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Alzheimer's Village
Alzheimer's Village
France
Project Featured on Dec 15, 2023
Project of the Day on Dec 15, 2023
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Other Projects by NORD Architects
Alzheimer's Village
France
Project Featured on Dec 15, 2023
Project of the Day on Dec 15, 2023
Firm
STATUS
Built
YEAR
2021
SIZE
100,000 sqft - 300,000 sqft
Well-being and inclusion are paramount in NORD Architects’ visionary design for France’s first care home for people with dementia.
The number of people with dementia is on the rise in both Denmark and Europe. We are facing a welfare challenge that is going to develop, as the global number of elderly people increases. This will add great pressure on the entire health care sector, in terms of capacity, physical environment, treatment and care. So how do we rise to the challenge and create built environments to accommodate the significant trends we are currently witnessing, while providing space for efficient, soothing, healing treatment?
NORD Architects have designed several dementia villages, including the Alzheimer’s Village in Dax, which is the first care home in France for people with dementia. The architects have taken into account the individual residents, the health care staff, and the local culture and nature, so everyone, from relatives to researchers, will experience people – including those with dementia – living in an environment that prioritizes dignified aging.
Recognizability creates continuity and a sense of belonging
Alzheimer’s Village in Dax is designed to create an environment, in which residents, relatives and health care professionals all get a feeling of well-being, which is also a major prerequisite for providing qualified nursing and care. There is currently no medical cure for dementia, but research indicates that several elements in the environment can have a positive effect on symptoms.
Being able to recognise one’s surroundings is essential for leading a meaningful life in an environment that’s seems like a natural continuation of the former home and neighborhood – free from alienating or obstructive elements. Alzheimer’s Village has integrated familiar functions within the centre – a grocer’s, a hairdresser’s, a restaurant and a market square – reminiscent of the residents’ previous lives in their neighbourhoods. This helps provide a sense of a relatively normal, recognisable day-to-day life. The design was inspired by the local architectural style and tradition and is adapted to the site, featuring recognisable architecture to make residents feel at home and give them a natural sense of belonging.
Morten Gregersen, architect and partner of NORD Architects, describes the need for recognisability in everyday life and architecture, as follows: “For people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it is crucial that the environment is recognisable. It mustn’t feel challenging or disturb their cognitive abilities. That’s why this architecture also has an explicitly local feel, featuring elements from the local building style. The built environment provides a kind of cultural extension that alleviates the transition from living at home to living with a severe mental illness in an Alzheimer’s centre.”
Social interactions provide a meaningful and active life
The functions such as hairdresser’s, market square and restaurant are also open to the neighbouring community, so the residents of Alzheimer’s Village can enjoy contact with the locals. The everyday connections, across generations, institutions, and the town, are essential when it comes to integrating the Alzheimer’s Village into the local environment and enhancing the sense of continuity and cohesion across different life patterns.
The architecture of Alzheimer’s Village caters for the needs of both communities and individuals, providing each resident with options that are reassuring and diverse. Social interactions with other people is often stimulating for the elderly and people with dementia, but being able to choose the time and content of the social activities are essential to ensure a positive experience.
Nature provides recreational spaces
The complex is integrated in nature, transforming the existing landscape with its characteristic ancient pine trees to a recreational space, where residents can relax or go for a walk within the area. A path runs through the landscape, drawing its own loop, so none of the residents will experience dead ends or get lost along the way.
Nature is also in close proximity to the residential units with site-specific grasses, climbing plants and fragrant flowers, which have a stimulating effect and add to the recreational spaces. Espaliers shield and divide the outdoor spaces, giving them a private garden feel, in contrast to the wilder nature near the lake. The complex is grouped into four clusters, each housing around 30 residents who live in smaller ‘families’ with all the necessary facilities and outdoor spaces. Meanwhile, the restaurant, hairdresser’s and research facilities are located together near the main square.
The number of people with dementia is on the rise in both Denmark and Europe. We are facing a welfare challenge that is going to develop, as the global number of elderly people increases. This will add great pressure on the entire health care sector, in terms of capacity, physical environment, treatment and care. So how do we rise to the challenge and create built environments to accommodate the significant trends we are currently witnessing, while providing space for efficient, soothing, healing treatment?
NORD Architects have designed several dementia villages, including the Alzheimer’s Village in Dax, which is the first care home in France for people with dementia. The architects have taken into account the individual residents, the health care staff, and the local culture and nature, so everyone, from relatives to researchers, will experience people – including those with dementia – living in an environment that prioritizes dignified aging.
Recognizability creates continuity and a sense of belonging
Alzheimer’s Village in Dax is designed to create an environment, in which residents, relatives and health care professionals all get a feeling of well-being, which is also a major prerequisite for providing qualified nursing and care. There is currently no medical cure for dementia, but research indicates that several elements in the environment can have a positive effect on symptoms.
Being able to recognise one’s surroundings is essential for leading a meaningful life in an environment that’s seems like a natural continuation of the former home and neighborhood – free from alienating or obstructive elements. Alzheimer’s Village has integrated familiar functions within the centre – a grocer’s, a hairdresser’s, a restaurant and a market square – reminiscent of the residents’ previous lives in their neighbourhoods. This helps provide a sense of a relatively normal, recognisable day-to-day life. The design was inspired by the local architectural style and tradition and is adapted to the site, featuring recognisable architecture to make residents feel at home and give them a natural sense of belonging.
Morten Gregersen, architect and partner of NORD Architects, describes the need for recognisability in everyday life and architecture, as follows: “For people with Alzheimer’s or dementia, it is crucial that the environment is recognisable. It mustn’t feel challenging or disturb their cognitive abilities. That’s why this architecture also has an explicitly local feel, featuring elements from the local building style. The built environment provides a kind of cultural extension that alleviates the transition from living at home to living with a severe mental illness in an Alzheimer’s centre.”
Social interactions provide a meaningful and active life
The functions such as hairdresser’s, market square and restaurant are also open to the neighbouring community, so the residents of Alzheimer’s Village can enjoy contact with the locals. The everyday connections, across generations, institutions, and the town, are essential when it comes to integrating the Alzheimer’s Village into the local environment and enhancing the sense of continuity and cohesion across different life patterns.
The architecture of Alzheimer’s Village caters for the needs of both communities and individuals, providing each resident with options that are reassuring and diverse. Social interactions with other people is often stimulating for the elderly and people with dementia, but being able to choose the time and content of the social activities are essential to ensure a positive experience.
Nature provides recreational spaces
The complex is integrated in nature, transforming the existing landscape with its characteristic ancient pine trees to a recreational space, where residents can relax or go for a walk within the area. A path runs through the landscape, drawing its own loop, so none of the residents will experience dead ends or get lost along the way.
Nature is also in close proximity to the residential units with site-specific grasses, climbing plants and fragrant flowers, which have a stimulating effect and add to the recreational spaces. Espaliers shield and divide the outdoor spaces, giving them a private garden feel, in contrast to the wilder nature near the lake. The complex is grouped into four clusters, each housing around 30 residents who live in smaller ‘families’ with all the necessary facilities and outdoor spaces. Meanwhile, the restaurant, hairdresser’s and research facilities are located together near the main square.
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