Reaching sustainability through biophilic architecture: design of online game addiction rehabilitation facility for children

Abstract The rising prevalence of online game addiction among children has become a significant public health concern, with increasing evidence of its negative impact on mental health, academic performance and social behaviour. In Indonesia, a substantial proportion of youth are affected, highlighting the need for dedicated rehabilitation facilities. The development of digital technology has increased the popularity of online games which also led to negative impacts such as addiction. Online game addiction has been classified as a serious mental disorder. This research aims to provide a design recommendation for online game rehabilitation centre applying biophilic architecture approach for achieving sustainability. A quantitative survey of children’s game addiction, site selection, spatial predictions, and systematic design method were utilised. The results demonstrated that among 300 children, 87.6% experiencing moderate to severe online game addiction, in which confirmed the need for rehabilitation facilities. Through systematic design process, biophilic principles were applied including: natural lighting, cross-ventilation, and natural materials creating an atmosphere that supports children’s physical and mental well-being for rehabilitation. Recommendations are provided as a visual-graphical design that can be served as an example in an attempt to lower the number of online game addicts, especially for children.