senior homes of the future in the eyes of students of ... - CORE

1. INTRODUCTIONThe paper is a continuation of presenting the courseand results of the research project completed withinthe framework of classes run at the Faculty ofArchitecture, Silesian University of Technology. Thetopic of the project was: senior homes of the future.The first part of the paper was focused on researchactivities that were the theoretical foundations of theconceptual work, i.e.: substantiation of the choice ofthe research topic, state of research, objectives, mod-ern trends and requirements concerning the design ofenvironments for seniors and in situ analyses at

seniors’ care facilities with the participation of stu-dents. In part II research procedures of DesignThinking (acronym: DT) are discussed [3].

2. WORK WITH STUDENTS ON THEGROUNDS OF DESIGN THINKINGMETHODThe Project involved 30 fourth-year students (8th

semester) of BSc Engineering courses, divided intothree teams (10 students in each team). The workcommenced with organizational activities, i.e.: the

SENIOR HOMES OF THE FUTURE IN THE EYES OF STUDENTSOF ARCHITECTURE. DIDACTIC EXPERIENCE FROM THE APPLICATION

OF THE DESIGN THINKING METHOD

Joanna TYMKIEWICZ a, Maria BIELAK-ZASADZKA b

a DSc PhD Eng. Arch.; Faculty of Architecture, The Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 7,44-100 Gliwice, PolandE-mail address: [email protected]

b PhD Eng. Arch.; Faculty of Architecture, The Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 7, 44-100 Gliwice, PolandE-mail address: [email protected]

Received: 9.06.2015; Revised: 21.11. 2015; Accepted: 5.02.2016

A b s t r a c tThe paper is a continuation of the research topic presented in the paper: THE DESIGN THINKING METHOD IN ARCHI-TECTURAL DESIGN, PARTICULARLY FOR DESIGNING SENIOR HOMES. The text is devoted to the presentation ofthe research and didactic project based on Design Thinking method, conducted with students of the Faculty of Architecture,Silesian University of Technology. This part consist of the following stages: definition of the problem to be solved, interdis-ciplinary work of student teams, brainstorming and prototyping. The conclusions are focused on guidelines for the designof senior homes of the future – as defined by students participating in the project, who will be future seniors.

S t r e s z c z e n i eArtykuł jest kontynuacją tematu zaprezentowanego w artykule: METODA DESIGN THINKING W PROJEKTOWANIUARCHITEKTONICZNYM, SZCZEGÓLNIE W PROJEKTOWANIU DOMÓW SENIORA. Ta część to prezentacja prze-biegu pracy badawczo-dydaktycznej realizowanej ze studentami Wydziału Architektury Politechniki Śląskiej, z zas-tosowaniem metody Design Thinking. Praca zawierała etapy, takie jak: zdefiniowanie problemu do rozwiązania, praca inter-dyscyplinarnego zespołu, burza mózgów i prototypowanie. We wnioskach ujęto wytyczne do projektowania domów senioraw przyszłości – zdefiniowane przez przyszłych seniorów, a obecnie studentów biorących udział w projekcie.

K e y w o r d s : Architecture; Design Thinking; Senior homes; Future.

1/2016 A R C H I T E C T U R E C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G E N V I R O N M E N T 49

A R C H I T E C T U R E C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G E N V I R O N M E N TThe Si les ian Univers i ty of Technology No. 1/2016

J . T y m k i e w i c z , M . B i e l a k - Z a s a d z k a

appointment of team leaders, who were “sponta-neously” chosen (they expressed a wish to be leadersor were selected by their teams). In the future, forsimilar projects a cooperation with psychologists isrecommended, to appoint suitable leaders and com-pile different personalities in each team.In the next step, the students were given a generaldescription of the problem to be solved: “Our societyis ageing, but we do not know how future seniors willfunction (in 30-40, 50 years’ time), what their needswill be, how they will live and spend time. This issuewe address to young people who in thirty years’ timewill enter the age of seniority. To facilitate the identi-fication of the needs, we narrow down the topic to adefinite professional group – architects and specifythe place of their occupancy – senior home”.

2.1. Definition of the problem to be solvedThe task set for the students divided into teams wasto define the problem in the form of one sentence.However, this turned out to be more difficult thanexpected. The following proposals were put forward:• How to provide appropriate conditions and place

for dignified ageing, working and resting to archi-tects at the age of seniority?

• How to fulfill the functional needs of the place ofoccupancy for architects at the age of seniority?

• How to provide and furnish a comfortable, flexibleand activating place of living to architects at the ageof seniority?

The main difficulty was the ambiguity and impreci-sion of some wordings. Finally, after negotiations, thefollowing question was formed: “How to fulfill in thefuture – thanks to architectural solutions- behavioraland functional needs of architects-seniors by thedesign of the place of occupancy for dignified ageingand continuation of professional activity? It shouldbe clarified that the behavioral needs are, among oth-ers: safety, aesthetics, privacy, territoriality, way-find-ing (inside the building and in open space, properinformation signs), sense of satisfaction from living inthe care facility [4].The next task given to the students was to prepare thecharacteristics of a fictitious person – a model “archi-tect-senior of the future” (in 30, 40 and 50 years’ time),i.e. the person for whom the design project is to beelaborated by the teams. The students, directed bytheir team leaders, determined different features ofthis fabricated architect-senior of the future, compilingthem in a table and referring to the needs concerning

architectural space. The assumption was that thearchitect-senior is somebody who represented the fea-tures and needs of the students’ generation, as well astheir subjective image of their own old age. The sub-stantive back-up for the characteristics were numerousarticles about specific features of the Y and Z genera-tion available on the Internet (this topic was compre-hensively discussed in natemat.pl service, and most ofthe articles were derived from this website: [6], [7], [8],[9]. According to these sources, the features of the 20-30 years’ old generation are: creativity, wish for pres-tige and development, appreciation of free time anddevoting it to follow and develop personal hobbies andinterests, social life and meetings with the nearest anddearest, ability of functioning in the virtual world,treating life as a game (gamification), not using thelibraries and printed press (they are boring), no hand-writing, maintaining contacts by means of various,especially mobile tools at different times and places,activity in the net, pro- social behaviour (willingness towork as volunteers), openness to the world, travelling,friendship or acquaintance with people representingdifferent cultures.In view of ergonomics, attention was given to fore-casting the so-called “e-illnesses” resulting from theuse of new technologies and permanent staying “on-line”. The following ailments are predicted: problemswith concentration, personality disorders, obsessions,sleep disorders due to increased level of melatonincaused by contact with lighted tablets and laptops,intensified syndromes of chronic strain of musclesand tendons – RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury) [10].This stage was completed by the characteristics of thefictitious architect- senior of the future and the pro-jection of their features, as represented by one of theexemplary info-graphs (Fig. 1).

50 A R C H I T E C T U R E C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G E N V I R O N M E N T 1/2016

Figure 1.Info-graph: characteristics of the fictitious architect-senior(authors – leader: Magdalena Brzuska, team: AgnieszkaCielińska, Piotr Krawczyk, Wojciech Lesiak, AleksandraHojnacka, Marcin Domurad, Anna Kmieć, SebastianDziedzic, Paulina Majtyka)

SENIOR HOMES OF THE FUTURE IN THE EYES OF STUDENTS OF ARCHITECTURE. D IDACT IC EXPERIENCE . . .

2.2. Work of the interdisciplinary teamSimilarly to previous experience from classes basedon Design Thinking method [5] – this stage involvedthe technique of a didactic game, in the course ofwhich the students impersonated the roles of repre-sentatives of different participants of the designprocess, design implementation, and use of the occu-pancy space for architects-seniors of the future. Theobjective was to make the list of the needs of differ-ent users of such space, and, first and foremost, con-sidering conflicting interests of stakeholders. Thedefined needs were next translated into architecturalspace in relation to the building, its surroundings andthe flats as such. At this stage, the monographs writ-ten by Maria Bielak [1] [2] were very useful, in whichthe needs of present seniors and other users of theirenvironment were clearly defined, and categorizedinto quality groups typical for POE analyses, and, inthe next step, converted to design guidelines. Itshould be explained that POE – Post OccupancyEvaluation – is one of the research methods used, asthe name itself suggests, to assess buildings after theircommissioning to operation and during their use oroccupancy. The method entails quality analyses infive quality categories: technical, functional, behav-ioural, organizational, and economic.The students, in the form of the tables, described theneeds of the main user, i.e. architect-senior, as well asother users, including: medical personnel (physicians,psychologist, nurses, nurses’ aids), assistant person-nel (receptionists, cleaners, kitchen and laundry ser-vices, suppliers of services and merchandise), admin-istration, visitors (family, friends and acquaintances,volunteers, other inmates, clerics), proprietors, facil-ity managers, other visitors. The students attemptedto translate these needs into the architectural spaceof senior homes of the future. In their description,however, this space was approached in a traditional,modern way, without innovative ideas, i.e. ideaswhich could change the functionality of buildings andpeople in future. To entice creativity, in the next stepof Design Thinking (DT), brainstorming was used.

2.3. BrainstormingThis stage, on principle, should be devoted to free for-mulation of ideas, at first without any limitations andverifications (Fig. 2, 3). In the course of the brain-storming session, the expected innovative conceptsappeared, many of which were labeled as “system”:• intelligent system of the observation (monitoring)

seniors’ health condition,

• wardrobe with a laundry and ironing system andstylization depending on the weather,

• system of changing the interiors arrangementdepending on seniors’ mood,

• system of diminishing obstacles- doorsteps and fur-niture with motion sensors, self-closing cupboardsand drawers,

• computerized laundry, clearing and registrationsystems,

• electronic shopping system, in case of increasedconcentration of pollutants,

• system of shopping delivery by means of air tubes,• system of filtering air pollution in case of increased

concentration,• intelligent house system – control of mobile

devices, for example: remote turning on of the cof-fee machine or bath filling before returning home,

• system of catering plants and self-cultivating veg-etables in case of absence of inmates,

• system of automatic moving around the facility.The following technical amenities were proposed:• flat in the form of a capsule supplied by solar power

and extending from the building depending on sun-light,

• mini-power plants, trolleys generating energy,• cleaning robot,• massaging armchairs adjustable to spinal cord

defects,• intelligent, mobile furniture,• anoraks assisting movement,• runways for cars driving on magnetic tracks,• transportation – flying balloon,• absence of physical objects (wardrobes, toys) in

favor of the integration of technology with the sur-roundings, holographic images,

• novel food production – hydroponic farms,• motivating robot – voice system monitoring the

daily plan of activities and reminding about train-ing, work, getting up, and motivating to action,

• cash-card machine,• anti-intruder system – scanner of friends and rela-

tives to prevent the entrance of strangers.Likewise, a vision of medical services was provided:• robotic physicians or robots controlled by physi-

cians,• scanning of seniors for medical diagnosis (with or

without the participation of physicians),

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

1 /2016 A R C H I T E C T U R E C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G E N V I R O N M E N T 51

a


• absence of physicians in favor of SKYPE with hos-pitals.

The student also indicated the necessity of continu-ous education of seniors, to prevent them from tech-nological exclusion. Their opinions on the manners ofcommunication were very important, for example:• invisible technology will lead to its close connection

with the reality, disappearance of boundariesbetween the virtual and real world,

• people will spend more time together, but directcontacts will be rather virtual than real,

• communication – instead of telephones there will beholograms, conference rooms with interactive walls,

• technology will occupy less space, images will bereflected on eye retina.

In the course of discussions students also tried to cre-ate the vision of the world in 30-40, and 50 years’time. The majority of the opinions predicted thereturn of people to nature, but with the use of mod-ern technologies. Fears of the financial standing inthe future were also expressed (supported by ana-lyzes rendered by public opinions and the Press),therefore, ecological solutions were proposed, as theywould substantially reduce the cost of living of theelderly, or even generate possible incomes. Seniorswere imagined as working on ecological farms locat-ed around the facility, where they could cultivatehealthy food for themselves, as well as for sale.Unconventional energy sources will be commonlyexploited, which may be additional sources ofincome, because thanks to proper design of facilitiesequipped with photo-voltaic cells, seniors may gener-ate and sell surpluses of power. Ecological trends inthe design of care facilities for less affluent seniorsare already noticeable, for example [10]:• Armstrong Place Seniors’ Estate, San Francisco,

California, USA, designed by David Baker &Partners, 2011, which received the LEED GoldCertificate. The facility is equipped with photo-voltaic cells and the inhabitants are encouraged topro-ecological activities, for example: resigningfrom the use of private cars in favor of vehicles forrent. By reducing the number of cars, the parkinglot was used for shops and service outlets.

• Care Facility for Seniors in Zamora, Spain,designed by CSO Arquitectura, 2005 – environ-mentally friendly building, with a green roof,equipped with solar panels and windows arrangedin the way maximizing the utilization of sunlight.

It is possible that the above mentioned solutions willinspire the design of senior homes of the future.

After the stage of coming up with different ideas,they were verified in accordance with the main crite-rion which was innovativeness and possibility of pro-totyping.

2.4. PrototypingDue to time and technical limitations (availability ofequipment and materials), the students chose theprototyping methods that were feasible:• creation of the space of seniors’ rooms with the use

of the equipment from the Didactic Room andobjects that the students brought to the classes,and, in the next step, role-playing and recordingscenes, including the scenario of senior’s day, on


Figure 2.Brainstorming (leader: Magdalena Brzuska, team:Agnieszka Cielińska, Piotr Krawczyk, Wojciech Lesiak,Aleksandra Hojnacka, Marcin Domurad, Anna Kmieć,Sebastian Dziedzic, Paulina Majtyka)

Figure 3.Table with ideas proposed during the brainstorming session(leader: Magdalena Brzuska, team: Agnieszka Cielińska,Piotr Krawczyk, Wojciech Lesiak, Aleksandra Hojnacka,Marcin Domurad, Anna Kmieć, Sebastian Dziedzic, PaulinaMajtyka)


the students’ smart phones (Fig. 4),• collage method for the creation of inspiration

board (mood board) (Fig. 5),• gluing together the working models (mock-ups) of

architectural and urban planning solutions (Fig. 6).

3. Recapitulation and conclusionsOn the bases of the collected information, students’projects and discussions during the classes, guidelinesfor the design of senior homes of the future were for-mulated – in congruence with the concepts devised bythe students who participated in the classes. Themajority of the guidelines are not entirely innovativeand are still grounded in the present, but somehuman needs seem to be consistent, and it is only theway of their fulfilment that keeps changing, togetherwith the tools available at given times. Among theconstant, currently relevant guidelines, the followingshould be mentioned:Guidelines for the surroundings of senior homes:• Situation of the site in a safe and quiet place, in the

neighborhood of facilities that do not contribute toenvironmental nuisance (safe surroundings), in thevicinity of green areas; elimination of oppressivefactors at the site: isolation from busy streets andnoise sources; protection from excess sunlight;

• Accessibility and high quality of space, functionaland aesthetic site management, small architecture;

• Safety at the site and in the building, fencing of thesite and its monitoring, provision of maximal safetyat the parallel minimal isolation (control of the

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

1 /2016 A R C H I T E C T U R E C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G E N V I R O N M E N T 53

Figure 4.Prototyping – role-playing with “mobile furniture” (leader:Olga Wazowska, team: Karolina Sobierajska, MagdalenaWyszyńska, Olimpia Pilarz, Luiza Kubizna, Marzena Król,Paweł Kręciszek)

Figure 5.Prototyping – collage in the form of two mood boards; thefirst one referring to the innovations in the scale of the build-ing and its surroundings, the second one in the scale of a flatfor an architect – senior (authors – leader: MagdalenaBrzuska, team: Agnieszka Cielińska, Piotr Krawczyk,Wojciech Lesiak, Aleksandra Hojnacka, Marcin Domurad,Anna Kmieć, Sebastian Dziedzic, Paulina Majtyka)

Figure 6.Prototyping – preparation of mock-up models (authors –leader: Katarzyna Caban, team: Aleksandra Bochenek,Adrian Duda, Marta Drożdż, Urszula Kajkowska, MateuszŻyciński)

a


entrance to the building, automatic control andregistration of persons passing through theentrance), integration with other social groups – toavoid ghettos;

• The building and its surroundings must complywith the binding standards and building law provi-sions;

• Complete absence of architectural barriers andadjustments for the disabled.

The guidelines concerning the structure, technicalfurnishings and materials:• Economical and flexible structures (skeleton struc-

tures are preferable) that enable the introductionof changes in spatial arrangements, reconstruc-tions, adjustment of space to changing needs;

• Use of healthy, natural, non-toxic and safe materi-als, easy to maintain in the state of cleanness andrecyclable,

• Furnishing buildings with the installations that givethe opportunity of adjusting the micro-climate toindividual needs;

• Consistence of technical solutions with the bindingstandards and building law provisions.

The guidelines concerning the functions in the interi-ors:• Flexible spaces, easy to change in view of different

arrangements, designed and furnished ergonomi-cally;

• Number, type and size of room calculated on thebases of functional programs, in consideration ofthe needs of all users (including the disabledseniors);

• Support of maximally possible independence ofseniors.

The guidelines on architectural forms:• Breaking stereotypes, abandonment of “hospital-

like” architecture of care facilities;• Proposal of explicit, modern forms, meeting the

needs of more demanding seniors of the future;• Materials and color-line solutions enhancing posi-

tive mood (serenity, optimism), securing the senseof safety and good orientation in the building andits surroundings;

• People-friendly scale, coziness, intimacy – butmodernity rather than folksiness;

• Environmentally friendly image, green roof, greenwalls, integration with nature, absence of barriersbetween the building and its surroundings, contactwith nature thanks to glazed walls or facades;

• Possibility of spending time outside of the building:garden, terraces, balconies, usable green roof withplants;

• Arrangement of windows that maximizes the use ofsunlight and a view on the surroundings.

More innovative solutions proposed by the studentsinvolved:• Reduced number of service staff, use of more intel-

ligent systems (thus, fewer number of personnel,some groups of users may be accessible only virtu-ally, for example: physicians, which translates intothe quantity and furnishings of zones and rooms),innovative, modern ways of monitoring health,non-invasive monitoring methods, independent /remote notification of physicians, individual warn-ing systems, personalization of solutions (becausewe are important), dignified everyday life securedby technical amenities;

• Strong need of contact with nature and mainte-nance of physical activity, more sports, a park orgarden surrounding the building, presence ofdomestic and wild animals, possibility of cultivationwith the use of modern technologies (vertical farm-ing, hydroponics, aeroponics);

• Social integration: teams integrating the elderlywith young people, “seniors for youngsters, young-sters for seniors”);

• Economic self-sufficiency: renewable energysources integrated with architecture and the sur-roundings – energy self-sufficiency, farms – cultiva-tion of vegetables for seniors’ own needs and forsale (self-sufficiency in terms of food, ecology, con-tact with people, closeness to nature);

• Resigning from the use of private cars in favour ofvehicles for rent, bicycle traffic, parking lot forvehicles powered by renewable energy sources,bicycle shelters;

• Design consistent with the principles of certifica-tion (nowadays: LEED, BREAM).

According to the students, the built environmentdefined in the manner described above may consti-tute a “real home” for architects-seniors of thefuture. There is a strong probability that such envi-ronment may satisfy not only physical needs ofseniors in the future, but will also exert a positiveinfluence on their mental, emotional and spiritualcondition.It should be noted that the method of DT has beenuseful in stimulating collective creativity of students’teams. Especially brainstorming and prototyping



were interesting for students and resulted in newideas. It seems that this way of conducting classes isworthy of continuation.

REFERENCES[1] Bielak M.; Badania jakościowe nad środowiskiem

zamieszkania w domach opieki społecznej dla ludzistarszych. Wybrane przykłady. (Quality assessment ofliving environment in social housing for the elderlypeople. Selected examples). WydawnictwoPolitechniki Śląskiej, Gliwice, 2010 (in Polish) ISBN978-83-7335-654-2

[2] Bielak M.; Optymalne środowisko życia i zamieszka-nia w ośrodkach pobytu stałego dla osób starszych.(Optimal housing and living environment for seniorsin care facilities). Wydawnictwo Politechniki Śląskiej,Gliwice, 2011 (in Polish) ISBN 978-83-7335-829-4

[3] Brown T.; Zmiana przez design: Jak Design Thinkingzmienia organizacje i pobudza innowacyjność(Change by Design: How Design ThinkingTransforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation),Instytut Dziennikarstwa i Komunikacji Społecznej;Uniwersytet Wrocławski; Wydawnictwo Libron,Wrocław 2013 (in Polish) ISBN 978-83-64275-01-2

[4] Niezabitowska E.; Wybrane elementy FacilityManagement w architekturze, strategia projektowa-nia (Selected Elements of Facility Management inArchitecture – Strategy of Design), WydawnictwoPolitechniki Śląskiej, Gliwice 2004, (in Polish) ISBN83-7335-235-X

[5] Tymkiewicz J.; W drodze do innowacji, czyli DesignThinking w architekturze. Wnioski z eksperymentudydaktycznego (In the way to innovation – DesignThinking in architecture. Conclusions of teachingexperiment) [in]: Badania Interdyscyplinarnew Architekturze 1. BIWA 1. Monografia konferencyj-na. [Dokument elektroniczny]. T.3, Badania przed-projektowe i okołoprojektowe w kształtowaniuśrodowiska zbudowanego. Red. Beata Komar, JoannaBiedrońska, Anna Szewczenko. Gliwice: WydziałArchitektury Politechniki Śląskiej, Gliwice 2015, dyskoptyczny (CD-ROM) s. 180-189, (in Polish) ISBN978-83-936574-6-9; http://delibra.bg.polsl.pl/dlibra/publication?id=32753&tab=3

[6] http://natemat.pl/55617,generacja-z-mlodzi-otwarci-wychowani-w-dobrobycie-zyjacy-w-swiecie-wirtual-nym-skazani-na-kryzys

[7] http://natemat.pl/61189,ja-ja-ja-pokolenie-millenial-sow-nas-uratuje-czy -zniszczy -wielka-burza-w-internecie-po-tekscie-time-a

[8] http://natemat.pl/6547,nadchodzi-generacja-y -mlodzi-zdolni-i-nielojalni-pracodawcy-w-strachu-bo-nie-sa-gotowi-na-ich-przyjecie

[9] http://natemat.pl/44949,pokolenie-y -niszczy -sie-samo-coraz-wiecej-ludzi-cierpi-na-ichoroby

[10] http://www.bryla.pl/bryla/56,85298,10271080,Architektura_60_.html#TRrelSST

AR

CH

ITEC

TU

RE

a

1/2016 A R C H I T E C T U R E C I V I L E N G I N E E R I N G E N V I R O N M E N T 55

senior homes of the future in the eyes of students of ... - CORE

Documents

Transcript of senior homes of the future in the eyes of students of ... - CORE