The day of the jury had arrived! On November 6th, all nine groups of the Bachelor Interior & Service Design and the Postgraduate Space & Service Design had to present their project to some of the elderly care centre De Lisdodde’s staff and residentsThe project was an answer to the question:
“How can the outdoor spaces in and around ‘De Lisdodde’ be used as a catalyst for healthy lifestyle, well-being and unite people?”.
At 8 o’clock it was all hands on deck for the students. All the groups exhibited their posters and models. At 8h30 the jury members arrived and visited the exhibition. The first goal had to be achieved: can we convince the stakeholders, non-designers, with our posters? The oral presentations started half an hour later. Everyone was given 10 minutes to present their project. Each presentation was followed by a short round of questions and feedback. At 12h15 the last group had finished and the members of the jury could retreat to deliberate. You can learn more about some of the outcomes below!
‘Company Garden’ by Jelke Maes, Ying Liu (China), Lotte Van Giel, Béatrice Guillaume
We have created a warm, inviting place where residents can be together and enjoy the outdoors. A place that invites residents and visitors to do something together, to sit together and enjoy the view. There are various activities possible so that there’s something to do for everyone. There’s a place for gardening, petanque and a place to sit down quietly. You can take a walk through the garden and discover the different activities. To provide shade and protection, a structure of metal and coloured glass has been used. The coloured glass makes everything more colourful and thus creates a cosy place where you can be together with the family.
‘MobIlse’ by Esther Broeksteeg, Kaat Broeckx, Pauline Verbeke
MobIsle is a space and service design concept that complements the current physiotherapy facilities at The Lisdodde. The residential care centre already offers expert staff and some equipment to do physio. For the time being, however, the residents cannot really exercise on their own. MobIsle wants to make this possible by also providing equipment in the courtyard garden, that’s next to the physio-room. But they are not just pieces of fitness equipment. The concept combines natural elements with fun, accessible exercises for all residents. More specifically, four islands can be found in the outdoor space: ‘Balance’, ‘Mobility’, ‘Strength’ and ‘Cooldown’. So the residents can train different physical aspects on every island. Balance, mobility and strength are very important factors in fall prevention and for general fitness of elderly people. So when the residents will practice these skills on a regular basis, this will only have a positive impact on their lives.
‘Appleday’ by Sonja Huybrechts, Jimena Pasella (Spain), Louise Feyen
This space & service design solution aims at working with stimulation of senses and movement. We would like to involve the neighbourhood in this challenge, by for example organizing a yearly apple harvest which ends with the making and selling of apple juice. The front yard would become an apple orchard, with a pavilion that can be either way used as a resting place or a local market. Besides the goal of bringing more people into the garden, we aim to create and intergenerational communication platform that stimulates the interaction between the Lisdodde and their neighbourhood.
‘Spread your wings’ by Cato Van Liefferinge, Marieke Evans (Scotland), Menyan Gou (China)
The metaphor of a butterfly is the binding concept to the three zones in the space & service design. They represent beauty, playfulness and energy. As Butterfly dementia care said, “people admire butterflies for flitting – and they also want to be admired, for being who they are.” We believe that this is significant for all residents in the care home. It’s a wonder how something so small can be so precious. The philosophy of ‘Spread your wings’ is that a design can be a treasure to a thriving community. The form flows in an ‘S’ curve, taken from the analysis of a butterfly’s growth, which can be seen from the first and second floor. Its dynamics is an abstraction from the skyline of their wings, represented by the yellow line which is visible from the ground floor.
The nine proposals will be considered by the board of the elderly care centre “De Lisdodde” (Zorgbedrijd Rivierenland) with the final aim to execute one or more concepts in the near future. Earlier stages of the design process can be found here.
This blogpost is written by students Emma Verhas and Pauline Verbeke.
If you are interested in learning more about the Postgraduate Space & Service Design, click here: https://ideamechelen.be/opleidingen/post-graduate-space-service-design/