Evidence-based Design Research Of The Environments In Kaifang Elderly Care Institutions

The problem of global aging has become increasingly serious.China is currently with the largest number of elderly people in the world,and providing for the aged has become a prominent social issue.In this ageing society,the socialization of caring for the aged is an irreversible trend,and institutional pensions will play an important role in the future.The built environment of pension institutions is the daily living environment of the elderly.Since the elder people’s sight,hearing,and various organs will be weakened or degraded as they age,the appropriate built environment of pension institutions is conducive to satisfying their basic living needs and improving their living quality.The development of the built environment for pension institutions requires not only the active participation of social forces,but also the government departments concerned to make an overall plan for the their development in light of the current situation of regional aging.If we make a general survey of the relatively well-developed countries abroad,we will see them of one thing in common,that is governments’ valuing elder people’s residence.The governments of these countries have issued many laws and policy standards to guide the planning,design,and development of elder-caring buildings.The design principle is,“based on the elderly”.To understand the real needs of the elderly in the care institutions,this study combines the published research results and design concepts to design a comfortable,respectful and communication-promoting built environment under the support of positive theoretical evidence.Based on the literature analysis,this study empirically studied the architectural environment design and development status of Kaifeng pension institutions.Through observation,questionnaires,and interviews,this study have collected empirical data with the use of multidisciplinary content like statistics,environmental behaviors,and psychology.Both quantitative and qualitative means are used.The indoor and outdoor environment construction,the status quo of layouts,and the needs of the elderly are under research.Through the on-spot investigation of Kaifeng’s pension institutions,this study find that there is still a problem existing between the development of pension institution’s built environment and the coordination with the new forms,new tasks,and new needs.The study finds that: the constructions of pension institutions are relatively simple;most of the layouts are hotel-style;space flow lines and functional zones are not conducive to communication and the creating of a home-like atmosphere.There is still a big gap between the design of indoor and outdoor building environments and the needs of the elderly for a harmonious and comfortable life.Among them,the function division,color setting,and material selection of the indoor space are not elaborate enough.Outdoor landscape design,traffic flow line design,and activity space design on the other hand,are also insufficient for the physical and psychological needs and behavioral characteristics of the elderly.With respect to aging details,active efforts have been made in barrier-free design,and efforts are still required in terms of ease of use.Designs for temperature,air flow,and lighting have yet to be improved.At the end,this study summarizes the problems existing in the construction environment of Kaifeng’s pension institutions,combines advanced design concepts at home and abroad,and proposes some improvement suggestions to guide the construction of the built environment for the elderly care institutions.