Think about the last time you visited a retirement home. Pretty grim, right? What should be one of the best-designed places a person will ever live usually betrays just the barest functionality--more akin to a prison or a public-school than anything else. Compare that to the new Santa Rita Geriatric Center in Spain, designed by Manuel Ocaña, which is intended to make leisure time as convenient as possible. As a result, it banishes the byzantine corridors and darkened rec-rooms that you'll find elsewhere.
The individual rooms are laid out around a courtyard garden. Thus, every resident has privacy as well as a door that opens onto what amounts to an outdoor lobby. Moreover, each room has a direct route to each of the common areas, which are also arrayed around the courtyard's perimeter. The openness and ease of the plan basically acts as its own map: To grasp the building's programs and activities, each resident merely has to look out the window. In addition, the interior has a subtle mnemonic device: The north facade has window enclosures tinted blue and green, while the south and east facades are tinted yellow.
Check out more pics at Arch Daily.
Related:
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Related Stories: | Topics:Design, Design for the elderly, architecture, Manuel Ocaña, Retirement homes, Retirement Community, Innovation, Technology, Spain, Santa Rita Geriatric Center, Honda Motor Co. Ltd. |
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Recent Comments | 7 Total
August 17, 2009 at 3:30pm by Nick Ashford
The images are simply awesome and I have never seen any retirement homes like this one. The architecture seems to be based on ultra modern pattern and would surely provide an interesting environment for the seniors.
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August 24, 2009 at 2:58pm by Anthony Lipckin
I have not much visited retirement homes but only once to attend a local senior citizen event but this retirement homes looks very different and unique. The images look great and the facility looks spectacular and totally equipped with modern equipments.
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August 26, 2009 at 5:46am by kiran30jast kiran30jast
Wow great pics!!The pics are really awesome.I have never seen any retirement home like this.The infrastructure is really nice.
August 26, 2009 at 5:46am by kiran30jast kiran30jast
Wow great pics!!The pics are really awesome.I have never seen any retirement home like this.The infrastructure is really nice.
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August 27, 2009 at 6:20am by Aaditya malik
The images are breathtaking, they are just awesome. The location, infrastructure everything looks perfect. I am really very amazed to see a retirement home so beautiful and well maintained.
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September 13, 2009 at 1:59pm by Mary Beckam
I am so happy to check out these retirement home helps resident. At the end of every human's histroy most of us have to be there. So, it is better to check out those places now itself. It seems very pleasant place and cool. I have to arrange one place there sooner.
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December 5, 2009 at 2:44am by Marshal Prince
I have not much visited retirement homes, or rather I should say I am never been there. This retirement home looks very pleasant and great. Although not good thing are said about for retirement homes but this will change the thinking, that's what I think.