evolution of the plan in lunatic asylums" by Pierre-Louis Laget Right from the birth of the first lunatic asylums following the publication of Doctor Esquirol's sensational report in 1819, their architecture was at once designed according to the demands of mental health. The fast evolution of the doctrines on the treatment of mental insanity led to similar changes in the design of the buildings that were to accommodate the patients. Later, the debates on architecture and hospital hygiene had an influence on the design of lunatic asylums and, paradoxically, the idea of building totally separate wards for patients was put into practice even before it was done for hospitals, although this very layout was first advocated to prevent any risk of contagion. While from now on, building separate wards had become the only design to be found in hospitals, lunatic asylums had now to meet other requirements, that is to say not to look like hospitals, which meant avoiding alignments of buildings, general symmetry and stating that two buildings shouldn't look alike.