Topic: Care home provision Type: Essay Subject: Architecture

Academic Level: Masters Style: CU Harvard Language: English (U.S)

Number of Pages: 3 (double-spaced, Times New Roman, Font 12)

Number of sources: 3

Completed by: https://writersperhour.com

Task Details I have been looking at Care home provision, Contemporary care home architecture for elderly. so please research case study. 1. Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens in Steinfeld, Austria - Dietger Wissounig (550words)1) Introduction-site, context (100 words) 2) Purpose built Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens (100 words) 3) Construction, materials and structure (100 words) 4) Management, practice and law (100 words) 5) Environment and sustainable design (100 words) 6) Services(50-100 words) 2. Social Housing, Mullhouse, France – Lacatan and Vassal (550words) The relationship between units/flats within the scheme, look at privacy, communal space, thresholds. You should also research context and site, user and tenure, and materials and internal finishes. 1) Introduction-site, context (100 words) 2) Construction, materials and structure + (internal finishes). (200 words) 3) Management, practice and law (100 words) 4) Environment and sustainable design (100 words) 5) Services(50-100 words)

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Social Housing, Mulhouse, France – Lacatan and Vassal

Introduction

One of Vassal’s responses in an interview; “Each flat has become a villa…” is what the

architects at the Lacatan and Vassal building company achieved with the Mulhouse project. The

architects; Anne Lacatan and Jean-Philippe Vassal company has vast experience in building

industry dealing with all kinds of buildings, ranging from commercial buildings, educational

complexes, cultural as well as residential buildings through making wise re-use of the existing

building while minimizing new building costs through intelligent and innovative designs. At

Lacatan and Vassal, the architects believe that 90% of any building project requirements are

readily already available at the site. Their design approach was hence centred on alterations and

re-modelling as opposed to demolition of houses proposed by the local authorities (Lacaton &

Vassal 1999).

Construction, materials and structure

The Mulhouse project was not an easy task. The existing apartments had to as minimum

as 150 square meters. Basically, not everything got extended, but instead, the architects

introduced more spaces where they found necessary. The living room measures approximately 20

square meters. An idea of what a villa is more like. The second challenge was on how to save

energy. This challenge was effectively overcome by including a secondary-envelope, which is

basically some volume in the house to enable a temperate climate between the outside and the

interior space and that saves you a lot of energy (Lacaton & Vassal 1999). In total, 14 apartments

were constructed with each between 150 to 180 sq. meters while the living rooms are between 45

to 60 sq. meters with an opening to the winter garden. A platform of concrete and fabricated

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elements was used to build columns and slab. The living room detail comprised the three layers

of greenhouses. The facades were 90 % glass. It acted as sun filter and offers protection from

industrial elements. When it came to bedrooms, they are standard in size and on a different floor.

This was really efficient and it worked out (Jeska 2007).

Environment and sustainable design

Lacatan and Vassalis not average architects. As shown in the above in this work, the

architects were able to establish three layers of greenhouse in the living room. This ensured that

the living room temperatures were between 9 to 20 degrees due to the ventilation they provide.

In addition, they acted as a deterrent to direct solar heat. This strongly ensured that the living

room was comfortable. The most important thing with Mulhouse project was the sustainability

aspect and the efficiency that came along. There is no need to use extra power to light up the

room or controlling the temperature. It’s just natural (Lacaton & Vassal 1999).

Management Practice and Law

Lacatan and Vassal employ building standards applicable in France, whereby a family

need to live in a room of about 70 to 80 square meters in a very narrow apartment with

directional rooms. Their work ethics; management, practice and law did not allow for resident

displacement. Rather, their gradual re-modelling and phasing out work ethics and approach

boosts the advantage of not breaking down the ‘social bonds” by not displacing and scattering

the already established residence in the name of refurbishment . 1

Architects must in the first place “think and decide” whether it is most appropriate to build or not1

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Services

Lacatan and Vassal see their role as extending beyond buildings. For that reason, they are

involved in consultancy. Through their consultancy services, Lacatan and Vassal creatively

engage the legal and regulatory authorities in each project come up with the best building with

minimum social displacement in these harsh times of diminished building spaces. They have

famously set their “own standards” by managing to stretch budgets and create spaces, that

conforms with some aesthetic standards while they remain sustainable (Jeska 2007).

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Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens in Steinfeld, Austria - Dietger Wissounig

Introduction

The Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens is located on the western edge of

Steinfeld. This is a small community Austria - Dietger Wissounig. Its buildings respond to the

surroundings in various ways. First of all, the Nursing Home service areas have created a buffer

which Austria -Dietger Wissounig laid out in an east-westerly direction where; service areas

separate off the Austria’s federal highway north side. The accommodation and recreational

sections of the Nursing Home also enjoy the expansive view to the green landscapes. A view

from the outside of the compact Nursing Home portrays a cool and prudent appearance.

Additionally, you will not fail to realize the massiveness, rigidity, and the total uniformity in the

model. Almost monumental, the Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens from inside

visual links and the mere system of routes does facilitate its preference (Nursing Home and

Centre for Senior Citizens in Steinfeld 2009).

Purpose built nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens

Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens are designed to care for the senior or

elderly citizens of Austria. This facility provides homelike based care by stuff. In addition to that,

the Nursing Home provides care for abused persons, people with unstable housing and also

people in crisis. At Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens, nurses have the responsibility

of providing professional services such as crisis intervention, support for victims of abuse or to

destitute, advocacy as well as referrals to people who are in dire needs. This is considered

important to elderly and senior citizens in Austria.

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Management, practice and law

Following the development of Passive House standards, windows should comprise an

area approximated at 25% of usable room space. The use of un-partitioned windows with fixed

glazing elements is highly encouraged. These standards also call for installation of balconies and

private parts as well as exterior spaces.

The rooms should be well ventilated. Indoor humidity is modified using indoor plants.

Lastly but not least, the vegetation on rooftops acts as an insulator. This reduces heat in summer,

rain water retention, absorbs pollutants and dust not to mention the insular biotope of higher

ecological value. Such practices ensure that the building safe and viable to the environment.

Construction, materials and structure

The Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens in Steinfeld is a mixed construction.

Concrete is normally used for floor and slabs. There are provisions of some flat roof façade.

Balconies are a must for residents as they enjoy their expansive landscape and exterior spaces

that leads to the parking lot. In most cases, a blend of natural and exotic wood is used. Within

this facade, solar collectors are incorporated. And for that reason the Nursing Home is considered

green and eco-friendly having met the Passive House standards.

Environment and sustainable design

The design and approach toward the Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens in

Steinfeld is absolutely sustainable and eco-friendly too. The use of solar system provides the

residents with clean energy. In addition the Passive House standards allow for a high value

biotope which have numerous advantages as discussed. In addition, your room remains cool and

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comfortable as you could wish due the vegetation cover at the rooftop. Furthermore the

possibility of surface runoff is curtailed hence no environmental degradation can occur.

Vegetation cover on rooftop also cleanses the air we breathe while leaving the room humid (Loh,

Dawood & Dean 2009).

Services

The introduction of a Façade integrated solar panels has opened up a new solar industry

globally if the Passive house is too adopted widely. This will at once provide employment

opportunities to the societies involved. In addition to that, solar energy is absolutely free. No one

would charge you a dime for integrating your solar panel into your facade.

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References

Austrian Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT): Retrieved January 11th

2015 from http://www.bmvit.gv.at

Jeska, S. (2007). Transparent plastics: design and technology. Walter de Gruyter.

Lacaton A., & Vassal P. 1999. "It'll be nice tomorrow - The beauty of the obvious," Archilab.

Retrieved January 11th 2015, from www.archilab.org/public/1999/artistes/laca01en.htm

Loh, E., Dawood, N., & Dean, J. (2009). Development of RIBA sub-process to assist reduction

of building life cycle impact: Integration of RIBA workstage with EU EIA Legislation

and ISO14040, paper proceeding for Building Simulation 2009, 27th-30th

July. University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK.

Nursing Home and Centre for Senior Citizens in Steinfeld. (2009). Retrieved January 11th 2015,

from www.0300tv.com/2009/05/jean-philippe-vassal-lacaton-vassal-feb-2009-part-2/

Study “green LIGHT: light, fresh air, exterior space, greening in the large volume PassivHaus”.

Retrieved 11th 2015, from http://www.hausderzukunft.at/hdz_pdf/

endbericht_gruenes_licht_id3606.pdf

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