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From “Every wrinkle is a drama” to “Children should envy parents” Plussenburgh, Arons en Gelauff Students: Jose Isidro Pastor Tormo + Marina Patón Ballester

Plussenburgh’s building means a key aspect in Rotterdam, where the hippie generation convert themselves into the new elderly. Facing the possibility of a new useless member inside the family, sons and daughters abandon them in these residences for the elderly. At this point Arons en Gelauff searches for a new architectural design where the before idea is discarded and the elderly start a new way of life inside the collective areas and with the latest biotechnologies which improve their lifespan and lifestyle. Moreover we can emphasize the wavy facade and focused in framing the views of their residential neighbourhood. Another highlighted point would be their suspension over the city river that generates a green and high quality communitary space.

In the architecture of Arons en Gelauff, we can find these keywords: ❏ Integration ​(looking for a non segregation of the elderly) ❏ Sociability ​(inside the residential units they mix the elder people to force them to socialize) ❏ Customization (nursery and technologies are adapted to every need and single problems.​“If we want to cater for the ‘young old’, we have to offer them beautiful buildings with possibilities for customization instead of last resorts.” ​) ❏ Biotechnology ​(non-human agent which is the responsable of elderly care) ❏ In/Out ​(the outdoors of the building come inside and vice versa) ❏ Recreational spaces (as the main spaces of the building to facilitate the interaction and sociability between the elder people) ❏ City views ​(slab elevation and strategic frame windows to highlight the city views) Lengthwise the years, Rotterdam has developed itself into a populated city from 555000 people in 1984 to 617383 in 2017 (nearly rubbing the million people). Due to having the largest harbour in Europe and the biggest iron and steel industry. These two factors have given a low unemployment period to the city and a cosmopolitan population where the foreign people add up to 48% of the total population.

After the WWII, Rotterdam ruined itself therefore the resident architects decided to invert in a modern way of design and technology turning itself into a regarding city in Europe. Besides Rotterdam has an active population where the 91,6% are from tertiary sector, 8.3% from industry sector and 0.1% from primary sector.

Plussenburgh is located in Ijsselmonde neighbourhood where the expressive from distinguishes it from other grey apartment blocks in the area, making a new urban accent in the neighbourhood, and established a spatial hierarchy, marking out the centre of activity within the neighbourhood. Moreover they have public transport and amenities in their close proximity and a shopping centre in front of the building. Nowadays this area is progressively developing as a more urbanised part of the city.

Currently, the total population in Rotterdam is 626900 people, and around 12% are in an average between 55-95+ years old. Moreover, the 48% of the total population are foreign caused by the harbour and its important european connexions.

Talking about the involved population, most of them are s​eniors aged 55 and older inside the forthcoming retirement of the hippie generation. ​Anything but grey, ​is an article written by Arons en Gelauff where he compares and put into words about the involved people; ​“​Mick Jagger, Elton John, Tina Turner. It’s the generation which invented our youth culture, the idea of an entirely self-determined lifestyle and the ideal of eternal youth​.”

According to the author, the retirement phase is a new period with the same relevance than the previous ones. A period where people could live with the same or more vitality and intensity than in the youth and maturity. As long as Arons en Gelauff said ​“ Their children should envy parents for their well illuminated condo in the town centre where an excellent life-style is within reach”.

Nursery people play an important role as well, because the attached building is a hospital which gives all the necessary facilities to these elderly. Daily, nursing services perform specialized measures whenever it is necessary. Isolating and differentiating the uses, as an innovation in relation to the conventional residences.

Biotechnology takes an important role in physical and psychological terms because the building and the elderly count with the latest technologies that keep in a virtual touch with their relatives and friends (helping them psychologically) and give to their carers and on-going and updated information about their health problems. In this way they avoid to stay into aseptic and ergonomic rooms and remove that hospitalized feeling.

Firstly, we face the problem of “useless elderly” as Arons en Gelauff said “​Today’s elderly aren’t helpless doters who let themselves be locked up in stuffy nursing homes.​ ” All of this is caused by their families who think and value their older ones as an impediment instead of letting them participate in their daily life.

Moreover “the ergonomic, medical and functional norms applied in the 70’s are insufficient bringing about a reduction of their lifespan”, that’s why Arons en Gelauff investigated in new ways of increasing their lifespan and lifestyle inside the architecture’s design and the latest technologies.

At this point, Arons en Gelauff said that “aging...is no longer a condition of retreat and retirement” because once more, life doesn’t come to an end and it’s our role as architects to endure and improve their lives with our designs.

On the one hand, the involved human agents are: the elderly, the nursing system, their relatives and friends.

From the other hand, the non-human agents included in the building program could be: their personal technologies (mobile phones, tablets,...), the river, biotechnology (the ones that stretch on the lifespan), the sunlight, the vegetation, the views…

Arons en Gelauff starts to think in the idea of stretching on the elderly lifespan by the creation of new architectural designs that could work with the latest technologies and the recent medical advances. Later these theories became true by winning the tender in 2001 and allowing him to build these posthuman realities.

Plussenbergh’s building has some important strategies, highlighting the next ones: -

Directed view strengthened by the open facades lift part of the building over the ground for respecting the river and giving high views of the neighbourhood generate a high community space and a active plaza in the main floor let the outside come inside the building by the bamboo tapestry and the green floor generate share apartments and communitary spaces that allow sociability and integration two connected units where special healtchares and living units are in continuous relation applyment of biotechnology to increase the lifespan and lifestyle hang coloured glasses as a reference to their hippie lifestyles and for cheering up their grey neighbourhood

We decide a multiscalar approachment to the knowledge of the Plussnebergh’s building by these different levels: -

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city level: the city adopts a new dwelling system for the elderly (125 of the total population) for giving them a second life and a chance to enjoy another time in their lives. neighbourhood level: the building becomes a landmark beyond the neighbourhood. In this point it turns into viewpoint for the residents. Moreover, the location is well communicated with the city and the different markets. building/common space level: the building lifts beyond the water for respecting it and creating a common space in the main floor whose main functions is as a vegetable patch.

Moreover the building has a lot of communitary spaces that invite their residents to a social and enjoyable moment. personal level: every resident has a shared residence with one or two flatmates and a specialized attention by a medical team next to them. In addition they have an approach to the social media with their relatives.

Arons en gelauff wants to break with the elderly residence concept where retired and isolated people turn into a social and useless waist for the society. Facing that situation he has to break with the 70’s ergonomic, medical and architectural designs that limit his desire of increasing their lifespan and lifestyle of the elderly.

In conclusion, Plussenbergh building is a role model in its detailed architecture with: its design, the biotechnology and grupal psychology that get to increase the elderly lifespan and lifestyle.

Moreover we have learned too many posthuman criteria: a presential technology that communicates, links and takes care of their health, common spaces where the human and non-human coexist together by revitalising these spaces, an integral connection with the healthcare centre for obtaining specialized cares and leaving aside the idea of residence for the elderly and respecting the environment.

In relation with the course we could learn how technology could suppose an essential tool for the human being, improving their lifestyles. In addition the architecture could generate an architectural design that could mix human and non-human letting them work together. Another important idea is the diffusion between in and out that could create more attractive spaces for the elderly.