Architectural
Solution
Social
Welfare Architectural Strategy/Principles
Firstly,
the location of a centre have to be far away from the city area so that it is
free from sound and air pollution which will definitely affect the quality of
life of the people living in the centre. It is better if the site is close to
the nature as this will ensure the health of the people. In addition, the
elderly can rest their mind and body in such a quiet and peaceful home. On the
other hand, children which are still undergoing the growth stage are curious about
new things, living in nature encourages them to explore and get in touch with
different species of plants in order to stimulate their learning desire.
Greenery is a very important aspect for social welfare centre because this not
only helps the people physically in terms of the quality of air, also improve
in terms of psychologically as people will be more energetic and improve their
mood when living close to the nature. However, if the space given is
insufficient to design an outdoor public area with greenery, it is crucial to
have at least one balcony which is the open-air area for the elderly to feel
the natural environment rather than staying in an indoor space for 24 hours.
Secondly,
the space planning of the home need to be proper to suit the users. It is
compulsory to have both the public and private areas in a home to provide space
for interaction and communication as well as privacy and freedom for the
people. For example, private bedrooms or meditation room are needed for the
elderly as they usually prefer a quite atmosphere. It is miserable to have a
public bedrooms with more than 10 people sleeping together. Moreover, some of
them even being forced to carry out all the daily activities in the specific
area which including sleeping, eating, resting etc which is a very cruel treat
to them. Therefore, the number of people living in a bedroom have to be set to
a maximum number of 2 for the elderly and 4 for the children. This is to ensure
they have a sense of belonging staying together in a cozy atmosphere rather
than feeling like staying in a prison with cool environment. Nevertheless, if
there is not much space provided to have so many separated rooms in a home, it
can be replaced by placing partitions in between the beds so that they still
have their own private area to carry out any activities within their own
personal region. This is important as this is their basic human right.
As
an architect or a designer, it is our task to make their life easier so that
they can carry out any activities with no worries or trouble. So, the
circulation and layout of the home must be convenient for everyone to access
and exit including the staffs and the visitors. The dimension of doors and
walkway need to be follow the human ergonomics in the old folks home as they
need to mobile via wheelchair. Alternatively, the circulation in orphanage have
to be straight forward to ensure safety as children like to run and jump
around. Children need a large space to express themselves, so it is important
to provide a spacious public area such as the play area for them to interact
with each other. As for the staff, it is vital to design a simple and proper
layout for them to reach the elderly or the orphans quickly in case of any
emergency or accident happens in the home. In addition, it is easier for the
staff to direct the visitors from the reception area to the rest of the areas
in the home. Lastly, the fire escape is another main aspect to be considered in
any building including the social welfare centre.
The
next fundamental requirement in a social welfare centre is the well-maintained
of the facilities. They can be old and small but they have to be sufficient
enough to provide service to the people living in the home. This is a basic
necessity.
Maintenance
of a home is very important especially the cleanliness. This is to endure the
quality of life of the people. A clean environment can affect both the mood and
behavior of the people living there as well as the productivity of the staffs
who works in the centre. Furthermore, the main structure of the house need to
be well maintained for safety purpose, namely the roof, piping system, lighting
etc. This is a basic requirement of any building. The staffs have to be helpful
and friendly because they are the closest people to the people living in a home
and they are the one who spend the most time together with them. They have a
big responsibility to give them care, love, respect and compassion.
Design
for the people but not just for the sake of design. Designers need to put the users
as their main aspect followed by function of the building and aesthetic value
of their design. This includes the furniture, interior, exterior and the
landscape design of a building. The interior design of an old folks home have
to be design accordingly to the elderly daily living lifestyle and their
habits. For instance, a low cabinet to put spectacles beside the toilets is for
the convenience of the elderly so that they can easily find their spectacles
after taking bath or brushing their teeth. Designers need to understand the
sequence of the activities or the storyline of the users before they go into
design.
Next,
the facade design or the outlook of a centre need to be well designed as well
so that it is visible to the public. This is to raise the awareness and to give
a good first impression to the society.
