Final Professional Architecture Project Report

Dementia Living Village An integrated development for people with dementia in Singapore Khoo Seah Fern 060971 UTAS Master of Architecture KDA 772 PP2 2014

contents

overview

ideas + strategies

01

Executive Summary

02

Site and Urban Context

2

Macro

3

Micro

4

03

Client and Users

5

04

Summary of Functional Brief

7

05

Theoretical Approach + Impetus

8

06

Methodology #1 Progmatic Approach

9

#2 Architectural Approach

10

#3 Environmental Approach

11

Systems + materials

07

Social + Environmental Sustainability Report

12

08

Technical Report

13

Form + organisation

09

Key Drawing Master Plan

14

Typical Floor Plan

15

Typical Section + Detail

16

01 Executive Summary S it e

Kampung Lorong Buangkok, North-east of Singapore Island.

Clie nt

Singapore Ministry of National Development (MND) incorporate with Alzheimer’s Disease Association

P r o g ramme

This programme is to rework against the conventional institutional nursing home and mono-functional housing development in Singapore which have been deteriorating the condition of people with dementia. Rather than designing a mock-up 50's or 60's built environment for people with dementia, this project attempts to focus on the spatial experiences of people that use the spaces / buildings, to create a strong sense of community, familiarity and identity. A domestic environment is developed with a series of familiar daily routine activities to promote independence and confidence of people with dementia to evoke their memory and slow down the progress of dementia.

Appr o ach

01 Pragmatic approach • access and movement • functional zoning • sectional strategy 02 Architectural approach • wandering in familiar spaces • identify life between corridor of current public housing • security vs. autonomy 03 Environmental approach • Building form vs. climate responsive design • Site response / landscape approach • Materiarity that promotes the notion of home as well as to respond to surrounding landscape

Out co m e

The outcome of this project is to develop a built environment that supports continuation of living for people with dementia, which interweaves a range of community facilities, outdoor spaces as healing environment and housing under one roof.

02

02 Site and Urban Context | Macro The project lays on 12,000m2 forested land and bounded by private housing and high-rise residential, public transport, mental health hospital and a 60's traditional village.

Proposed Site

Kampung Lorong Buangkok

longitudes 103° 48' E

Singapore

latitudes 1° 22' N

Opportunities • natural forest provides therapeutic environment • quiet and low pace • existing river provides a natural 'fencing' at boundary

SINGAPORE Melbourne

20

mi in g a lk nw

a n ce dist

PROPOSED SITE

Constraint • no access road to plot of land.

• building height (max. 25m) • site terrain : 1 to 7m • 3m(w) brook drain accross site

High rise residential (10-15 storeys) low rise residential (2-3 storeys) community (3 storey) industrial (2-3 storey) commercial main road proposed entrance road

03

02 Site and Urban Context | Micro

Pieces of memory in Kampung Lorong Buangkok 1. Forested site Hospital

2 2. River as boundary

1 3

Hospital

3. Small brooke across site

04

3m width brook drain accross site with walkway on both sides

03 Client + Users It is part of the mega project under Master Plan Singapore 2013. The mission of Draft Master Plan 2013 is focusing on integrated development to create a city for all ages where people, young and old, across the generations can work, play, learn, grow and be cared for in an integrated manner.

What is dementia ?

Dementia is an umbrella term of mental processing disorder that include memory impairment and confusion, personality changes and difficulty in performing daily tasks. It is NOT a part of aging, but a progressive disease which gradually worsens over the time. Dementia is irreversible and require an ongoing treatment.

Dementia TODAY

Funding and Return on Investment The funding partners: • Singapore government authorities (MND and URA) • Non-government organisation (ADA) This scheme will be mixed tenure with 6075% affordable rental or shared ownership, the balance will be private-sale to raise the revenue for ground maintenance.

There are 22,000 people living with dementia in Singapore, 2010.

50% cared by domestic maid at home 75% choose to stay at home alone or with family members 25% choose to stay in nursing homes / old folk centres Dementia TOMORROW In 2030, 1 in every 10 people will be suffering with dementia. Who will be their carers in this future shrinking population?

primary

Secondary

05

03 Client + Users

EARLY

MID

LATE

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Quiet zone for family retreat

Spaces for social activities

Dementia

Family

Challenge of Care 1. Isolation for different level of care to prevent people in early stage will feel depressed to stay with the late stage when witnessing their gradually no-cure progress.

2. Spending enough time in nature and outdoor exercises can slow down the progress of deteriotation, improve health and cognition for people with dementia, henceforth reduce the annual medical cost.

Consultation & Therapy

Community

Healing garden

Occupantional Therapist

Key issues 1. The planning aims to provide a continuity of domestic neighbourhood living for dementia residents while sustain interaction with the exisitng.

2. 24-hr onsite staffs / carers are required to take care of mid and late stage residents and prepare for emergency.

3. Interaction between exiting village community and dementia people to promote continuity living of previous daily routines.

06

04 Summary of Functional Brief

Low Care (Independent Living)

Assited Apartment

Fruit Garden

High Care Apartment

3-storey

3-storey

3-storey

P r i vat e S pa c e

Staff's Accommodation

Landscape to provide : path, node, edge, district, Landmark (Kevin Lynch)

Residents and staffs only

Sensory Garden

Common Facilities Playground

Communal Building 2-storey

Consultation & Educational Research

Reception and Staff's Office

semi - Public Space

Child Care

Day Care

Controlled access for community and daily users.

Share with residents P u b l i c S pac e

Entrance from Street

Fire access and emergency only

Vehicle-free beyond this zone

07

05 Theoretical approaches + impetus Wandering in Familiar Spaces A series of pattern languages derived from Alexander, Ishikawa and Silverstein 'A Pattern Language', as well as with the inspiration from Kevin Lynch's city cognitive mapping based on his five elements: path, edges, districts, nodes and landmarks to develop the design priorities for people with dementia to encourage independence and confidence to navigate within the spaces

1. Connection with community

2. Security and freedom / independence

3. Single loaded corridor for better ventilation and view from external building.

4. Design for casual meeting

5. Large private unit window (± 25m2 / room) with shades.

6. Raised planter box

7. Clear visual cues and legible navigation

8. Visual control (to avoid seeing other residents leaving)

9. Provide family private spaces

10. Strong connection between indoor & outdoor spaces

08

06 Methodology #1 | Progmatic Approach 1. Function zoning

2. Access & movement

3. Sectional Strategy

l cia So aces Sp l tia en t n sid Re arme Ap

Spatial hierarchy of a traditional village houses on site.

Indepemdent living apartment Assisted living apartment High care apartment

Private

Staff units

Semi-public

Residents and community social spaces

Public

3-Storey building responds to the building height of the semi-detached houses opposite river.

Entrance

From site entrance to buildings' circulation

Communal building

Covered walkway Vehicle route Vertical circulation Services

Independent Living Apartment - Walking distance from centre Assisted Living Apartment - Attached with Staff Apartment and club house High Care Apartment - Close to all social spaces yet retain privacy from club house

Sequences of noise-tolerant activities

Question the notion of public vs private, inside vs outside: • change-of-level to replace physical barrier • infill with shared spaces • passive surveillance • visual continuation

Public

Semi public

Shared space

Private

Semi private

09

06 Methodology #2 | Architectural Approach 1. Notion of home

2. Life between corridors

3. Security vs. autonomy

A flat rather than just a bedroom Ideally to design small and domestic spaces within spaces rather than large spaces. Visitors can sit with residents at living room like home instead of bedside like hospital.

Those days before they forget It is not about designing a 50's or 60's dementia village, instead, the approach of this project allows residents to develop a continuation of daily routines and create their collective of ownerships to the building.

Facilitate wayfinding and stimulate remaining congnitive abilities A physical barrier is necessary to provide maximum security within the living village in order to prevent residents from wandering beyond the boundary without infringing residents’ liberty and dignity.

Room

Institutional

Room

Safe environment = everyone in one locked space and watched by a

Room Room

nurse.

Big Dining area

Room

Nurse station at every lift core at ground floor

Institutional

Staff Apartment

Home-like Playground

Good opportunity to wandering like own home, between inside and outside around building with passive surveillance.

Personal dining

Taichi

Landmarks Nodes

Morning tea Communal dining for big group

Districts

"...people with dementia tend to do better when living in a housing where there

Home

are mixed of young and old

Sequences of outdoor spaces/activities as

residents".

wayfinding referencing points to identify locations.

10

06 Methodology #3 | Environmental Approach 33 °C

NE 12 hrs

2. Site response / landscape approach

25 °C

1. Building form vs. climatic responsive design

External wall Large overhang

Integration builtding with community and landscape

Double skin

External floor

Corridor as heat buffer Prevent direct exposure sunlight into building 3

House on Stilts Social spaces on ground to maximise opening on ground - create 'raisedup' effect

3. Materiality The priority and focus of selected material is to facilitate wayfinding, also respond to Singapore tropical weather and respect the existing forest topography and adjacent traditional village.

Resident

2

Apartment Social

4 6

5

Colour strategy for wayfinding

1

Spaces

7

1. Mini golf 2. Fruit garden + fish pond 3. Taichi / outdoor exercise 4. Sensory garden 5. Brook river seating 6. Vege farm

Orientation East-west orientation to minimize area expose to solar radiation.

7. Fitness trail

Landscape as 'invisible' buffer and provides 'segmented memory' along walkway

Paving with traditional 'peranakan' tile, a derivative of Dutch Delft tiles which can be found in traditional chinese shop houses in Singapore.

11

07 Social + Environmental Sustainability Report Social Sustainability Project Impetus To retain the remaining cognitive skills and promote independency of people with dementia in future, variety of social activities to provide opportunities of interaction with exisitng community and neighbourhood like: gardening, planting fruit and vegetable, playing chess, cooking class, or music and dance, pet feeding, or "shopping" at grocery shop...... just like those times before they forget.

The project aims to provide a familiar domestic neighbourhood living where there are friends, children and pets.

Environmental Sustainability

Strategies 1. The Landscape and public toilets (at residential apartment and communal building) Public toilet behind

will be using the harvested rain water. Water collection tanks are located at the end of both building for rain water collection.

2. The building is raised to allow at ground ventilation across the site and reduce the

Residential block

Communal building

impact on existing forest.

12

08 Technical Report Building Class : mixed development of Class 3d (residential) and 9a (healthcare).

1 2

Type of construction : Type A, Concrete Frame Structure with lighweight timber skin.

3

The Primary structural system 1 for the scheme is concrete skeletal frame and concrete slab, to maximize ground floor open spaces and flexibility of spaces re-configuration for social activities.

The Secondary structural system 2 respond to the landscape can provide a continuity surface. The facade skin and internal wall will be single skin brickwork with additional 'timber skin' and corridor to buffer the heat and noise. The operable timber lourve allow residents to practice their daily skills and adjust view or daylight personally.

The additional structural system 3 are lightweight steel frame attached to conrete frame work with timber floor plank for link bridge (as shown above) and the open deck.

13

09 Key Drawing | Master plan Communal Building

Open deck - non ambulant residents can observe ground floor activities from top

Independent Living Apartment

5

Assisted Living Apartment (Staff unit at ground floor to provide passive suivellance) High Care Nursing Home

Circular Outdoor Activities 1. Mini golf with continous fitness track 2. Zen garden 3. Fish pond ( changing path material to prevent resident wandering beyond boundary) 4. Scent garden with raised planter box 5. Sensory garden with children playground 6. Vege garden with morning tea verandah 7. Fitness track with pegola

4

Evening verandah

2

1

6 3 7 Parking and entrance

Day care open deck /outdoor lounge

Loading / unloading Proposed 2-way vehicle access with pedestrian walkway by brooke river

Guard house and Sub-station

14

09 Key Drawings | Typical Floor Plans UNIT 1

UNIT 2 Assisted living apartment (Sequence from social spaces, group home shared area to personal spaces)

3 6 Fire staircase link to staff units and fruit garden

5

4

1

2

7

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

8 9

Courtyard with built-in seating Scooter parking lot Varenda and common corridor Lounge and dining Kitchen Laundry Hidden storage Quiet corner / family retreat Bedroom with attached bathroom and personal balcony

Covered link bridge to assited living apartment

5 Part Assisted Living Apartment 1st Floor Plan

4

3

2 To library and Snoezelan room

1

Communal Building 1. LiftLobby 2. Nurse Station 3. Courtyard 4. Theater room 5. Mahjong room

15

09 Key Drawings | Sections & Details Design Detail Approach The detail aspiration aim to achieve these three primary outcome as below : • To develop a therapeutic living environment based on the notion

of home, which

provide people with dementia a continuity of life in a familiar environment.

• To promote independency for people with dementia and retain their remain cognitive skills as long as they could. such as operate swing windows and do their own laundry work.

• To respond to the surrounding

landscape,

the green continue from existing forest,

develops various outdoor spaces, continue into the living spaces, personal courtyard and balcony.

Covered walkway Private balcony

Railing Detail

Section of Verandah at Apartment Building

16

Do not ask me to remember Don’t try to make me understand Let me rest and know you’re with me Kiss my cheek and hold my hand.

I’m confused beyond your concept I am sad and sick and lost.

All I know is that I need you to be with me at any cost.

Do not lose your patience with me Do not scold nor curse nor cry.

I can’t help the way I’m acting, Can’t be different though I try.

Just remember that I need you.

That the best of me is gone.

Please don’t fail to stand beside me, Love me ‘till my life is done.

- author unknown This poem was found posted on the door of someone who suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in a nursing home, posted by Jill Sadowsky.