In-between surfaces

Abstract

As research through design, this thesis takes a fresh look at the ageing population which is a looming problem for all New Zealand communities. The thesis questions: How can we design a new type of aged care living to respond specifically to the next generation of ageing New Zealanders? Research undertaken in the United States concludes that the healthiest aged care facilities that are located in, and open to the local community, become a hub of activity for all ages, and are actively promoted as a place to visit.

The design creates various public facilities for the Waikanae community, proposing a hybrid of aged care accommodation, public swimming pools, various public amenities and a community garden development. The project explores the possibilities of a retirement village that embraces younger generations, engages directly with neighbouring natural landscapes, and makes use of the ageing labour resource. As a healthier and more independent ‘baby boomer’ generation reaches 65, the retirement they require is not the segregated holiday retreat of their ‘silent generation’ parents exemplified in current models.

To draw the community into the building, the design focuses on how architecture can create the ‘in-between’ to mediate social and physical restraints caused by the existing model. The thesis discusses how continuous surfaces were developed to respond specifically to the Waikanae context, and how the design uses surfaces to form the in-between. Such treatment generates a discussion into the role of surface, and continuous surface, in both the architecture and landscape architecture disciplines. The in-between proposes new criterion for aged care living to accommodate the oncoming ‘baby boomer’ generation. This criterion was designed through a site specific study responding to the Waikanae context, however, the design process exposes a universal criterion for a new type of retirement village.