Sibille Irnich
“When we change...”. FH Aachen (Germany)
constructing for people suffering dementia, relatives and caregivers
Taking care of people suffering from dementia is one of our society’s most challenging tasks. At the age of 85, about one third of the talented are afflicted with the causes of the disease.
Due to higher life expectancy, dementia can strike us all. Yet there are very few proposals of constructional concepts that identify the social aspects of this disease and focus their planning on the dignity of those people in all stages of increasing disability.
The model developed here is based on the “3 phases of sickness” which are reflected in corresponding architectural solutions. In the phase of “unprotection” everyday life is only lightly supported. In phase two, “aimlessness”, the construction helps the diseased to orientate. In phase three “failure” it is the primary aim to focus on welfare.
The east-west orientated body of the building blends in the calm surroundings of a park and the elaborate ground plot structure assures an isolation of the apartment blocks from the train route.
The cubic apartment blocks which interpose the glass hall are broken up by glass bays. Thus the single apartments can be reached by car and the building gets a structure.
The single stages of disease are solved by corresponding architectorial solutions for the individual blocks.
Basically, the construction is subdivided in two functional parts. One the one hand a public area (the hall) and a rather private and introverted area (the individual apartments).
The individual parts of the construction correspond with each other and provide a many interisting courtyards and interspaces.
An archtiecture that opens paths, that connects inside with outside, encourages “coincident meetings”, and makes sure that everyone ends up at the right place.
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