Content Warning: This article is about suicide.
A month ago, a friend of mine committed suicide in circumstances that still seem terribly unreal. This friend who was a talented poet, writer, former music journalist and singer-songwriter committed suicide by jumping over the security gates on the upper floor of the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
An investigation by the Paris prosecutor’s office concluded that the circumstances were not suspicious. Nevertheless, the incident raises urgent questions about the security measures of public institutions, as well as their responsibility in preventing such deaths. The provision of suicide prevention measures is such a sensitive and complicated subject that many architects and institutions are reluctant to discuss it with the media. However, it is important to consider their position of responsibility to ensure that buildings do not present a hazard and risk of self-harm to vulnerable people.
In response to a request from Artnet News to find out if the Center Pompidou planned to implement suicide prevention measures and architectural changes in an effort to avoid similar tragedies, its press officer said that an investigation was in progress and that the Center Pompidou “cannot intervene or express itself on this subject at the present time.
The institution is launching major renovations at a cost of 262 million euros ($285 million) and closing its doors from the end of 2025 to 2030. The significant changes made range from the creation of a new space under the place for the renovation of the roof. Renzo Piano, who co-designed the Center Pompidou, inaugurated in 1977, with Richard Rogers, provided a drawing of what the renovated building might look like. Although Piano will not design the new underground space, he will play an advisory role.
Renzo Piano. Photo: © Belén de Benito.
Several emails to Piano’s office over the course of 10 days asking how the site could be redesigned and what kinds of suicide prevention strategies could be introduced, remained unanswered. Over the phone, a spokesperson said it was a “sensitive” matter and declined to comment further.
Newer buildings face a similar calculation. Two years ago, Ship, a 150-foot-tall climbable structure with 2,400 steps in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards, designed by London-based studio Heatherwick, has closed after a teenage boy died by suicide. It is the fourth suicide since the tourist attraction opened in 2016. With its seemingly endless diagonal staircases reminiscent of the designs of Dutch artist MC Escher, Ship had already closed for several months after three suicides before reopening with new safety measures, including signage about mental health resources. Unfortunately, these changes proved insufficient.
Heatherwick Studio issued the following statement to Artnet News about how it is testing other safety ideas: “We continue to test and evaluate solutions that would allow us to reopen the stairs so that everyone can fully enjoy the unique experiences Ship provides. Related Companies, the real estate company owned by billionaire Stephen Ross that financed the project at a cost of $250 million, was not available for comment.
The risks associated with Ship were obvious to some when it was launched. In a premonitory article published in The architect’s journal in 2016, journalist Audrey Wachs writing: “As we go up Shipthe railings stay just above the waist to the top of the structure, but when you build high people will jump off.
Designer Thomas Heatherwick speaks on stage at Hudson Yards, New York’s newest neighborhood, during the grand opening on March 15, 2019 in New York City. Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Related.
Wachs discussed how New York University’s Bobst Library dealt with a wave of suicide cases in its central atrium in the 2000s by making architectural changes. The first was to install plexiglass panels, which failed to prevent another suicide. Next, the university veiled the atrium in laser-cut aluminum panels with a striking pixelated perforated pattern designed by Joel Sanders. “Philip Johnson and Richard Foster [the architects of Bobst Library] didn’t see death in the design that the public’s morbid ideation uncovered, but Ross and Heatherwick don’t seem to have learned from Bobst, or the city’s iconic bridges and high-rise buildings,” Wachs said. .
Part of the problem, according to Sanders, is the taboo subject of suicide. “Although suicide prevention is now starting to enter the conversation, there is still a lot of stigma and shame around the subject, which continues to hamper efforts to address this issue,” he told ArtnetNews. “To remedy this, as a society, we need to have an open conversation about this taboo in American social life, its systemic causes as well as possible steps we can take to change the situation. Architects need to be part of this conversation, so that in the future we can generate new design strategies […] that would bring the public to the table to collaborate on spatial solutions that take into account aesthetic considerations, and are not band-aid measures that are introduced after the fact, as is largely the case today.
An article in RIBA Newspaper, published by the Royal Institute of British Architects, on how design can save lives while providing enjoyment, summed up the challenges of ‘destination architecture’. Journalist and author Will Wiles wrote, “You want your attraction to be there when people are thinking about places to visit. But in some cases, it can also mean that your attraction comes to mind at the inopportune moment when someone is going through a crisis. Referring to the challenge for architects in terms of suicide prevention measures, he wrote: “Anything can be dangerous for someone determined enough, and architects cannot be expected to prevail over all possibilities. A comparison could be drawn with crime prevention: the first thought is to eliminate temptation and opportunity.
Removing triggers means architects need to think about suicide prevention strategies from the initial design stage. With the rise of viewing platforms and elevated rooftop terraces in recent decades comes a need for architects and their clients to consider the risk of self-harm and to assess how design existing buildings could be modified for suicide prevention.
Papageno, a suicide prevention program supported by the French Ministry of Health, is part of the International Association for Suicide Prevention and offers expert advice on this issue. “Institutions, architects and Building Architects in France contact us for recommendations and examples of what has been done around the world [in terms of suicide prevention strategies]”, Nathalie Pauwels, Papageno deployment program manager, told Artnet News. “It is essential that architects and property developers integrate the issue of suicide prevention before designing their works. In the case of existing works, if they acquire the macabre reputation of a “suicidal hotspot” [where a succession of suicides occur]concerted reflection with site managers, designers and public administrations is necessary to deal with the urgency of the situation. […] The Eiffel Tower was one such hotspot until 1982 when safety nets and cameras were installed which drastically limited access and consequently suicides.
Pauwels believes that too few architects are competent in this area. “Due to ignorance of the effectiveness of suicide prevention measures and of the existing technical possibilities, this profession does not take this concern seriously. [of suicide prevention] taken into account when designing the works,” she said. “It is up to suicide prevention workers to inform them unless a legal obligation is imposed on them in the years to come. For the future, Pauwels wants to raise awareness in schools of architecture so that the next generation of architects take suicide prevention measures into account when designing future buildings. She also advocates for the introduction of standards, such as the height of security fences. “There are standards for people with disabilities and opening windows but not yet for suicide prevention,” she said.
Indeed, effective integration of suicide prevention measures is something that could save lives.
When life is tough, the Samaritans are there, day and night, 365 days a year. You can call them free of charge on 116 123, send them an e-mail at [email protected]or visit www.samaritans.org to find your nearest branch.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a helpline for people in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak to a qualified auditor, call 988. Visit 988lifeline.org for crisis chat services or for more information. Learn more
Follow Artnet News on Facebook:
Want to stay one step ahead of the art world? Subscribe to our newsletter to receive breaking news, revealing interviews and incisive reviews that move the conversation forward.
