The issue of pension security and wellbeing of the elderly population has become increasingly prominent, especially the sea workers. Problems such as a low sense of belonging to society at a young age, low happiness, single survival skills, difficulty in adapting to life on shore exist all over the world, and the pension problems of sea workers are still to be solved. I created a space for an elderly care complex on board, to solve the problems as following above.
Regional
Italy
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Mainly rural
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
The world population is aging. At the same time, the problems of old-age security and the well-being of the elderly population have become increasingly prominent, especially the marine workers who have made great contributions to social and economic development. “Without the contribution of the crew, half the world would freeze and the other half would starve.” This is how the International Maritime Organization (IMO) assesses the importance of the crew.
However, there are common problems in the world such as a low sense of well-being, single survival skills, difficulty in adapting to life ashore, and a low sense of social belonging. Considering the particularity of fishermen and crew members, I created an elderly care space on the ship, that is, to transform an abandoned warship to provide elderly workers with long-term or short-term residence, catering, entertainment, medical care, skill teaching, spiritual comfort, and other services. It is hoped to create a good environment, service, and experience for offshore workers, and because the location is by the sea, it can provide seafarers with a familiar feeling, and at the same time, everyone has common topics to talk about, to gain a sense of belonging spiritually.
sea workers
well-being
sense of social belonging
elderly care space
service
First of all, the building makes a lot of use of natural light, and people can enjoy natural light while reducing energy consumption costs. Because of the relatively humid climate of the seaside, the introduction of a large amount of natural light can prevent the growth of fungi to a certain extent. The prominent structure on the surface of the building is covered with greenery, which serves as heat insulation.
A high percentage of glass curtain walls on building surfaces. The vast majority of the building skin on the first two floors is glass curtain wall, contributing to a large atrium space with sunlight, greenery, and gravel paths is soothing. There is also a public rest area and an open bakery. What's important is that the bread in this bakery is made in a three-story cooking room. The elderly can exercise their brains and make money through labor and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
On the third floor, there’s a shape that extended out of the hull and was supported by several columns. In addition to the load-bearing walls, I used French Windows to maximize the extension of natural light, creating a good "viewing platform." As the restaurant area extends beyond the hull, it will receive more direct sunlight, so I planted some lighter hanging plants on the top surface for better thermal insulation.
In order to better introduce the sunshine, I design the balcony of the accommodation space on the fourth to the seventh floor into a triangle, so that the room can receive sunshine more when it is illuminated by the sun, and increase the happiness of the elderly.
For the color, the overall use of white, gray, wood, and pink, the colors are light and bright, giving people a relaxed feeling, and thanks to the large glass curtain wall provide a natural color of the sky for the view of people.
The target group of this concept is the sea workers, the good environment included in this concept is not limited to your employment position and all other factors, there is also an attempt to connect the sea workers' network, the connection between sea workers and citizens, all contribute to the inclusion.
The concept can help them re-establish a community of their own and regain a sense of belonging, as the high-pressure work at sea and the absence of family and friends cause loneliness and depression and push them into the gray area of society. At the same time, because this complex includes medical care, skill teaching, and spiritual comfort, they can get psychological comfort and a sense of accomplishment, and one or more skills.
By interviewing some seafarers, we learned a certain amount about their real-life situations, and by discussing the program with the lecturer, we obtained some design suggestions.
The development of the concept involves architecture, spatial psychology, spatial design and sociology. Architectural design and spatial design are human-centered, and their design is constructed by considering the relationship between the built environment consisting of human activities and social theory, and sociology should be involved in the design. Spatial psychology is equally important, considering the specificity of the profession of sea workers and their mental health issues mentioned in the research.
The most innovative point of the concept is the collision between the location and the target group, the combination of the profession of sea worker and the maritime location, and the transformation of the abandoned warship, which together contribute to the specificity and innovation of the concept.
When it comes to methodology, the deep integration of site selection and target population can be applied to other relatively specific professions, such as train and train crews.
The concept addresses the global question "How can ethical considerations become more routinely incorporated into global decisions?" through an in-depth investigation of the sea worker population and a humanistic approach to retirement design.
