Our built environments have a direct correlation with our mental and physical health. This correlation is ever more evident with the process of ageing and the declining of neurological and physiological capacities of the human body. “Residential Care Facility for people with Dementia” design dissertation project asserts that architecture, supported by evidence-based knowledge, can create an environment that triggers positive neurological changes in its users, negotiating the functional and social necessities of people with dementia in supporting their needs. The architectural model that informs this inquiry is explored through the design of a Residential Care Facility, providing short- and long-term care as well as physical and mental therapy for those with early-to mid-stage dementia.
The objective of the dissertation is to develop a dementia residential care facility. The need for dementia specialized facilities is of utmost importance today as the illness is getting more and more widespread. In India it is estimated that the current population with a dementia disorder is 5.3 million and is expected to be nearly doubled by 2040. To be able to design a dementia friendly facility, the project is based on an extensive Programme consisting of analyses of the illness, the people who gets it, existing nursing homes and day care centers as well as the context of the project site. The research project proposes a model that provides direct care for the specialized needs of dementia patients early in their illness condition to maintain independence and encourage living and ageing
The basic unit of the layout is the residence, considered the optimal habitat for someone with Dementia, considering that the scale and type of residence serve as a link between the patient and their environment, in addition to maintaining a constant and recognizable number of inhabitants living together in the same space. The residential space requires personalization that is adapted and adaptable to the particular characteristics of each patient. Different architectural elements will be used to achieve this objective:
the use of natural light
the organization of space
the use of crossed visuals or warm-colored materials
The main technique, however, is the integration of new, emerging technologies that can be used to gradually adapt the residence to the progress of the condition. All the above are creative elements generated and organized by the discipline of architecture in order to provide a solution to the symptomatology and evolution of Dementia, improving the patients quality of life.
