SEMINAR RESEARCH PAPER

“CONNECTING ELDERS TO NATURE”

A SPACE FOR ELDERLY

MUSKAN AGRAWAL

ENROLLMENT NO.- 35259301618

SANDEEP SHARMA

ENROLLMENT NO.-06759301618

FOURTH YEAR

SECTION C, 2018-2023
 INTRODUCTION
Elderly are an integral part of a population of any country who owe respect and attention equally
like any other section. However, due to changing family structure and modernization, elderly
population is facing inevitable challenges to live their life respectfully. Loneliness, negligence and
less importance, illness due to ageing and against lack of treatment are the most of the
treacherous conditions which elderly are facing.
Ageing in India is exponentially increasing due to the impressive gains that society has made in
terms of increased life expectancy. With the rise in elderly population, the demand for old age
homes tends to grow. In India about 10.1% of the population is above 60 years. There are over
8 crore elderly people. Delhi has estimated total population of over 3 crore according to 2021
census report and 3.8% (12 lakhs) of the total Delhi population consists of older persons (60+).
The concept behind old age homes is to provide good living environments to the old people,
creating a friendly and family like atmosphere where they can share their joys, sorrows and live
happily to make the space more comfortable for the users. Old age homes give them the sense
of ownership of their own house but at the same time caters to their various need. These homes
provide the elderly with the privacy and independence where they can interact with people of
their age group and stay busy with various activities that helps to cope up with the problems they
face.
As an architect, we believe this is our responsibility to enhance the quality of life in old age
homes.

AIM

To augment the quality of life in old age homes using biophilic architecture techniques in Delhi
region.

OBJECTIVES

• To study about the biophilia and biophilic architecture.

• To study the framework of old age homes in Delhi.
• To understand the problems related to spatial organization for the elderly people as
users and design approaches according to their needs.
• What are the design strategies to enhance the quality of life using biophilic architecture?

METHODOLOGY
NEED OF THE STUDY

This study will provide new perspective to design an ideal space as well as increase the quality
of life in old age home through the influence of biophilic design approaches.

SCOPE AND LIMITATION

• To develop connection between built environment and users.

• To develop a design that is capable for expansion in future.
• To integrate the indoor and outdoor spaces considering the functional aspects.
• To use the biophilic techniques, creating good and healthy environment.
• Study only deals with Delhi region.
• Information about the climate and social aspects are not considered.

LITERATURE STUDY

BACKGROUND STUDY

The Distribution of Old Age Homes in India-

There are 728 Old Age Homes in India, out of which-
1. 50% (547) are in working condition.
2. Out of these, 30% (325) homes are free of cost.
3. While 9% (95) old age homes are on pay & stay
basis and
4. 11% (116) homes have both free as well as pay &
stay facilities.
Delhi is divided into 5 different regions with a total of 48 old
age homes.
Senior citizens constitute over 3.8% of Delhi’s population of
more than 3 crore. There are only two government-run
old age homes in the capital in Bindapur and Lampur
areas.
1. OLD AGE HOME AT BINDAPUR: Old Age Home
which was situated at Tilak Vihar, was now shifted to
Bindapur is being run departmentally by the
Department of Social Welfare. Total capacity of the
Home is 50 persons. There are 11 employees working
in the Home under the control of Superintendent.

2. OLD AGE HOME AT LAMPUR: Old Age Home at Lampur has been established in a
government building. At present, there are 25 inmates only. There are 09 employees working
in the Home, which includes part-time Doctor, Nurse and Programme Manager. The Home is
being run by the Government in collaboration with NGO namely, Delhi Brotherhood Society.
WHY OLD AGE HOMES ARE REQUIRED?

For the elderly and senior people this is very important issue because you need utmost medical
care and look after when you grow old whether you are in India or anywhere in the world.
There are the reasons for looking for an old age homes in India such as migration or location of
children due to their work / lack of time in youngsters / neglect family problems etc. The concept
of the old age home has become quite familiar today but, often for the wrong reasons.

BIOPHILIA?

• Biophilia is defined as the innate human instinct to connect with nature and other living beings.
• The term is derived from the Greek words for “life” and “love or affection” making its literal
translation “love of life.”
• This concept is foundational to biophilic design, which utilizes natural materials, patterns, and
phenomena to maintain a connection to nature within the built environment.
• Biophilia is more than just a philosophy—biophilic design has been found to support cognitive
function, physical health, and psychological well-being.
Under the canopy of biophilic design, there are three categories:
1. Nature in the Space
The direct presence of nature in a space in the form of plants,
animals, water, breeze, scents, light, shadows, and other natural
elements.
2. Natural Analogues
The representational presence of natural materials, patterns,
objects, colors, and shapes incorporated into building design,
facade ornamentation, decor, and furniture.
3. Nature of the Space
The incorporation of spatial elements commonly found in nature
such as expansive views, places of sensory refuge (such as a
quiet and dark room that simulates a cave), and a mild sense of
risk (like stepping stones over a shallow pond).
BIOPHILIC HYPOTHESIS
• Biophilic Design can be said to be an ecological design form that minimizes environmental
impacts by integrating the built environment with living processes or the natural process of
the ecology.
• The Biophilia Hypothesis suggests that humans have an instinctive bond with nature and
that people tend to show a positive response when they experience a connection with
nature (Biophilic design is the design of spaces in a manner that promotes and encourages
the interaction of humans with nature and natural systems).
• Biophilic Design not only helps improve human health i.e., helps in curing both
psychological and physiological health.
• Biophilic design also helps in providing a sustainable environment.
CASE STUDY
1.SMILE SENIOR CITIZEN LIVING, HYDERABAD

SMILES An old age home in Hyderabad which is a very young organization housing modern
amenities and age-old yoga and meditation for the aged who rightly deserve to live the rest of
their lives in happiness and pride.
The old age homes in Hyderabad are a boon for the parents who want to be independent and
want to spend their silver years peacefully. SMILES acts as a home for 55 years and above
who desire to live in The calm, serene and pollution-free atmosphere of SMILES provides a
lively environment. The residents can live a happy and blessed life with confidence and
independence.
ABOUT/INFO. Site plan
Location: Hyderabad, Telangana,501401
Architects: AA associates, Project year- 2012
Site area: 2634 sqm, Ground coverage: 1200 sqm.
Total floors: G+2, Total built up area: 3600 sqm.
CONCEPT
“Home away from home” means an active
Ground floor plan
life with necessary facilities and a positive
approach. Celebrate a life from duties and
responsibilities. We hope to remove fear
and worries from the minds of children who
live thousands of miles away from their
parents by providing a secure and caring
environment for their elderly progenitors.
Smiles - of all the old age homes in Hyderabad boasts of vast premises, a meditation hall, an
amphitheatre, rooms with tv telephone, WIFI connectivity to chat with their loved ones and be
in touch with everyday happenings etc. It intends to depict a feeling of warmth, comfort and
trust. It plans to instigate a feeling of hope into the lives of elderly. Eradicate insecurity and
loneliness from your life through a new concept of living.
INFERENCES
Smiles, senior citizen living located in jayadarsini township medchal 37km away from the city
is the major drawback for the residents. It becomes difficult for the users to access and connect
to the world as they feel isolated. Only single staircase is provided so it might not be sufficient
in case of emergency.
It has a positive and welcoming environment. Central courtyard creates a pleasing environment
and helps the residents to exchange talks with each other. The stage and amphitheatre are
heart of the house where all cultural and social activities take place with a tree in the centre
spreading energy. A central courtyard on one side helps the residents to connect to nature and
brings positivity in their daily life. As corridor are single loaded so that there is no problem with
the light and ventilation hence minimum use of artificial lighting.
2. MANTRI’S PRIMUS EDEN, LUXURIOUS SENIOR LIVING
Primus Eden is located 30.2km from the city. In the midst of serene surroundings.
Surroundings: The site is located in a village and surrounded by farm lands and small houses.
The main entrance is on the main road facing towards east. Drawback of the location is that
the site is very far from the city and is situated near the National Highway.
Primus Eden is a whole new living option which Site plan
enhances every day with a 360-degree view of
senior living providing for comfort, care, safety,
and enrichment of its residents in a resort style
environment where everything is literally the
touch of a button away.
ABOUT/INFO
Architects: Adarsh Narahari, Mantri Developers
Location: Kanakapura Road, Bangalore
Area: 4.5 Acres, Project Year: 2014
Ground coverage: 2185 sqm.
Concept
A luxurious senior living project, promises to be a haven for seniors in their retired life ensuring
their physical and mental well-being.
A resort style facility in the midst of serene surroundings, in the company of like-minded people
and without the worries of mundane chores like cleaning the house, cooking, laundry etc.
Inferences
The beautifully planned garden is full of shrubs, tropical fruit
trees along with pathways, terracotta tiles, stone benches,
street lights and a garden bridge. The lotus ponds enhance
the pleasing nature. The gazebo adds to the look of a village.
A lot of monkeys also reside in the garden.
It is one of the most peaceful and positive areas of the
retirement home and as aged people prefer spending a lot of time praying it acts like a mode
of comfort to them.
The medication center is surrounded by a waterbody and lotus plants all around. The
meditation center was well designed to provide natural lighting and ventilation.
To create the reflexology foot path, soft and smooth river rocks (or cobblestone) are placed in
the path to stimulate acupressure points on the soles of the foot to create health and well-
being.
In house events team selects and organizes experience daily, handpicked from over 42 unique
activities games, hobby workshop, language classes, laughter therapy and more. So, one
wakes up looking forward to learning something new every day.
Approaches and patterns affecting the performance of the design of a space
• The variability of natural elements or visual connection with nature has a considerable
impact in promoting the creativity of designers.
• The presence of water is a condition that increases the space experience through seeing,
hearing and touching the water.
• Light is one of the architectural principles in providing visual comfort in space.

Attributes of various Biophilic elements-

ENERGY EFFECTIVENESS ON BIOPHILIC ARCHITECTURE

• Functional essential spaces- The optimal
temperature for these zones in residential spaces
for example is between18-21ºC.
• Functional auxiliary spaces- The optimal
temperature for this zone is between 20-23ºC.This
zone includes service spaces.
• Intermediary spaces-The optimal temperature for
this zone is less than 16ºC for buildings from cold
and temperate climate in winter season, and 28ºC
for buildings from hot climate in summer season.

Hierarchy of functional spaces

DESIGN STRATEGIES
Through literature and case studies we identified certain design strategies that could be
implemented while designing old age home.
Spatial organisation:
• Simple circulation layout instead of complex ones.
• Courtyard style arrangement of rooms, preferable as it is a simple layout and the courtyard
offers a co-mingling space to the elderly.
 Sensory experience
Light-
• Use of natural light for illumination.
• Natural light also helps regulate human circadian rhythms, which are important to our health
and mood, and regulate hormones. Improved sleep patterns have also been linked to
exposure to natural light.
Colour-
• Colour is another important sensory stimulation as it has both an emotional and physical
impact on humans.
• With age the ability to distinguish colour decreases with blue to yellow spectrum being affected
the most.
• Warm colours are recommended to be used in the interior and furnishing because it makes it
easier to distinguish between them.
• Cool colours, pastels, grey shades should be avoided, as they are harder to distinguish and
might cause agitation due to that.
• Creating high contrast between different colour elements within design is the best way to
enhance seniors’ ability to accommodate for their vision loss.
Material selection
• For interior works and furnishing over stimulating patterns should be avoided as they tend to
cause agitation among the elderly.
• More finer materials like wood, concrete, plaster, bricks, marble etc can be used.
Natural Environment & Landscape
• If not directly experiencing the nature, viewing the beautiful landscape helps in reducing
stress, anxiety and depression in elderly.
• To promote active use of gardens various structures activities like gardening can be done in
order to engage the elderly in something productive. Gardening help in making the person
physically and mentally strong also known as horticulture therapy.
• Gardening can give a sense of community and encourage social interaction, which helps fight
feelings of isolation, and depression, which is often felt by seniors as they age.

CONCLUSION

After study it was found that the built environment—both from theoretical and user-centered
perspectives—can contribute to a sense of home in home for elderly. The study introduced a
novel and reliable overview that evaluates the impact of spatial organisation and design in
creating a sense of home. Ageing is something that is inevitable. With age comes various
problems such as dementia, anxiety, depression etc. One design approach through which we
can increase the quality of life at old age homes is Biophilia, i.e connection with nature.
 REFERENCES

• http://wishesandblessings.net/blog/2445-2
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6415931
• https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/only-2-govt-run-old-age-homes-for-over-18-lakh-
senior-citizens/story-lL0cqqvE1zrQtMIv6t4LhM.html
• (PDF) ELDERLY HOUSING IN BHUBANESWAR Bachelor of Architecture
(researchgate.net)
• https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278683171_Reasons_for_Living_of_Elderly_to_In
_Old_Age_Homes_An_Exploratory_Study/link/5583977c08ae4738295b8009/download
• https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/The-ugly-truth-about-old-age-in-
India/article14423922.ece
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/why-these-seniors-prefer-old-age-
homes/articleshow/69028391.cms
• https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/delhi/dda-to-build-old-age-home-in-dwarka-
292026 (PROPOSAL IN DWARKA)
• https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/All-is-not-well-at-the-Bindapur-old-age-
home/article14544615.ece
• https://threebestrated.in/old-age-homes-in-delhi-dl
• https://socialwelfare.delhigovt.nic.in/content/old-age-homes.