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The Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation donates a total of EUR 540,000 to Finnish universities. The foundation's donation to Aalto University will be allocated to the field of education in arts and design.

“Finnish universities carry out extensive and valuable work that is directly linked to the purpose of the Gyllenberg Foundation. We support scientific research with a focus on the impact of mental wellbeing on physical health. This research can be traditional medical research or research that focuses on understanding the health impacts of residential environments or social factors,” says Jannica Fagerholm, Managing Director of the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation.

Human-orientation and communality as elements of well-being

At the Aalto University School of Arts, Design and Architecture, the impact of mental wellbeing on physical health is central, especially in the education and research of health and wellbeing architecture. Alongside institution-centred thinking and process-oriented planning in health care, a more humane, human-centred approach has been introduced. Examples of this are the Multiple Integrated Housing for people with Memory Decline (MonIA) project, which ended this spring, and the design course for terminal care environments.  

“We want to support the open-minded and pioneering development by the School of Arts, Design and Architecture to strengthen the link between mental wellbeing and physical health,” says Fagerholm. 

Tuomas Auvinen, Dean of the School of Arts, Design and Architecture, would like to thank the foundation for its broad scope and understanding of holistic wellbeing.

“Particularly architecture and service design play important roles in innovative design in the field of healthcare and wellbeing. We are gradually letting go of our institution-centred thinking. This means more decentralised, mobile health services close to people's everyday lives, greater compassion for patients' experiences and facilities designed to stimulate all senses. The aim is to achieve holistic wellbeing, and it is wonderful that the Gyllenberg Foundation sees great value in this kind of work,” says Auvinen.