INTERGENERATIONAL CENTER

Academic

INTERGENERATIONAL CENTER

Description

The aging of the population is one of the main phenomena that conflict the European society, and Romania especially. The situation here is critical, compared to the western countries, mainly because in addition to aging and the small natality rate, there adds the massive migration and the deep poverty.

The population’s aging phenomenon is actively affecting the nowadays society in a complex way and it is worldly assumed not only as an actual issue of the society but also as an abiding problem. Because of the physical, psychological or inter-relational changes that alter the elder, these people undergo feelings of isolation, loneliness, boredom, sadness. The elder people’s role within the community is usually ignored, instead of used as a resource, by involving them into the cultural, economic, social life.

In between the oldest areas of the country, there stands the case of the Buzau County. Compared to the rest of the county, by far, the deepest situation lies within the Buzau City.

Location: Buzau, Romania
Building Program: Residential
Type: Academic
Year: 2016
Coordinators: Haytham Zeki

ALEXANDRU MARGHILOMAN

"Alexandru Marghiloman" nursing home is the only nursing institution from the city, with a capacity that covers 20% of the applications application per year. It is built over 3 historical monuments that were part of a popular 1900 politician’s mansion. The domain has been recently renovated and it is again a focal point of the city.

So, the purpose of the project is to solve the lack of accommodation for the nursing home, but at the same time to regain the initial coherence of the 3 historical buildings. Therefore, taking advantage of the location the new complex is going to be extended, correlated with the 3 buildings.

Also, it is a great opportunity for the center to gain a secondary approach of the nursing behavior: it is widely recognized that a good practice is the intergenerational one. The intergenerational approach is meant to bring people of different ages together, with the purpose that they benefit from common activities, efficiently created so as they grow respect in between participants and to strengthen these communities.

EVOLUTION

INTERGENERATIONAL APPROACH

The intergenerational approach is meant to bring people of different ages together, with the purpose that they benefit from common activities, efficiently created so as they grow respect in between participants and to strengthen these communities.

The experience exchange is done both ways (from youngsters to elders and the other way round) under trained personnel and in an architectural environment purposely designed, capable of sustaining a project of this kind.

This way, the project requires a different and innovative vision for the existent building program, pursuing the availability and implication of the responsible institutions, correlated with active participants and volunteers for a better quality of life.

THE NURSING HOME

The nursing home has to be an optimistic place where the elderly would wish to live or visit. This has to attract its users using special, but suitable esthetics and design, and using decorative and spatial elements in order to enable one’s senses, minimizing disorientation.

One of the fundamental premises that generate this kind of center is that if there’s one thing elderly abound with that’s spare time. For this reason, the type of spaces have to be quite diverse - starting from space itself, engaging the ambient and natural lighting, cooler, textures, and volumes – and to include, besides residential areas, other types of places such as workshops, classrooms, playrooms etc.

HOME-LIKE FEELING

An important issue that is solved by volumetric composition is the home-like feeling that residents need, including having responsibilities, chores, and activities that require active involvement and communication. These are possible by placing living spaces adjacent to social spaces, similar to the home layout or providing generous rooms that allow personalization from each resident.

What is to be sought is not a typical hospital-like volume, but a different esthetic, where the space is fluid and continuous, and accessible, sustaining the mobility of the elderly.