Natural Rhythms

“If sensory qualities, however appropriate, are to bring joy and refreshment to the soul, we need variety - not endlessly the same correct temperature, lighting level, same view, the same sort of shapes, space or movement through space.”5

Drawing upon surrounding nature; changing flora, fauna, light, weather, water and seasons connect elderly inhabitants to life and energy. At the heart of Pollok Country Park, along the banks of the White Cart Water, the Caring Home is embedded in the natural rhythms through its relationship between interior and exterior.

Natural rhythms focus;

- Connecting to and reflecting natural surroundings;

Limited materiality palette

Natural lighting

Views and perspectives

- Aid orientation in time, particularly for those with dementia

October November March

Site observations

A natural view from the bedroom is a vital source of stimulation, particularly for those who may be bed bound. Layering the ability to open their windows to smell fresh air and feel breeze, experiencing the change of light and weather, creates a sense of being involved in the outside world.

Sensory involvement in the changes of seasons, weather and light aid inhabitants orientation in time. This will provide reassurance, particularly for those with memory loss.

A limited warm materiality palette emphasises focus upon form, light and the sensory experience of space.

The colour scheme of the Caring Home relates to the surrounding landscape, inviting people to look outwards. Evolving changes in colour forms varying contrast and harmonies throughout the year.

Selection of amber toned tiles within the Water Therapy Spa was inspired by the autumnal brown shades of the White Cart Water.

Connection to the rhythms of the natural world embraces the passage of time, symbolically opposing societal anxieties of aging. Animated by seasonal sunlight and the irregularities of natural materials, the caring home implies a less fearful approach to aging.

“To work with natural light is to work with time and to welcome the minute shifts occurring constantly throughout the day“6

Catching the best sunlight, the Complex largely faces South. The proposal focuses upon providing elderly residents with the health and well-being benefits of access to natural lighting.

Lighting focuses;

- Sunlight across the Complex; Orientation of the Residence extension

- Soft indirect lighting;

Up-lit wooden roof beams

Warm brass lamps

The Residence extension is offset to orientate towards the South, designed to allow inhabitants to move with the sun or shade, across ground and elevated perspectives. Areas of exposure and protection from the sun enable residents to enjoy the changing light across days and seasons, regardless of weather.

“In the morning, the warm rays emerge from one side and slowly make their way across the space throughout the daybringing life and energy indoors - before fading into dusk”7

Retaining the open views across the historic courtyard, the intervention manages needs for accessible indoor/outdoor space and circulation, giving the maximum amount of sunlight into the existing buildings.

7. Ibid.

Resident apartments have access to natural light through original sash windows. The bedrooms have been placed to maximise the number of dual aspect views,

“windows on two sides give two view directions instead of one, so it’s easier to orientate yourself: windows on three sides show the sun’s rotation, so orient us in time as well as space.”8

8. Author: Day, Christopher, Places of the Soul Architecture and Environmental Design as a Healing Art (Oxford: Architectural Press, Second Edition, 2004)