Politecnico di Milano School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering
THE LINK A CONNECTED LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT
Student -
Thuy Hang Le | 833141
Supervisor -
Remo Dorigati
Jacopo Leveratto
Politecnico di Milano School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering
THE LINK A CONNECTED LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT
Student -
Thuy Hang Le | 833141
Supervisor -
Remo Dorigati
Jacopo Leveratto
POLITECNICO DI MILANO School of Architecture Urban Planning Construction Engineering Master of Architecture 2017
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT
05 06
1. BACKGROUND
09
1.1.
11 12 14
INTERPRETATION OF “LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT” 1.1.1. Ageing Transition in Vietnam 1.1.2. Senior’s problems and solutions
1.2. TRADITIONAL LIFESTYLE IN VIETNAM 1.2.1. Multigenerational Family Model and Nuclear Family Model 1.2.2. Village Community 1.2.3 Relationship between architecture and water in Vietnam 1.2.4. Hybrid of Life and Death 1.3. HOUSING 1.3.1. Housing characteristics before economic reforms 1.3.2. Manifestation of contemporary housing design
21 22 24 28 33 37 38 45
1.4.
51
2.
PROJECT LIMITATIONS
57
2.1. Context 2.2. Site reading 2.3. Climatic Analysis
58 64 78
3.
DESIGN PROPOSAL
81
ELDERLY HOUSING
REFERENCE
106
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First of
all, I would like to use this opportunity to express my extreme gratitude to Professor Remo Dorigati and Tutor Jacopo Leveratto. I am thankful for their innovative guidance, invaluably constructive criticism and continuous support throughout this thesis process. I also want to send my warmest thank to my brother and sisters Chu Ngoc Huyen, Bui Phuong Ngoc, Pham Hong Viet, Nguyen Minh Huyen and Tran Mai Phuong for sharing their skills, their patience and solicitude for my deficiencies during my time in Milan; to Tran Quang Duc for his amazing photos of Hanoi that help enrich my thesis book; to Truong Cam Tu and Dang Nhat Linh for what they have done to support me. Thanks to all of my flatmates in via Plezzo for the joyfulness we’ve experienced together. Last but not least, my utmost appreciation goes to my family and my friends in Vietnam for their endless love and encouragement. This thesis would not have been possible without these contribution and support. Thank you. Le Thuy Hang Milan 2017
7
ABSTRACT According
to a couple of recent research documents, Vietnam population statistic witnesses a significant upturn in the number of old persons. Despite the durable tradition of multi-generational family, in which grandparents, parents and children live together, a continuous transformation to a nuclear family model with an increasing number of elderly living alone or elderly couples is a worrying trend. This is the problem that any developing countries have to surpass, consequently arousing substantial necessity of social attention to this demographic group. Yet there is not enough concern about them. A large group of old habitats still live in the rural area with poor living conditions, or in the cities, their living environment is isolated or overmuch dependent. With experience from Europe and the United States, the prominent prerequisite of maintaining the residential model but not institutional nursing home guarantees an intimate and comfortable environment, where they can support each other, being independent or even playing a more important role in community. An ideal milieu with appropriate health care will not only encourage them to be more active and socialized but to enjoy a positive and constructive life.
8
There are many case studies from America, European countries
and Japan showing the efforts to help prepare independent life for the senior after retirement. However, with differences in tradition, culture and climatic condition, it is necessary to understand thoroughly the situation in Vietnam to produce appropriate accommodation.
Even though Vietnam has various typologies of architecture
adapting to different climate and topography along the country, nowadays, the development of tube houses and street houses which are so-called ‘neo-tube houses’ has been so intense that it almost overwhelms others architectural morphologies. It is specially featured in Ho Chi Minh city and Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam where population density is extremely high, resulting scarcity of living area.
Retracing the history of urban development, tube houses were
erected before the 19th century in Hanoi and even from older time in Hoi An where the old style merchant houses are still well preserved. The demand of multi-purpose use of space in a small area arose from old taxation laws on the length of the front facade, consequently forming vertically space exploitation. Based on major different characteristics of houses in these two dominant cities and opportunities of contemporary concern and new trend of zero house and smart city, this thesis focuses on studying the necessity of living quarters which can be a combination of various uses for the elderly, specifically considering how to connect the surrounding community with the project in terms of spatial and functional design.
9
BACKGROUND STUDY
11
INTERPRETATION OF “LIFE AFTER RETIREMENT”
13
AGING TRANSITION IN VIETNAM DEMOGRAPHY
According to some recent researches, it is obvious to observe that there is a vital age transition indicated by the reduction of fertility/mortality rates and the improvement of life expectancy. From the ancient time, under effect of Confucius from China and to support farm work, Vietnamese people lives in a big family with three or four generations. It creates a conventionality of giving birth as much as possible so that parents can rely on their children on getting old.
After
the economic reforms in 1986, a great number of peasants have turned to work in other aspects such as industry and services. People tends to impregnate less to have a better care for their family. Old people have become more openminded and they work not only to raise their children but also to earn a better life after retirement.
Chart 1. The Vietnamese population rapid growth of “oldest old� from 1979 to 14
The statistic of General Statistic Office of Vietnam illustrates
the situation of demography before, currently and in future. Those charts reveal that the ratio between working age population and the elderly population is decreasing. Living arrangement also have adjustment. There is a shift from being more dependent on children to more self-sufficient. However, mostly old people still live in their own house, being cared by nursing centers in a poor condition and isolated from the community. Is this their real expectation?
Chart 2.Aging Index and potential support ratio in Vietnam from 1979 to 2049
Chart 3.Living Arrangements of the elderly in Vietnam from 1992/1993 to 2008
Chart 4.Housing Structure for elderly from 1992/1993 to 2008 15
SENIOR’S PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
H
“ ome for the elderly, regardless of whether they are rich or poor, should no longer be – and often no longer want to be – solitary buildings, but arise in all kinds of urban and functional mixtures…” (Eckhard Feddersen, Insa Lüdtke, Living for the Elderly - a design manual, 2009, p.83)
Apart from the desire of living in a familiar environment, the
senior in modern society still have some rational requirement for life after retirement, which can be listed as accessibility, care home regulations, fire safety, and parking provision. In terms of qualitative criteria, after many years spending time on working and earning a life, the old would prefer to live in a pleasing surroundings to avoid daily stress, receiving appropriate care and assistance but remaining self-sufficient and independent. In order to satisfy these longings, they also need to preserve social contact and interaction between themselves and with community.
16
Credits: Duc Tran
17
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DESIGN AND THERAPEUTIC MILIEU
A
“ well-designed outdoor environment can contribute to quality of life by increasing opportunities for activities and interests, extending social horizons, and breaking feelings of isolation from the outside world. ... Poor outdoor design, on the other hand, can aggravate and magnify the problems of isolation, loneliness, loss of capability and reduced personal image.”(1) (1) Stoneham, J. & Thoday, P. (1994) Landscape design for elderly and disabled people. 2nd eds. United Kingdom: Garden Art Press, a division of Antique Collectors’ Club Ltd. Safety is prerequisite to encourage an independent living for the elderly. In order to achieve this quality, it is essential to ensure accessibility which provides the possibility for the elderly to be free to go anywhere they want without any obstacles. Thus, stair is not well-rated in this case. A ramp with proper slope can be both a link of all the functions and a path for a nice walking through nature. Additionally, other support services are necessary. It’s vital to have nursing care for assisted elders or health care fore a continuing care community. Even though seniors are more and more free to choose where they will spend their retiring years, those facilities can enhance quality of life and take part in generating an active living program for the elderly. These functions also attract the community around the area and help to solve the problem of isolation.
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SOLUTIONS
19
THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTION WITH THE COMMUNITY
Being connected to the community plays an important role in
enhancing life quality for elderly, especially in Vietnam where there is a strong social link among each family in a village. Nobody expects that when they get older, they have to stay alone and boring in an isolated room , facing four walls day by day. With Vietnamese elderly, they prefer staying with their grandchildren or gathering with neighbors to being sent to a nursing center. They retire happily in their own house, in their familiar environment and try to maintain the situation as long as possible. Only until no longer they can take care of themselves, nursing care is compulsory to maintain their living in the last few years.
20
21
22
TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY LIFESTYLE
23
MULTI-GENERATIONAL FAMILY MODEL AND NUCLEAR FAMILY MODEL
Over 1000 year being dominated by Chinese culture can be
considered as the main root of multi-generational lifestyle in Vietnam. Taking advantage of Red river delta in developing rice agriculture which depends mostly on manual work for the lack of machinery support, a family needs abundant human resources. Consequently, even after getting married, all the members of the family still live together in order to support each other in farm work. This living model encompassing three or four generations with the way of thinking “relying on father when young and on children when old� has deeply ingrained in the mind of previous generation. Affected by Confucian ideology, parents always work hard to raise their children, hoping when they get older, their life can depend on the younger, and vice versa, children and grandchildren must show gratefulness to their parents and grandparents, respecting and taking care of them when they get older. It creates an intimate link between generations in a family and maintains this lifestyle sustaina bly before the reform.
24
Doi moi
“ ” – the economic reform in 1986 marked an important step in the transition of many socio-cultural aspects. The vigorous urbanization and globalization has generated the flow of migration from rural to urban areas. The marketoriented economy also promotes cultural integration invincibly. The youth tend to move to big cities, hoping about better job opportunities or better education for their kids whereas the old prefer the community lifestyle in their native land. It engenders different perceptions, which is so-called ‘generation gap’ between elder and younger. Instead of relaxing after a long time working hard, most of elders have an inclination of caring their grandchildren or taking part in other community activities, trying not to be useless when ageing. Usually they feel disappointed and lonely even when they are living with their children and grandchildren. The elders have difficulty in expressing their own solicitude because all the family members do not have the same concern anymore. It results in the formation of many new social models such as ‘nuclear family’ or other contemporary family structures, for instance, blended parents, single parents, etc. There are more and more elders living alone or with their fiancé in their hometown while their children are living in another city to work or study. As a deduction, it provokes the responsibility from the community and the family themselves to pay more attention to this social constituent group.
25
VILLAGE COMMUNITY FORMA TION AND MORPHOLOGY
From the old days, Vietnamese people have had the tendency
of settlement close to the river. This is the consequence of agricultural production that requires the water source for irrigation. It forms an intimate relation between human life and nature. Villages were built along the river with agriculture land around as a natural defense. The industrial revolution has changed many aspects such as reducing the number of peasants and amount of agriculture land. However, the habitude of being associated with nature has been ingrained in people’s mind. It’s presented obviously in the structure of a rural house. Vietnam has a special shape that stretches from North to South in a form of S letter. Therefore, it’s mainly divided into three zones: the North, the Middle and the South. In each area, there are various ways to adapt to the diversity of climatic condition but the most common solution is direction of the house. NorthSouth direction is the most common one to take advantage of natural ventilation and to limit the heat conductivity from the West. In the North, in order to catch the summer wind people use to plant palm tree in front of their house as well as to plant banana in the back yard to prevent winter wind. A house is always composed by main and auxiliary buildings together with a big front yard for farm work and planting. This front yard plays a significant role as a space to welcome guest, to work, to relax and to have meals. Human live and work among nature as their indigenousness. In a modern society, the area for nature is reduced considerably. Nonetheless, residents try to bring as much nature into their house as possible by means of planter box (movable or non-movable), penjing or bonsai, etc.
26
Village River Agricultural land Road 27
OLD VILLAGE STRUCTURE
The
old village structure is centralized with of one main village hall in the center and dwelling around. All service and commercial activities take place at the gate. It is enclosed by natural bamboo fence and agriculture land.
28
NEW VILLAGE STRUCTURE
The current village is more or less in the same composition.
Because of the expansion of housing and urbanization as well as new demand in modern life, social facilities such as education or industry were implemented. Nature dependence is reduced but the relation is maintained.
29
RELATION BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE AND WATER
As being stated above, Vietnam economy is generally used
to be based on agriculture. Hence water is one of the most vital element in life and work, affecting custom and tradition of human in both rural and urban area. Villages are formed along the canals. A lake is the center of a city. Or a whole village floats on a river. It emphasizes the bonding between human and nature. On one hand, water can be a natural defensive fortification but it can also nurture all human activities. The South with a considerable system of streams, canals and rivers might be both challenge and opportunity. In order to deal with tidal and flooding problems, people learn to build houses on wooden stilts. Likewise in the North water is brought into habitat and helps improving life quality in terms of micro-climatic environment.
30
Sketches: Floating housing in Southwest of Vietnam
31
Sketches: Pavilion, Thay Pagoda, Quoc Oai, Ha Tay, North of Vietnam
32
Sketches: Rural house, Hue , Middle zone
33
Sketches: Stilts houses, Can Tho, Southwest of Vietnam
Stilt house is a unique solution of human in effort to harmonize
with nature but not to overwhelm or destroy it. The interspersed canal system which forms the Mekong Delta is a typical feature establishing the lifestyle of inhabitants in this area. Apart from floating houses which can be inconvenient in some cases, people can choose to erect their house on stilts along the canal banks to use both water transportation and roadway but still feasible to deal with flooding problem.
34
HYBRID OF LIFE AND DEATH
Before the appearance of
Buddhism or Catholic, belief in ancestors and passed-away relatives is the primary religious in Viet Nam, consequently there exists a hybrid of life and death in traditional lifestyle. In the North, initially people live and work in fields. Once they pass away, their family would bring them back to the field. Likewise in the South, people often bury their relatives in the garden beside their house. A strong spiritual bonding between living human and dead ones is created and reinforced because people believe in life after death which is mentioned by Confucian theory, that people with have another life in the other world and from there, they can observe their family and bless them.
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Appian way by Giovanni Battista Piranesi 36
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38
HOUSING
39
HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS IN VIETNAM BEFORE ECONOMIC REFORM RURAL HOUSE
40
41
HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS IN VIETNAM BEFORE ECONOMIC REFORM USE OF VERANDA
IN THE NORTH
Welcoming guests
Having meals
Working casually
Celebrating
Storing cultivated rice for sun drying
Welcoming neighbor
IN THE SOUTH
Relaxing
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Chatting with friends
Rural houses in the North have almost the same structure and composition which was
concluded from long ago. Generally each of them has one main building with three middle compartments, two gabble compartments and one auxiliary building. These two buildings enclosed a front yard that can be a multi-purpose space (working, eating, relaxing, etc.). The veranda plays a vital role as the buffer space for welcoming guests and create shadow for the house to reduce heat conduction. The front yard with a lot of greenery and in some case there can be a small pond to enhance micro-climatic condition.
43
HOUSE CHARACTERISTICS IN VIETNAM BEFORE ECONOMIC REFORM URBAN HOUSE
Urban houses was only one or two
floors. Being lack of space, these houses have to put the garden in the courtyard which is also a space supporting natural cross ventilation and natural lighting. A veranda is added in this case as a buffer zone between the house and urban road. First part of the house is the gravest area, usually used for worshiping ancestors and welcoming guests. Juxtaposition courtyard and auxiliary rooms, for instance, toilets and wet floor is arranged next in the center of the house and finally the rear building with kitchen and bedrooms will end the lot. In the general, urban house has a long and narrow shape. According to some researches, it is because the tax of land ii the urban area at that time was too high that people had to think of another way to make the most use of their living area. This row house is a precursor of tube house or neotube house which develop massively later.
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CONTEMPORARY TUBE HOUSE DESIGN
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CONTEMPORARY TUBE HOUSE DESIGN GENERAL SCHEME
This
is a typical model of contemporary tube house. After reform, the economy has been changed direction to Socialistoriented market economy. People have been trying to make as much use of their house as possible for retailing or services to earn profit. Hence the house is expanded in vertical direction with three or four levels. The ground floor is rented and occupied by motorbikes, whereas all the other functions are moved to upper floors. Staircase plays a role as the atrium for natural lighting and ventilation, and can be combined with green space. With the habit of living among nature, even in the urban zone where living area is limited, people still have to think of how to bring nature into the house. As a result, roof-top garden and spray nozzle become popular as an engine to help improve interior space and upgrade living quality. The altar for worshiping ancestors and God is set at the highest part of the house, where people believe that it is the closest place to contact the other world.
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ROOF The
roof
can
be
made
of
concrete, corrugated sheets or tiles depending on urban regulation or on host’s ideas. LEVEL 3 This is the highest place in the house. Hence, the altar for worshiping ancestor or for religious is usually put here. As lacking of area, people take advantage of uncovered area and transform it into a garden. This can be relaxing space or host dinner in some special occasions. LEVEL 2 This level comprises of bedrooms for kids or for guests. There can be private or shared toilets. LEVEL 1 This level comprises of bedrooms for parents and kids. Sometimes common room is put here for the family to stay together after dinner and talk about what they have done during daytime.
CORE Staircase is the main element to connect all spaces in the house. It is often located in the center and combined with an atrium to get natural light into the house from roof top and nurture the internal green space GROUND FLOOR Living room in the front which is the welcome part of the house is usually combined with parking for motorbikes - the main means of transportation in Viet Nam. Kitchen and dinning room are also arranged at this level so that it is more convenient in case there are some guests visiting the house
49
pla
CONTEMPORARY TUBE HOUSE DESIGN USE OF ROOF-TOP TERRACE
50
worshiping ancestors or God
hanging clothes
anting barbecue
having meals
relaxing
planting vegetation
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ELDERLY HOUSING
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6 KEY THEMATIC GROUPS OF ELDERLY HOUSING ACCORDING TO “A DESIGN MANUAL LIVING FOR ELDERLY”
In order to well-prepare a project for the elderly, it’s essential to consider and understand this type of actor. Who are they? What do they think? What do they need? There are six key thematic groups of living for seniors that can be separated as the book “A design manual living for elderly” suggested. They comprise inter-generational living, assisted living with serviced apartments, living concepts for specific user groups, living concepts for people with dementia, residential and nursing homes and integrated housing and neighborhood concept. The juxtaposition scheme reveals the characteristics of these groups and their most desired requirements in maintaining a good living after retiring. These models have been applied widely in the United States, Europe and Japan. However it should be considered again to adapt to the current social condition in Vietnam.
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ELDERLY HOUSE TYPOLOGIES (ACCORDING TO “DESIGN FOR AGING POSTOCCUPANCY EVALUATIONS”)
A more specific study for typologies is provided in this case. Elders are classified by their requirements and physical condition to receive appropriate care and consideration. It’s obvious that in any circumstances, the key and ultimate concern is to be connected and to be able to communicate. Accessibility is the most fundamental to guarantee this appeal. Upcoming is necessity to maintain an independent life as long as possible, in which people can be assisted but active and have intimacy between them with neighbors and community. These typologies are studied and categorized up to the age and senior’s level of independence. More or less people choose to rest in their own house where they have been familiar to live together with their family. It’s crucial that a well-known environment can encourage senior’s activities. However, in case they can not continue living on their own due to aging and weakness, it is necessary to provide daily health care and home services as well as suitable program to help them connect to the community.
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PROJECT LIMITATION
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CONTEXT
The site is located in a new urban area of Ho Chi Minh city
close to the existing center. Sprawling rapidly in the recent years, the demand for housing in Ho Chi Minh city has become essential and imminent than ever. Beside developing in the South, the government decided to turn this area into a new economic-ecologic center of the city, where used to be a rural area for storing water when flooding or tidal rising. It means that a good solution for a living quarter is required but also it’s necessary to give a dialogue between architecture and nature to understand the condition as well as behavior of people.
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HO CHI MINH CITY FROM XVIII CENTURY TO XX CENTURY
1795
1864
1946 62
1896
1926
1952
1963 63
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WATER SYSTEM IN HO CHI MINH CITY
Different from capital Ha Noi, the urban centralized by lakes,
formed along one of the biggest river in the South, Ho Chi Minh city, initial name as Saigon, has an interlaced water system. Therefore, problem of tidal and flooding is highlighted. The infrastructure can not keep up to the accelerated and massive urbanization progress. As a consequence, water drainage becomes a general concern. According to old French planning for the city, district 2 and district 7 are the two areas at the lowest level, used to store water whenever tidal arises or flood occurs due to heavy rain. Located in district 2, one of the two main flooding area, it can be both challenge and opportunity for the project to figure out the solution that satisfies elderly’s needs but also coping well with the problem.
65
SITE READING
The site is located in a total new urban area of Ho Chi Minh
city and connected to the existing center by river tunnel and bridges. Surrounded by urban greenery and a new modern economic center full of high-rises, the problem is how to unify architecture and nature and create a healthy living environment for the seniors, still attracting the community around to use it and establishing a trading zone with different levels but ensuring security for the residents.
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VOID - SOLID
68
LAND USE
69
VEGETATION SYSTEM
70
ACCESSIBILITY
71
72
SITE READING
73
LANDMARKS
74
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SITE READING - SWOT ANALYSIS
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SITE READING - NOISE
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SITE READING - NATURE
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SITE READING - VIEWS
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CLIMATIC ANALYSIS
The city has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and
dry climate, with an average humidity of 78–82%. The year is divided into two distinct seasons. The rainy season, with an average rainfall of about 1,800 millimeters annually (about 150 rainy days per year), usually begins in May and ends in late October. The dry season lasts from December to April. The average temperature is 28°C, with little variation throughout the year. The highest temperature recorded was 40.0°C in April while the lowest temperature recorded was 13.8°C in January. On average, the city experiences between 2,400 to 2,700 hours of sunshine per year.
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DESIGN PROPOSAL
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STRATEGY
Dedicating
whole ground floor for nature to solve tidal flooding and to create the unification of the green systems surrounding
Bringing river into the site to enhance ecology system and micro-climatic condition
Using sky bridge as the link between the site with the neighborhood.
Combining
two typical housing morphologies in the South of Vietnam which are stilts house (rural area) and tube house (urban area).
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BIOPHILIC DESIGN It is believed that nature can nurture recovery from stress.
Contact with nature can advocate improvement in physical health and psychological well-being. It is proved that if human can spend at least 20 minutes per day among nature, it can help release anxiety and refresh their mind. This is more important for the elderly, who are in need of daily therapeutic milieu. Daylight with sun exposure for metabolism of vitamin D is essential for overall health. Gardens supplies pleasant views , create shadow for those who are sensitive to sun exposure and enable outdoor physical activities such as walking. It helps relieve stress and reduce depression. Besides, exposed water surface and forest can generate breeze for natural ventilation.
Traditional lifestyle in Vietnam also proves that living among
nature has been not only habitual but a fundamental key to have a better living quality. In the rural area, housing is enclosed by natural fence made of plants and pergola with a big orchard and a back yard for planting vegetables. Meanwhile in the urban, vegetation is brought to upper levels due to lack of area and roof-top gardens are created to foster common space of a family and become a place for them to relax.
B
“ iophilia is the inherent human inclination to affiliate with natural systems and processes, especially life and life - like features of the nonhuman environment.”
B
“ iophilic design is the deliberate attempt to translate an understanding of the inherent of human affinity to affiliate with natural systems and processes - know as biophilia (Wilson 1984, Kellert and Wilson 1993) - into the design of the built environment.” (Stephen R. Kellert, Judith H. Heerwagen, Martin L.Mador, Biophilic Design/ The Theory, Science, and Practice of Bringing Buildings to Life, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., USA, 2008)
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WET LAND WITH NATURAL FILTRATION SYSTEM
To create a new architecture but not
to affect the ecological environment at this area is a challenge for the project. Even though the site is a part of a new urban development project, which means that a big portion will be concreted, still this project aims to create a habitat not only for seniors but also for the local creature. Besides, a natural environment plays a poignant role in improving senior’s health and positive way of life. Wet land is a considered solution in this case where used to be a place to store water under influence of tidal problem and help with city drainage system..
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CONCEPT Surrounded by a natural system inside a dense urban area as Ho Chi Minh city is a big advantage of the site. However, they are separated by traffic roads and not safe for residence to approach. Thus it is necessary to provide a “link” to connect and unify them, creating a new complete ecological environment.
THE LINK
“ ” not only indicates the river, a notably natural element but also illustrates continuity of greenery system in this area. Together with other constituents such as, walking bridge and platforms, the project aims to connect the site with surrounding ambiance, creating the harmony between buildings, nature and human whereas enhancing ecological environment, which is still deficient in an urban area of a developing country like Vietnam.
Likewise, it helps socialize the life after retirement by attracting
the community around with public facilities such as coffee and tea house, library, clubs, gyms, medical care and so on. The elderly from now on will not be isolated in a nursing home and waiting for death but enjoying their life with their own interests and being connected with their own family and neighbors.
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IDEA SKETCHES
90
PROJECT GOALS
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MASTER PLAN
92
93
PROGRAM
94
95
AXONOMETRY
96
97
98
99
GENERAL PERSPECTIVE VIEW FROM THE EXISTING CENTER
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101
SECTIONS
102
TYPICAL TOWER DETAILS
103
FACADE DETAILS
104
PERSPECTIVE
105
CONCLUSION This project aims to provide accommodation for seniors but
also other urban inhabitants such as multi-generational families or students. The interaction between different users and use of the platform as a bridge to connect the site and the surrounding illustrate the most important motivation of the project _ communication and association of elderly and community. Besides, biophilic design helps turn the site to a unified green buffer zone between the existing city center, the river and the new economic high-rise complex. The contradiction of low and high density leaves a space for the city to “breathe� with the combination of water, greenery and shadow. It not only fosters the current inhabitants but also attracts the community around by providing public facilities and being a place to stay, to meet, to dialogue. Considering both human and local creatures, offering them an ecological environment to develop is a way this project responding to the current situation. It becomes both a tangible and intangible link of architecture and nature, of human and environment, and of the elderly and the society.
Contrarily to the massive heights of the high-rises, this project
is developed in a horizontal direction, working as a bridge to connect three green areas and to the river. The towers with inspiration from tube house and stilt house accommodate approximately 200 apartments for various family typologies. Besides taking advantage of public facilities and infrastructure around such as parking and commercial center, the project provides common functions such as library, health care, restaurant and clubs to encourage an active living after retiring. The common space at first floor generated by a system of courtyards offers residents a place to communicate and to share their interests as well as information. The platform as a boundary between water and forest with an enormous roof-top 106
area can become a huge public open space for hosting outdoor activities such as Tai Chi practice, dancing, sport activities (badminton), whereas the ground floor almost covered by vegetation, water and wet land creates a new habitat. Nature can be touched at different levels by means of bridge, paths and ramps. It helps strengthen the bonding with nature, a key element in well-being improvement especially for elderly.
To sum up, this project focuses on supplying connection in different
aspects but also spaces for elderly to live and communicate, encouraging them to have an active and interesting life after retirement but independent and well-connected.
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REFERENCE
Stoneham, J. & Thoday, P., Landscape design for elderly and disabled people. 2nd edn. United Kingdom: Garden Art Press, a division of Antique Collectors’ Club Ltd, 1994 Feddersen, Eckhard & Lüdtke, Insa (eds.), Living for the Elderly: A Design Manual, Boston : De Gruyter, 2009. Regnier, Victor, Assisted living housing for the elderly : design innovations from the United States and Europe, New York : Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1994 Kellert, Stephen R., Heerwagen, Judith H., Madorm Martin L. (eds.), Biophilic design: the theory, science, and practice of bringing buildings to life, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 2008 Olmsted, Frederick Law, 14 Patterns of Biophilic Design: Improving health & well-being in the built environment, Introduction to Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove: A preliminary report, New York: Terrapin Bright Green LLC., 2014. E-book Long, Thanh Giang, Viet Nam aging survey (VNAS), 2011: Key findings, Research Gate (2012). DOI: 10.13140/ RG.2.1.4839.4081 Thanh Long, Giang & Wade Donald, Pfau, The Elderly Population in Vietnam during Economic Transformation: An Overview, Research Gate (2007). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/46447278 Evans, Martin & Harkness, Susan, Elderly people in Vietnam: social protection, informal support and poverty, Research Gate (2008). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233661111 Kien, To, “Tube house” and “Neo tube house” in Hanoi: A comparative study on Identity and Typology, Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering (2008). DOI: 10.3130/ jaabe.7.255 Phuong, Ly, A critical regionalist Approach to Housing Design in Vietnam, PhD diss., Queensland University of Technology, 2012 108
IMAGE REFERENCE http://theendearingdesigner.com/ InkLaneDesign https://www.etsy.com/shop/InkLaneDesign?ref=profile_ shopname https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antichina_piranese. jpg http://english.vietnamnet.vn/fms/society/79948/waterspinach-fields-in-hanoi-s-graveyard.html http://www.muabannhadat.vn/tin-tuc/ha-noi-sap-thanh-3600-pho-phuong-vi-quy-hoach.html http://soi.com.vn/wp-content/images/2013/07/nha-dat-4ok.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/13476480@N07/
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