Dementia day care as a green addition to the city: An urban take on the farm-based day care concept supporting people with early stage dementia

The growing number of dementia patients in the Netherlands has many consequences. Many people with early stage dementia live at home and are cared for by relatives. This creates a lot of pressure and stress for both the patient and the informal caregiver. A well-known and popular solution to this problem is farm-based day care, which is...

Happily Ever After: Mental Health Promoting Senior Living environments

Late life depression is a common problem among seniors. It is estimated that up to 25% of people over 75 experience depression. The consequences are not limited to a having a worse mental state, but include a variety of physical comorbidities. Therefore countering late life depression will not only help the individual, but it will also reduce...

Multigenerational Living for the Sandwich Generation

Caring for the elderly has always been a topic of great discussion. Demographic changes in an aging society have resulted in the growing phenomenon of the Sandwich Generation. The middle-aged generation cares for their aging parents and children and is usually one of the groups providing informal care. The burden of caregiving gradually harms...

Neighbours: A social interactive living environment with the elderly

The amount of elderly people in the Netherlands is increasing rapidly. In conjunction with the individualization of the population, this has led to a number of problems. There is a lack of suitable houses for the elderly, a lack of money and nursing staff in the health care sector and a high rate of loneliness among the population. New housing...

Recess for families with chronically ill and/or disabled (CID) children: HANAMI _ a healing escape

Due to the numerous problems families with chronically ill and/or disabled (CID) children encounter in their daily lives, taking a break from the ongoing care and worries becomes even more important for them than for “typical” families. However, travelling is related to many more complex difficulties since their sick child is usually reliant on...

Transitional architecture for intellectually disabled youth: From formal education towards autonomous living

Families of young people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (YAIDD) reported that poor safety, social skills training and the un-readiness of the parents delay YAIDD from becoming autonomous adults. This research is based on literature study, fieldwork, site visits and interviews; and it is aimed to improve Independence, Social...

Upscaling Dementia Architecture: A study about aging in place with dementia

Despite the predicted increase in the number of dementia patients, the Dutch government has opted against building any extra nursing facilities in the future. Individuals, families, healthcare institutions, and society as a whole may suffer as a result of persons with dementia remaining in their homes or neighborhoods that are unsuitable for...

Down to Get Up

People with Down Syndrome are growing older but, at the same time, are still disconnected from the world. Their needs change as they age, which is researched in this thesis. Can the design of their living environment simplify their daily activities? Guidelines are conducted from different fieldwork observations and interviews in which multiple...

The Architecture of Adolescent Palliative Care

Palliative care is an interdisciplinary approach, aiming to improve patient’s social, physical and psychological comfort. Its paediatric branch (CPC) is an ever developing discipline in the Netherlands. With more children predicted to develop chronic conditions and diseases in the upcoming decades, Dutch CPC is expanding its structure. Because...

Enabled by Design: The Built Environment as a Tool for Human Enhancement

Historically, our society has demonstrated tendencies of exclusion towards those who misfit the norms. While there may be innumerable factors that come into play in these scenarios, such tendencies of marginalization seem to hold a strong connection to aspects of the built environment. As one of the many standardized systems in our world, design...

Design for addicted adolescents

Many people with an addiction do not receive the care they need. Addiction carries a negative stigma, admitting to addiction is seen as a sign of weakness. Especially among adolescents, who would benefit the most from early treatment. If they are treated, they end up in outdated facilities isolated from society. Hence the following research...

Dementia in the Built Environment

Long live the elderly: extending independent living by design

The Dutch population is aging and therefore the Netherlands requires more capacity in care since this is currently not enough. Living independently as long as possible is a solutionand this solution corresponds to the wishes of elderly. Therefore the purpose of this research is to answer the following question: ‘How can architecture extend...

A home and landscape for a sense of purpose in late life

Challenging in the face of many losses and negative biases is our last phase of life, the late life. We end up in nursing homes out of sight from our communities, we are viewed as valueless and stripped away from our own desires and standards. During a stay in a care home these observations led to the confronting conclusion that almost all old...

Growing old independently in a cohesive environment

This graduation research focuses on discovering new ways of housing the elderly that fits the changed elderly healthcare policy in the Netherlands. It explores ways how to embed them into a neighborhood in which they can rely on support from their neighbors in order to keep them longer at home independently. This has been done by creating a...

Biesbosch Bezinningslandschap - a future scenario for the Amaliapolder

An impressive farm complex, located on a polder island at the heart of natural park the Biesbosch near Dodrecht and Breda, provides the ultimate setting for a nature retreat. The design proposal is fed by the site's rich history, highly varied landscape, the cultural-historical values of the site and research into the characteristics of a place...

Healing Shelter: Gebruikersgericht herontwerp van de nachtopvang

Transformation of a homeless shelter in Rotterdam using Evidence Based Design (EBD) and a user-centered approach. The current building cannot cope with the extra influx of people and the architecture and program is not based on the needs of homeless people. The result is a radical spatial intervention a new program.

Soft City: Endaring people and space

Due to the strong increase in densification in cities worldwide and the takeover of infrastructure, the public domains in the city often lose their intrinsic tranquility. In a bustling working city like Rotterdam, the public quiet and social places are under pressure. The focus of this graduation plan lies on the urban neighborhoods Bospolder...