The Exposure Network

Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is bound between the two themes of avoidance and exposure, which results in the various struggles and difficulties of one of the most common mental health disorders. The current treatment of the disorder focuses on exposure; encouraging people to challenge the avoidance behaviours with exposure-based practices. It is stated that exposure is the only way to challenge social anxiety disorder, yet what happens when you don’t need exposure to maintain social relationships?

The digitisation of the way we communicate, interact, and relate to each other has evolved with the construct of Social Networking Sites (SNS). The sites facilitate avoidance behaviour; ultimately letting a digital equivalent express our visualisation, communication, and expression. To propose an architecture solution similar to the current treatment of social anxiety, the digital avoidance cannot be overlooked.

In doing so, this thesis aims to address the question of how can architecture be further developed as a method of exposure to address the avoidance behaviour linked to Social Networking Sites (SNS) for those who experience Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD)?

This proposed question progressed into a wide range of studies to establish the two themes of avoidance and exposure within the several subjects of social anxiety, social networking, and architecture. In these numerous explorations, the processes switched between different digital and analogue methods in alignment with the question.

Within the theoretical phase of the thesis, the introductory and literature review chapters define social anxiety and highlight key issues within the two themes of avoidance and exposure. The pre-design phase tests key literature through a series of chapters which focus on an avoidance study of social networking, a precedent and exposure study of architecture, and a study of the chosen site and program. The concept design phase offers a solution through architectural concepts, where several methods are tested to form a summary of design findings. The combined design forms a composition of the findings, where a final design proposition represents the accumulation of design knowledge.

In conclusion, the thesis aims to acknowledge avoidance appeals of social networking alongside methods of architectural exposure within a final design proposition. The accumulated design knowledge will inform the composition of spaces regarding exposure therapy practices, where it will offer architecture as the medium of exposure, and ultimately the solution.