3.3 ZONING

5.1 PROGRAMME:

The programme for the proposed retirement community will be divided into three main masses. The first mass will house the semi-assisted living quarters and the ground-floor commercial space.

The second mass will house the fully-assisted living quarters, the overlapping communal spaces, and the after-school care facility.

The third mass is the publicly accessible space on the ground floor.

The proposed retirement community will host various people throughout the facility. The elderly residents will make up the core demographic of the community, with the young people at the after-school care facility being the next significant demographic. The public will be the third demographic. This is not to exclude the retirement community’s staff.

• Elderly Residents:

The elderly are the community’s full-time residents who will live on the premises, where they can choose to stay in either the semi-assisted units or the fully assisted units. The community will allow the resident the freedom to choose whether they want to partake in the social interactions throughout the facility. Social interaction is encouraged due to the elderly residents being the first key connection for intergenerational learning.

The residents can contribute to the community through activities that vary in skill-level requirements, such as helping with homework and reading, teaching the children how to cook and bake, helping the children with gardening activities, offering workshops for specific fields of interest (such as painting, sketching, knitting, music, etc.), or simply helping at the after-school care facility through supervision or reading.

Examples of the intergenerational connections for the elderly residents: • A retired librarian with a passion for reading and books, who lives on the premises, could work two days a week in the after-school care facility’s library • A doctor from Eugene Marais Hospital could offer first aid classes and help teach the children and elderly how to identify the signs of a stroke or heart attack • A retired experienced artist, who lives near the premises, could offer painting and sketching classes to the residents and the children • Nursing students could work in the community to gain experience in regards to caring for elderly patients • A retired math teacher, who lives on the premises, could give extra math classes to the children at the after-school care facility • A computer-whizz-kid at the after-school care facility could show the residents how to perform basic tasks on a computer.

FIGURE 5.1: Programme

5.2 USER CLASSIFICATION:

• Young People:

The after-school facility will accommodate young people ranging from pre-school to high school and provide a safe after-school environment. The young people will not stay on the premises full time and will only be there during working hours (from 7 am to 8 pm). The after-school care facility will give the young people the space and tools to achieve their academic goals and provide online connectivity to aid in the offline-online hybrid academic model in the wake of the CODID-19 pandemic.

In turn, the younger generations can help the elderly navigate the current technological landscape by helping them video-call their loved ones, explaining technology functions, and troubleshoot technical issues on electronic devices.

• General Public:

The public will interact with the retirement community through the commercial and public green spaces on the ground floor.

• Retirement Community’s Staff:

The staff members will undertake the maintenance, administrative duties, and general upkeep of the elderly residents and the building to ensure that the retirement community functions as intended.

FIGURE 5.2: Intergenerations

5.3 ACCOMMODATION:

The semi-assisted living quarters:

• Two apartment types are available: • One-bedroom unit: Houses either one or two persons comfortably. This unity type has a wheelchairaccessible kitchenette, living room, bedroom, en-suite bathroom, and balcony. • Two-bedroom unit: Houses either two or three persons comfortably. This wheelchair-accessible unit type has a larger kitchen, space for a large dining table, a larger living room, one master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, a second smaller bedroom with an en-suite bathroom, and a balcony. • Ablution facilities for staff • Ablution facilities for the general public • Commercial space: • Bakery • Coffee shop • Deli

The fully-assisted living quarters:

• One-bedroom unit: Houses one person comfortably. This unit type has a combined wheelchair-accessible bedroom, living room, bathroom, and balcony • Communal dining hall: Available to the residents of any unit, as well as the children in the after-care facility • Ablution facilities • Activity hall • Communal pool • Dining hall kitchen • Laundromat • Poolside changing rooms • Reception • Roof garden • Staff offices and facilities.

The after-school care facility:

• Ablution facilities for staff • Ablution facilities for the public • Computer lab • Greenhouse • Library • Outside playground • Quiet study space • Reception • Roof garden • Shared learning and activity spaces • Staff facilities.

Public Space:

• Green spaces/Park • Parking • Pool • Outdoor braai area • Parking