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“A Society of Rooms” - Communal Home for the Elderly

Part 1 Project 2010
Gemma Gillespie
Queen's University Belfast | UK
The brief presented us with the challenge of designing a home for the elderly. It discouraged us from creating a medical facility, rather producing a ‘society of rooms’ for the use of the residents. The site, Sandy Row in Belfast, acted as a break in what has been established as a popular shopping street which serves much of west Belfast. My design provides a building that serves the elderly while reconnecting the street, linking these two sets of residents through particular arrangement of the brief.

The thesis specified a non-medical facility, as well as the need to link the two communities, therefore ground floor is of paramount importance. The doctor’s and matron’s offices, although predominantly for the elderly, are also used by the residents of Sandy Row. This will steer emphasis away from the health of the elderly, who occupy the upper floors, while providing them with a sense of belonging as they are essentially using a public service.
Restored shopping units facing onto Sandy Row will support the medical offices. Both the elderly and existing community can benefit from the restorations. Above the units are eight independent apartments. The vertical circulation to these doubles as another entrance to the ground floor and public garden, while acting as a threshold to the main block on elevation.

The continuation of the external fabric into the ground floor indicates the continuation of the community, however change in floor materials as one moves up through the building gives the residents a sense of ownership. Differing floor materials, and particular methods of sound absorption, are used throughout the communal floor to create a ‘society of rooms’. Creating a spatial sequence within the building by the manipulation of acoustics.
Softer acoustics are used in the private upper floors i.e. the residential rooms. The more comfortable the acoustics, the more private the space.

The block therefore consists of three main areas. Each is distinguished by the acoustics inside while being linked externally, from a distance. Subtle changes in the texture of the brickwork, through changing pointing and bonds, differentiate between the three areas.

Gemma Gillespie


Tutor Statement

The brief set for the group was complex both in its programme, and demanding in its context. A home for the elderly, typically low in density was coupled with a tight urban site with multiple contextual aspects.

Layered upon this, Kahn’s notion of approaching buildings as a ‘society of rooms’ was suggested as a guiding ethos for the development of a communal home for the elderly. Fundamental themes of place-making, thresholds and material exploration were required to be developed with a particular focus on the quality of the internal spaces.

The aim was to develop beauty and meaning out of a seemingly banal programme and a difficult site. If the students could do this, they could learn to see beauty in any project.

Gemma Gillespie’s project was stand-out in the group. Of particular note is the consistent high-level of thought and output throughout the process and on all fronts of the significant architectural challenge.

A sensitivity to the experiential and atmospheric qualities of materials guided her appropriately subtle response to the brief. Following this an impressive study through models and photographs of the desired qualities of interior light and space was conducted.
The arrangement and deployment of programme within the building and in relation to the wider context was deft and displayed valuable lessons learned from the urban design project in the previous semester. Finally, the construction of the building’s main aspects was fully considered and developed.

The above mentioned consistency and assuredness was always combined with a level of exploration, experiment and energy. The multi-faceted skills that are displayed in Gemma’s project are notable at Part 1, but requisite for the development of an excellent architect.


Cian Deegan MRIAI
TAKA Architects

Tutor(s)
2010
Reconnecting the street: a major issue that had to be addressed on site. Reacting to existing blocks such as the community centre would be integral to the success of the project.
"People like the sound of their own footsteps". The manipulation of sound through the change of floor material works towards creating a spatial sequence within the building.
Atmosphere through acoustics. Further manipulation of acoustics works with the change in floor material from room to room. The use of different methods of sound absorption creates the desired atmosphere within a room, depending on the heirarchy of privacy
Construction of the home for the elderly is dictated my extremely thick load bearing concrete and brick walls. This helped create a solid look to the building, creating voids in 700mm thick walls made for very interesting elevations. The south facing side
Reconnecting Sandy Row: For being such a busy shopping street which serves much of west Belfast, the site provides an uncomfortably large and damaging disconnection as one travels towards the city centre. I have addressed this by creating shops that will
The ground floor plan represents a public space, which is open to the elements during the day time. The entrance to a public south facing garden doubles up as access to first floor apartments situated above ground floor shopping units facing directly onto
Continuation of the external fabric of the city into the ground floor of my design creates an external feeling within the main foyer space, relating to the manipulation of sound. This creates a physical connection with the existing community. The change o
Connection to the community: The priority of the brief was to create a communal centre for the elderly, taking care not to create a medical facility. Therefore I located the medical components of the brief at ground floor level. These will also work to se
The communal floor plays with the two geometries that existed on the site, creating different spaces as one moves through the rooms on the floor. The structure of the two terrace blocks which run up to the main building will provide the support needed for
Connections with privacy: It is extremely easy to create connections with the surrounding context by providing visual links through large glazed openings. I wanted to create these links through the use of light as such openings may invade the privacy of t
The four residential floors differ as one moves up the building. I have been sensitive to the surrounding context with the bottom two floors providing views over the low rise residential buildings to the west of the site. In contrast, the two upper floors
The main building consists of three main areas: public, communal and residential. It was important to tie the three sections together so that they appear as one. However, through the use brick I have subtly distinguished between the three areas, with diff
As the main block stands 22 metres above street level, much care was taken to ensure the block was treated without ignorance towards the street. The elevation has to work, and with a 6 metre building separating the block from exiting 9 metre high housing,
Eventhough the foyer is a public space which works to create a connection between the residents of the block and the general public, care must be taken to ensure that the elderly don't feel that their privacy has been breached. Therefore I have carefully
A society of rooms has been created through my use of sound absorption methods and change of floor materials. This creates a very interesting spatial sequence within the block, as the atmosphere in each space is manipulated by the acoustics created in the
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