It is estimated that by 2020 over a million people in this country will suffer from symptoms of dementia. This has already been identified as a cause for concern; current care facilities are failing to meet necessary standards, with some considered to be unfit for purpose.

Whilst this creates new opportunities for building design, it poses many challenges given that dementia can develop in people as young as 40 and these new environments must cater for residents who cover all stages of the illness.  The fundamental principles of the design should include creating a home that is as much about comfort as it is function and making an environment that offers its residents familiarity and safety.

Whether residents choose to take their own furniture or move to a facility where this is provided, good space planning can be an important tool in creating personal spaces which can ease the problems associated with dementia. Simple things like placing the bed in view of the WC and creating a layout with clear walkways, free of clutter and obstacles can all ease the feeling of anxiety or confusion. Open shelving and storage spaces can also be of benefit in helping the resident’s recall where they left their possessions and ease their agitation if they can’t find them. Memory boxes in bedrooms and large, prominent photo frames are also hugely beneficial in triggering memories and providing topics of conversation between residents, carers and their visitors.

While we are used to planning hospital environments, it is important to remember these are homes being created, not hospital wards and the residents personal spaces must reflect this. Of course there are elements from hospital planning that will inevitably be necessary in care facilities of this nature but comfort, security and familiarity must always be a priority.

With so many new homes being built, it is feasible to refurbish existing properties, which fall below the necessary standards now recognised?

BSEC 2011 has finally been and gone! There were not the number of people expected (in comparison to last year) but we did see a variety of people visit our stand.

One topic that was the basis of many enquires regarded library creation, in particular for a BIM environment. These enquires came from a variety of specialist areas from furniture manufacturers to architects.

In my opinion, graphic libraries and library creation are a vital tool in space planning, but they are often overlooked due to the initial costs. A good graphic, which depicts the item correctly and has as much detail as possible, (whether it is a plan, elevation or 3D rendered block) can make the difference between a room looking like it should, or looking like a room filled with building blocks.

Of course, some of us do get carried away! The skill in creating graphic blocks is in knowing when to stop – drawing all the keys on a laptop might look really good zoomed in, but at 1:50 scale – it’s just a blob!

Over the years, we have steadily put together a generic 2D CodeBook Healthcare library, where the simple rectangle is banished and every item is represented as it would look. Now that it’s built, we can draw on this library as and when necessary. 

We are now looking at building up our generic school library but have hit upon a dilemma – do we go 2D or 3D? Do we create the blocks in Revit ready for BIM or in AutoCad so it can be used in non BIM projects?

As we also use CodeBook, we need to make sure that whatever library we create can be used within this environment too.  The data that can be stored behind a family item in Revit is amazing and turns a simple graphic into an intelligent graphic. What are your thoughts on graphic libraries, and the BIM environment? I’d be interested to hear other people’s take on this one.

I’m sure these questions are being asked by other people out there – evident by the enquires we had at the BSEC event. Whichever route we decide to go down, the importance of good libraries should never be underestimated.

Jo

Space Planning Section Leader – CADS Space Planning