Memory Decline Medical Centre – Fifth Year – Individual work
The goal was to create a center with a mixed programming for patients suffering from memory decline. The parcel is located in Pori, a small city in Finland. The neighborhood is mostly residential with family housing, quiet and small scale. There is public transportation and a park nearby. The big asset of the plot is the big green area in the center. I decided to focus on a few points to drive the project: I wanted it to be human scale, with familiar aesthetic, different levels of intimacy, a variety of spaces, visual cues and forms, and a great attention to the outdoor area. The challenge was to integrate all the necessary memory friendly features we learned about during the course (importance of outdoor, intimacy feeling, non slippery floors, etc.).
Programme :
HOUSING: 24/7 care units; supported housing units; shared apartment (memory loss patients and students); single studio; rooms for visitors.
CARE SERVICES: resting rooms; kitchen; lockers; washrooms, showers, changing area; offices and administration; material storage area.
HEALTHCARE: outpatient services; therapeutic care; therapeutic garden/sensor rooms; foot-care; gym/ physical therapy; clinic counseling; exam rooms.
COMMERCIAL: café/restaurant; hairdresser; manicure/pedicure/aesthetician.
COMMON SPACES: multipurpose room (dining, activities etc.); refectory; living room and kitchen with mailboxes; living room and kitchen with mailboxes; library; sauna; parking.
EXTERIOR SPACES: community garden; animals : dogs, pigs, cats, chickens, rabbits; sensory garden; meditative space; meeting/bbq/fireplace.
APPARTMENTS: shared (4 rooms): 9 (36 rooms); single : 10 (10 rooms); 24/7 guest rooms : 2 (8rooms); supported housing : 1 (4 rooms) = 22 apartments (58 rooms) 2386m².
Prelimenary studies:
The first step was to study the neighborhood and the surrounding house typologies, for which I mainly made sketches. I then decided to reuse this regional architectural vocabulary in my project. Through the use of materials, windows, pitched roofs, and a variety of heights and sizes, I made sure that the project would fit into the surrounding neighborhood, so that it would stand out nicely without disturbing the visual harmony of the area.