L’Adamant: All aboard the art barge

I lay on the sofa opposite a man named Laurent. We chatted and looked out at the River Seine. I was on board L'Adamant, a permanently moored floating day centre in Paris, a unique, cosy and welcoming place, quite unlike any other mental health facility that I have visited.

Part of the psychiatric services of the Hopitaux Paris Est Val de Marne health authority, the barge is open Mon-Fri and offers a range of services to adults with mental illness referred due to their ongoing support needs. Opened in 2010, it is the first facility of its kind in Europe. The barge was designed by architects Seine Design in collaboration with hospital staff and those with lived experience of mental illness, taking five years to realise. The vision, detail and commitment are evident, and the results are extraordinary.

There are no institutional signs on the outside. Walking from the gangway onto L'Adamant, you enter a bustling cafe, with excellent coffee served in china cups, in contrast to the plastic or disposable mugs typical in a psychiatric facility in the UK. Myself and my friend Flo, a Paris local, were greeted warmly as we toured the barge. She commented that the distinction between staff and patients was unclear. This sense of parity, the calm and tranquil ambience, and the range of interesting creative activities available highlight the distinctive features of this centre.

Wooden shutters let light in, regulate temperature, and indicate whether L'Adamant is open or closed. This opening and closing feels therapeutic, and made me think about receptivity to new ideas, growth, relationships and boundaries that we constantly navigate, in services, and in life. The striking interior is evocative of a loft apartment, featuring lots of open space and very few doors. Metal stairs and railings give the barge a cool, industrial feel. There is a sense of stability and strength, and also transition and movement.

If you look closely, there are hints of the history of mental health care. Black padded panels evoke de-escalation or seclusion cells that are used in mental health settings to prevent self-harm. In L'Adamant, this feature offers tactile stimulation, colour contrast, and acts as a sound-proofing mechanism. Vintage cupboards and tables – très shabby chic – were sourced from an old psychiatric hospital.

There's a well-stocked library organised by genre, music and art studios, a games room (where a chess tournament was underway), plus meeting and office spaces. The iconic Seine is integrated in every space: you see it, hear it and feel it as the barge gently rocks when other boats pass. The movement, whilst initially disorienting, soon becomes rhythmic and soothing (the therapeutic value of water is well-recognised).

A rotating timetable of creative workshops provides stimulation, entertainment and routine. Flo and I participated in a Rhizome debate in the library, whose theme that week was crime novels. The event had the feel of a 17th-century French salon; a space for intellectual and cultural exchange. Our host, art therapist and nurse Arnaud Vallet, shared ideas, posed questions, and gently guided a diverse (age, gender, interests) group. As the discussion developed or tangents formed, Vallet took related books or films from immaculately arranged shelves and placed them on a central table, encouraging attendees to get involved. Notable was the protracted level of engagement, enjoyment, and the sense of community engendered.

Made famous in the 2023 documentary Sur L'Adamant, the barge is a special place providing affirmative mental health care. A visiting town-planner-turned-psychologist there on placement described the sense of atmosphere on board; hard to measure, but something you feel right away. As one guest said: It feels like home.

Professor Victoria Tischler CPsychol AFBPsS
With thanks to Florence Lagrange-Leader