Course syllabus
Course-PM
ACE520 Residential healthcare: Housing for seniors lp4 VT24 (15 hp)
Course is offered by the department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
Contact details
Examiner:
Morgan Andersson, adjunct and associate professor, PhD/TD, architect SAR/MSA, Architecture and Civil Engineering, 031-365 06 00, morgan.andersson@chalmers.se
Teachers:
Susanne Clase, architect SAR/MSA, White Architects, 031-60 86 61, susanne.clase@white.se
Jens Axelsson, architect SAR/MSA, White Architects, 031-309 56 01, jens.axelsson@white.se
Teacher, support and administration:
Ásgeir Sigurjónsson, +46(0)76 407 12 08, asgeir.sigurjonsson@chalmers.se
Course purpose
To practice the design of housing for elderly in a realistic planning context. This design project offers a combination of aspects of space for residential healthcare, housing, and work.
Students will work in teams to do a design project on a real problem and building site where housing for old people is planned. Either it is Senior housing, which means forms in between the ordinary housing and the specific housing-units for elderly, including services and space for common activities, or it is a building where healthcare is more in focus. The dialogue with external experts and with the client is vital.
Schedule
NOTE! For an updated schedule please see under files/schedule (or Course summary at the end of this page).
Course literature
Course literature
The course literature is presented as compulsory/recommended literature, which is presented below, and an extended literature list or further reading, presented in the attached file. Some pdf-files with excerpts are provided. Some of the references are in the form of manuals and are not intended for comprehensive reading, but for more encyclopedic use.
The literature is in English, along with some important references in Swedish. The students are also encouraged to seek other and new literature individually or in groups. The literature is available either in the Architecture Library; digitally through the digital library services (http://www.lib.chalmers.se/) or provided by an attached link. Some pdf-files with excerpts are provided in files/literature/references.
For the literature assignment, please choose one or more articles/books from the compulsory list. They can be combined with articles/books from the extended list.
NOTE! All digital files and links provided in this course is intended for this course only. Spreading, forwarding, or publishing is not allowed. Please, see files/READ ME! Information about copyright.
Compulsory / recommended literature
Laws, standards, guides, official publications and governing documents on different levels
Arbetsmiljöverket (2020). Workplace Design. AFS 2020:1. Stockholm: Arbetsmiljöverket. Regulates Swedish work-environment issues! AFS
Boverket (2020). National Board of Housing, Building and Planning, building regulations (Mandatory Provisions and General Recommendations). BBR 2011:6, updated 2020. Karlskrona: Boverket. Swedish building regulations! https://www.boverket.se/en/start/
SS 914 221:2006. Byggnadsutformning - Bostäder - Invändiga mått. Stockholm: SIS. Available through the Architecture Library. Swedish ISO-standards for building measurements!
Ageing and the consequences of ageing, dementia
Feddersen, E., & Lüdtke, I. (2014). Lost in Space: Architecture and Dementia. Basel: Birkhäuser. Influential book about design for dementia! Available as e-book through the digital library services.
Woodrow, P. (ed.) (2002). Ageing. Issues for Physical, Psychological & Social Health. London & Philadelphia: Whurr Publishers. Influential theoretical book about different aspects of ageing. Available through the Architecture Library.
Ageing and recidency, housing design and care for elderly
Anderzhon, J. W., Hughes, D., Judd, S., Kiyota, E. & Wijnties, M. (2012). Design for Aging. International Case Studies of Building and Program. New York: Wiley. Design suggestions! Available through the Architecture Library.
Durett, C. (2014). Senior Cohousing: A Community Approach to Independent Living. – The Handbook. London: Habitat Press. Available through the Architecture Library.
Feddersen, E. & Lüdtke, I. (2009). Living for the Elderly. A Design Manual. Design suggestions! London: Birkhauser. Available as e-book and at the Architecture Library.
IAHSA (2014). Architecture for an Ageing Population. Melborne AS: Images Publishing Group Pty Ltd. Design suggestions! Available through the Architecture Library.
Rodgers, P. A. (ed.). (2022). Design for People Living with Dementia. New York: Routledge. Available through the Architecture Library.
Schneider, T. & Till, J. (2007). Flexible Housing. Influential book relevant to this studio! London: Architectural Press. Available through the Architecture Library.
Welfare technology
Chen, F., et al. (eds.). (2020). Smart Assisted Living: Toward an Open Smart-Home Infrastructure. New York: Springer eBooks. Available as e-book.
Environmental cues, accessibility, and health
CABE Housing Learning and improvement Network (2009). Homes for our old age. Independent living by design. Bristol: CABE. link to publication
CVA (2021). EBD 2020 – Evidensbaserad Design Forskning som stöd för utformning av den fysiska vårdmiljön. Gothenburg: Chalmers. Only in Swedish but very useful links. link to publication
Erwine, B. (2017). Creating Sensory Spaces: The Architecture of the Invisible. New York: Routledge. Available through the Architecture Library.
Plummer, H. (2009). The Architecture of Natural Light. New York: Monacelli Press. Available through the Architecture Library.
Preiser, W. F. E. & Ostroff, E. (2011). Universal Design Handbook, second edition. New York: McGraw Hill. UD handbook
Rodiek S. & Schwartz, B. eds. (2005). The Role of the Outdoors in Residential Environments for Aging. New York: Haworth Press. Available through the Architecture Library.
Further reading
Please, see under files/literature a more extensive list of references.
Useful links in selection
https://www.krooktjader.se/projekt/bostader/kolla-parkstad
https://stenvalvet.se/projektutveckling/koncept/trygghetsboende/
https://www.abako.se/inflyttning-i-unikt-trygghetsboende/
https://www.attendo.se/aldreboende/jamforelse-av-boendeformer/#start
https://www.brunnbergoforshed.se/viskafors-aldreboende/
https://www.booli.se/bostadsrattsforening/80776
https://arkitekten.se/nyheter/de-har-satt-luppen-pa-den-samtida-bostadsproduktionen/
https://whitearkitekter.com/se/projekt/dromlagenheten-dream-home/
https://www.hsb.se/hsblivinglab/stayhere/
Klokboken för seniorbostäder. https://klokboken.nu/ (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Peder Lycke Centeret, Köpenhamn DK. PLC link (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
St Karins senior village in Åland FIN. st karin (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.
Course design
The course contains the following compulsory elements. More information in Assignments and Files.
- The Design Project, containing design-work in the teams and scheduled tutoring.
- Lectures and studio meetings.
- Scheduled self-studies/individual studies.
- Presentations.
- Literary assignments.
- Workshops, laborations, etc.
- Study visits.
Students deliver their assignments via Canvas. Communication from the teachers is via email and/or Canvas. Canvas is accessed via the Student Portal. More information about the assignments will be given in the course.
NOTE! To work in the Model Workshop on Ground Floor, you must first attend an instruction course, ca. 2 hrs. For information contact the examiner.
NOTE! Any compulsory activity that is missed by student shall be reported without delay to the examiner. This comprises missed deadlines, incomplete or missed tasks, and missed lectures, laborations/workshops, presentations, and study visits. Complementary assignments will be discussed separately in each case.
Course Organization
All compulsory course elements are described, and some explanatory descriptions are added here below.
The first weeks of the course include lectures, organized in themes. In parallel, local study visits and a longer study trip are made. This period also includes two workshops. In one of the workshops, the students produce an apartment/room. In the other they work with a model of the site.
There are also studio meetings in the course. The purpose is to summarize completed tasks, describe upcoming assignments and to give room for questions.
The following, and main, part of the course is the teamwork in the projects, with scheduled tutoring sessions. The schedule for the sessions are posted under Files/tutoring.
The progression of the student projects is monitored via the scheduled tutoring sessions and the mid-crits presentations. The mid-crit is located as early as possible in the course, to make changes possible in the projects.
In connection with the final crits and examination, the students present their projects for the client in a separate session.
The design project
The mid-crit and final presentations of the results are delivered on Canvas. All pages must include the number of the team, names of the students, and page number. All drawings must include scale and scale bars. If applicable, also north arrow. More information in Assignments.
The mid-crit delivery must include:
- Main concept and visions for the design Project.
- Site analysis.
- Site plan.
- Floor plans.
- Plans of the units.
- Apartment plans (furnished).
- Key sections.
- Conceptual ideas of the facades.
- Explanatory texts.
The final delivery must include:
- Site plan, clearly showing entrances, parking, walking-space, green areas and relationship to the neighborhood.
- Floor plans.
- Plans of the units (furnished).
- Apartment plans (furnished).
- Key sections.
- Facades.
- Interior and exterior visualizations.
- A3 digital booklet (pdf) maximum 20 pages. Plus one printed copy for the exhibition, see Exhibition and External presentations.
- One printed A1 poster portrait orientation for the exhibition.
Mandatory participation in the teamwork
NOTE! All teams must keep a digital diary for the teamwork. Every day with teamwork must be accounted for each student regarding presence and work assignment. The diary is an internal document in the team but must be delivered without delay to the examiner on request. A template is posted under files/schedule.
Any problems regarding the teamwork must be reported to the tutor for the respective team. This concerns problems that cannot be handled within the team and should be reported as soon as possible.
The application project
This Studio-project deals with the challenges of integrating elderly people in society and especially people with need of some assistance. The theme of this project is the senior housing for assisted living extra care - trygghetsboende. Or just Extra Care Housing. To do Design for All (Mace, 1985) is to design age friendly assisted living facilities and to empower our ageing population! It is about architecture for an ageing society. You will obtain skills in designing space for housing and care for elderly people, in a societal context. You will gain general knowledge about aging aspects, the aging society, and societal aspects in relation to building design and building context.
An important factor that gives special relevance to this project is the demographic development. The increasing ageing population puts demand on effective and up-to-date eldercare and housing solutions. This is a question of sustainability – to be able to give old persons a rich and good life is to build a society that is sustainable in both economic and social aspects. It is at the same time a question of flexibility and usability – our built environment will have to be used in several new ways in the future. You can contribute as an architect, by showing the possibilities in spaces and buildings!
Another factor is the spreading of contagious diseases. How does this affect how we plan for communal housing for elderly people? Do we have to reconsider the design of apartment sizes and common spaces? This studio provides opportunities for investigating housing design in relation to elderly people who are a risk group.
As an outcome of this, there is an increasing demand for more knowledge among architect companies, authorities, and academy. In turn, this presumably means large investments and more jobs within our discipline for the coming 10-20 years.
We will work with a site in Lerum, near Gothenburg. The site is selected because it presents appropriate conditions for the aim of the studio-project. The design task is described in detail under files/programme.
Relevant issues are:
- Connection to local community / co-location aspects / synergies / social resilience.
- Perspectives including building design and urban planning.
- From individual to group to community and the need for assistance.
- Ageing and its consequences, e.g., dementia and similar disorders.
You will handle a real context – a problem with societal relevance. The project will be carried out in cooperation with the “client”. You will have a dialogue with experts on different kinds of housing and care. Your project will have a chance to influence the client’s process. Today we consider persons 65 years or older to be seniors. The focus of the studio will be on the situation for elderly persons, housing, care and social context.
The study will have a focus on elderly persons with varying need of assistance. Some people in senior housing for assisted living will have dementia diseases. Others may be very active and interacting with society. The studio will also on the persons who are working in the facility and visitors.
Changes made since the last occasion
The course contains 15.0 ETC compared to 22.5 in 2022-2023.
The course is given in SP4, compared to SP1-2 in 2022-2023.
The course is now available only to master students in year one.
The theme for 2022-2023 was the dementia village.
Learning objectives and syllabus
The pedagogical idea is that students work in teams and thereby develop communication skills and ability to work with people of varying backgrounds. The Studio also contains lectures, workshops, literature studies and study-visits.
Each teams will do a design project on housing combined with some form of care for elderly, relating to a real problem and site. The dialogue with external stakeholders is vital and also the presentation to different external experts.
As this project-course is part of an academic education in the Master-program, the ability to utilize literature in English is essential. It is required to read the recommended literature and write a review or reflection, minimum four pages. The review must consist of a short summary plus reflections, based on your coming role as an architect, and referring to the subject of this course. More information in Assignments.
Learning objectives
Knowledge and understanding
- Demonstrate specialized knowledge in the sector of housing for seniors and on methodologies and processes related to design for an ageing society.
- Describe and refer to relevant research findings in the sector of housing for seniors.
Competence and skills
- Be able to design, develop and preserve the built environment from a holistic and an ageing perspective, dealing with complex contexts and regarding existing values and demands from different user’s perspectives, and in relation to sustainable development.
- Be able to fulfil a qualified project within architecture; independently and in a team, creative, and critically with adequate architectural methods and syntheses, targeting an ageing population.
- Be able to systematically apply knowledge and understanding of physical, technical and process principles in design, along with aspects of housing, care, and workplace.
- Demonstrate the capacity for teamwork and to collaborate and communicate with different stakeholders and colleagues, via presentations and oral descriptions, using the entire repertoire of architectural media and methods, to present the reasoning and work conclusions.
Judgement and approach
- Demonstrate the ability to adopt a holistic view in making judgements and appraisals informed by the relevant disciplinary, social, and ethical aspects and to integrate the needs of all user groups as a fundament for proposals of long-term sustainable architecture and high aesthetic quality.
Link to the syllabus on Studieportalen:
Examination form
Grading general
Grading: Failed (U), 3, 4 or 5. Note, that in the calculation of the grades, Failed equals 2.
All compulsory elements are described under Content, above. To obtain the grade passed, the compulsory elements are required, and all deliverables must be handed in. Absence from compulsory activities will be evaluated in each specific case, and additional assignments may be required.
To pass the course all deliverables must be handed in. Active participation at teamwork, critique sessions, lectures and other scheduled activities is required.
The final individual grade is based on the grades from the Project work and from the individual assignment. All students in a team will receive the same grading for their design project, if there are no extraordinary circumstances. Based on this grade, and the grades from the individual assignment, a final grade is calculated, see examples below.
Grading of the Project
- Vision and aim
Understanding, articulation, and response to the client’s vision and the project’s aims.
- Context and site
Quality of the site analysis, understanding of the context and its interpretation. To what degree the building interacts with and enriches the context.
- Concept
How the Project’s concept holistically synthesizes issues based on the projects vision, the context, and the sustainability goals (the client’s sustainability goals, and/or goals formulated within the Project).
- Design
How the Project analyzes and handles complex relationships based on program, circulation, and activities and fundamental architectural concepts like space, structure, light, tectonics, and massing. Special attention on the design of the units and apartments.
- Presentation
To what degree the formatting and articulation of the presentation (language, graphics, models, references, etc.) makes the project understandable and readable, and strengthen its main principles.
- Methods
To what degree the methods are relevant in the analyses and the design process and how they strengthen the execution of the Project.
Then, an assessment of each of the criteria 1-6, above, is made according to the following:
Failed U: The criterium is not met.
Grade 3: The criterium is met on an acceptable level.
Grade 4: The criterium is well met.
Grade 5: The criterium is very well met.
Assessment is made according to the following:
Failed (U): The project is clearly unviable. Significant parts of the requested material are missing in the project report and presentations.
Grade 3: The project is carried out at an acceptable level and is feasible. No parts are missing (additions can be discussed).
Grade 4: The project is well executed and well feasible. All parts of the project report and presentations are included and are well implemented.
Grade 5: The project is very well executed and very well feasible. All parts of the project report and presentations are included and are very well implemented.
Individual assignment grading
The individual assignment is a literature assignment. It is graded according to language, structure, and content.
- Language
Failed (2): The language is incoherent, and the text is difficult to understand.
Grade 3: The language has an acceptable level. Spelling errors and grammatical errors.
Grade 4: The language maintains a good level. Few errors.
Grade 5: The language maintains a very good level. Very few errors.
- Structure:
Failed (2): The structure counteracts the understanding of the text.
Grade 3: The structure is logical and understandable.
Grade 4: The structure supports the understanding of the text well.
Grade 5: The structure supports the understanding of the text very well.
- Content:
Failed (2): The content is not relevant to the task and / or not presented correctly.
Grade 3: The content is relevant to the task and presented in a correct way.
Grade 4: The content is relevant to the task and well presented.
Grade 5: The content is very relevant to the task and very well presented.
The final grading
Each student receives an individual grade, based on the mean value from the grading procedure described above. The value from the individual assignment will be calibrated so that the value from the Project is rated higher. The difference between the grading from the project work and the individual assignment can either raise or lower the final grade. Each tenth (0.10) difference will mean ± 0.05 on the final grade for the individual student.
Examples
Student 1:
Result from the project work: 4.35
Result from the individual assignment: 4.83
Difference: +0.48, which means +0.05 x 4 = 4.55
Final grade: 5
Student 2:
Result from the project work: 3.64
Result from the individual assignment: 3.17
Difference: -0.47, which means -0.05 x 4 = 3.44
Final grade: 3
Common workspace - shared file area
Instructions for connecting to the shared work folder:
For Windows, follow these instructions and write ace520 instead of <name of group file area>:
For Mac follow these instructions and replace the text "gruppfilutrymme" with ace520:
Course summary:
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