Don't forget me

Project

269116

Status

Submitted

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NEW EUROPEAN BAUHAUS RISING STARS : concepts or ideas submitted by young talents (aged 30 or less)

Project title

Don't forget me

Full concept/idea title

Description

The future of abandoned villages and the future of living as a person with dementia are to different, current issues of our time. The projects tackles both questions, each from its own perspective, and tries to search for a joint solution. With renovation of an old, abandoned village it offers new-old place for community of people with dementia and other elderly from nearby villages.

Where is your concept/idea being developed or intended to be implemented in the EU?

Please provide a summary of your concept/ idea

Creating this project, two different, current issues were taken into consideration: the future of abandoned villages and the future of living as a person with dementia. The idea of community housing is one of the possible future outcomes for an empty village. Why has housing for elderly with dementia been taken into consideration as a potential future of the village? Because it presents a rising problem we’ve known about from the past, but few solutions have been given for the future. The proposal of community living offers an alternative solution for the present situation of either staying in an institutional elderly home or receiving home care. It seeks for the middle way between the two. The chosen village Pristava offers many living qualities, from direct contact with nature, pleasant, warm and sunny climate, to unique ambients and typical local exterior. The latter is especially important for the aging population in the area as it helps with daily space and time orientation.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of sustainability and how these would be met

In 2020 and in the first half of 2021 there was a great number of open building sites in Slovenia, greater then ever before in country's 30 years history. However, the population of the state through all these years stays pretty much the same. In other words, the same number of residents uses more and more space. At the same time there are many urban and rural areas, which are not in use any more. According to the Statistical Office of the Republic of Slovenia one fifth of apartments in Slovenia are not in use. Furthermore, there are around 60 villages without a single inhabitant and many more with one to five residents. However, ‘we’ build more, ‘we’ build new, ‘we’ build to invest and to earn more money. This is the right time to consider the 'absurdity' of our time. The submitted project is based on RRR principles: reuse, reduce, recycle. The existing abandoned village Pristava becomes a case study on which the possibilities for its future are studied. Existing stone-made houses are renovated and adjusted to the life of a new community of people with dementia. Brick-made extensions which are added to the existing village structure give an opportunity to new types of spaces (communal household kitchen, installing new technology, special care facilities...), which help improve the quality of living spaces for a community of 20-30 residents. 

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience beyond functionality and how these would be met

The project approach is to emphasize the qualities and aesthetics of an existing village which is currently labelled as a cultural heritage in terms of the historical village structure from 19th century. The beauty happens in the interlacement of all Pristava’s attributes, which are mostly related to the characteristics of an typical old Mediterranean settlements. It is about enchanting outside spaces in-between the buildings and under the walnut trees, human scale of the interior, nicely made stone details… Besides, Pristava has some other very important qualities, which make living in the village even more attractive (comfortable climate, sunny warm summers and mild winters, presence of nature, closeness of forest and cultivable land…). All qualities mentioned above make Pristava one of a kind village. Therefore, we must be very careful when renovating it. Everything should be taken into consideration and not a single thing should be made without a reason. Architecture intervention presented in the project is rather a bit unexpected at the first sight. It is very subtle and bold at the same time. The intervention strives to preserve the existing qualities and to emphasize them. However, it is very important to mention that the renovation tries to go beyond preserving of the existing. It tries to look for a new-old village structure and space, which is suitable for living in future, based on the experiences from the past. The village structure becomes a living organism in-between the past and the future.

Please give information about the key objectives of your concept/idea in terms of inclusion and how these would be been met

Having the weakest among us in mind when designing living space leads towards design for everyone. The main purpose of village Pristava is to present a quality living space for a community of people with dementia and other elderly from nearby villages. Nevertheless, it is a village for everyone, for employees (housekeepers, care assistants…), visitors, volunteers, researchers etc. Pristava becomes a local centre, where all people from nearby villages, resident’s relatives and other visitors are welcome. It becomes a meeting point in the middle of rural area, which is currently short in communal spaces. Bottom part of the village offers a café, a multipurpose room, a chapel and an existing house near to the village entrance which is specially dedicated to all the visitors to easily accommodate for some days. All the interior and exterior spaces are part of the ‘daisy-chain’ structure of village ambients. They help residents to orient and to fully experience all the features Pristava can offer. All parts of village are wheelchair accessible. Neighbouring single houses form larger units, where three seperated households with 6-8 single rooms take place. Interior stretches across all connected houses. Through existing buildings and new extensions it forms an unobstructed interior space.

Please explain the innovative character of your concept/ idea

The innovative character of the proposed project could be divided in two main parts: First one is related to the formation of the community of people with dementia and other elderly from local area which could be understood as an alternative solution for the present situation of either staying in an institutional elderly home or receiving home care. It seeks for the middle way between the two. This means that residents have an option to live in a very domestic environment with local characteristics (similar to their home villages) and to live in an organised community with guided care (similar to the institutional care). Second one is related to the core idea of renovating an abandoned village. The architectural approach is careful and ambitious at the same time. It tackles the village as a whole and strives to be very precise at every spatial intervention. Pristava, which is declared as a cultural heritage, is renovated as a ‘living organism’. It could be understood as a case study for renovating abandoned villages and urban areas in the region. The renovation principles are based on the traditional characteristics of Pristava, however, they offer a new type of spaces/places, which could help improve living qualities for the new community. Therefore, extension buildings could be understood both, traditional and modern.  

Please detail the plans you have for the further development, promotion and/or implementation of your concept/idea, with a particular attention to the initiatives to be taken before May 2022

The proposal is based on the master thesis, which I have made as a final part of master program of architecture at Faculty of Architecture, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. Therefore, it is an idea without an investor and without financial background. However, as the proposed project was very well accepted, I intend to visit a theoretical and practical expert, whose work was to me an introduction to the new, modern principles of elderly care homes and institutions. I expect us to discuss about the possibility of ‘case-study’ Pristava, to carefully check the project adequacy and its potential economics options. Furthermore, case-study Pristava could be understood in a more abstract way too. It is dealing with the theme of regeneration of deserted rural spaces, which is very present in many European countries (Spain, France, Italy…). Therefore, it is an example of, how to bring life back to enchanting places of abandoned rural areas. It is an example of how an architectural renovation could be a tool to think about our social needs to think about the society and human. This is a subject I will try to follow through my professional career.

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that the proposed concept/idea has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Rising Stars Awards more than once in the same category.