ARCH 402/705 “Health Care” Design Studio – A Mixed-use Outpatient Clinic, Lifelong Housing with a Memory Care Component and Community/Retail Development

This studio explores the rapidly changing world of healthcare design, housing design and service delivery for the frail/vulnerable elderly with an emphasis on the issues of cognitive impairment and complications caused by infectious disease (COVID). It also explores the therapeutic role of landscape design (exercise + relaxation) by employing biophilic principles in the design of exterior and interior spaces. Using a northern European model of housing accommodation, age-restricted dwelling units are designed to facilitate “aging in place” and avoid placement in a nursing home. The exception is a 9-unit small group dwelling for people with advanced dementia who can no longer maintain their independence in the housing. Community services and activities are also located on the site to attract and support the needs of neighborhood residents for health care services (clinic) and needed community goods and services (food, education, social opportunities). Proposing solutions to how this project can improve the neighborhood by creating a more substantial retail/service centroid. The site is 5 acres and is located in a south-central neighborhood between a well-known high school and a regional recreational center.