Sunday, January 30, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Other Retirement Home Pictures
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| A dinning area of a retirement home in Europe. |
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| Reception area. Seniors are waiting for check-in. |
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| Reception area of The Mornington Centre. It's a purpose built 60 bed Geriatric Evaluation and Management facility. |
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
TOPIC B: Accessiblity Standards and Canadian Regulations
As interior designers we must consider the needs of everyone, not only the residents of the space, but the people who visit it. We got our information off of the website from the government of Ontario:
"About 1.85 million people in Ontario have a disability. That's one in seven people. Over the next 20 years as the population ages, the number will rise to one in five Ontarians. Ontario needs to be more accessible to people with disabilities. It makes good sense — economically and socially. Through the act and the accessibility standards, our goal is to make Ontario accessible by 2025." (Queen's printer)
We learned from the website that the following are the different impairments people can have:
- vision
- hearing
- physical
- intellectual
- developmental
- learning
- mental health
- speech or language
- deaf-blind
The document talks about what kind of consideration to take when dealing with the public. For example, we must be aware that some people use their own assistive devices, guide dog accompaniment, or support person. Staff and volunteers must be trained on how to deal with situations that involvement people with certain impairments. Depending on the number of workers you have, you also have to meet specific documentation.
Reading this act opened my eyes to the fact that people struggle with design barriers everyday. This law proves that there are too many places that don't take all types of people with different conditions into their design. It is important because everyone should have the right to be mobile without any barriers. It wouldn't be fair to assume that all people walk on two legs and don't need assistance. We need to take everyone into consideration including people with baby strollers, crutches, wheelchairs, dog guides, etc. As interior designers we need to do our research and create a comfortable environment for everyone, not just one specific group or user.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Thin Film Turns Any Surface Into a Touchscreen
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| Vertical touch screen monitor |
Turning your monitor into a touchscreen could some day be as simple as peel … and stick.
Displax, a Portugal-based company, promises to turn any surface — flat or curved — into a touch-sensitive display. The company is offering a thinner-than-paper polymer film that can be stuck on glass, plastic or wood to turn it into an interactive input device.
“It is extremely powerful, precise and versatile,” says Miguel Fonseca, chief business officer at Displax. “You can use our film with on top of anything including E Ink, OLED and LCD displays.”
Human-computer interaction that goes beyond keyboards and mouse has become a hot new area of emerging technology. Since Apple popularized the swipe and pinch gestures with the iPhone, touch has become a new frontier in the way we interact with our devices.
In the past, students have shown a touchscreen where pop-up buttons and keypads can dynamically appear and disappear. That allows the user to experience the physical feel of buttons on a touchscreen. In 2008, Microsoft offered Surface, a multitouch product that allows users to manipulate information using gesture recognition.
Displax’s films range from 3 inches to 120 inches diagonally.
“If Displax can do this for larger displays, it will really be one of the first companies to do what we call massive multitouch,” says Daniel Wigdor, a user experience architect for Microsoft who focuses on multitouch and gestural computing. “If you look at existing commercial technology for large touch displays, they use infrared camera that can sense only two to four points of contact. Displax takes us to the next step.”
Displax’ latest technology works on both opaque and transparent surfaces. The films have a 98 percent transparency — a measure of the amount of light that is reflected through the surface. “That’s a pretty decent transmission rate,” says Wigdor.
A grid of nanowires are embedded in the thin polymer film that is just about 100 microns thick. A microcontroller processes the multiple input signals it receives from the grid. A finger or two placed on the screen causes an electrical disturbance. The microcontroller analyzes this to decode the location of each input on that grid. The film comes with its own firmware, driver — which connect via a USB connection — and a control panel for user calibration and settings.
Currently, it can detect up to 16 fingers on a 50-inch screen. And the projective capacitance technology that Displax uses is similar to that seen on the iPhone, so the responsiveness of the touch surface is great, says Fonseca.
Displax has created the multitouch microcontroller that helps the detection and processing of multiple signals from the nanowire grid. The nanowire grid is licensed from other companies such as Visual Planet.
And if feeling around the screen isn’t enough, Displax allows users to interact with the screen by blowing on it. Displax says the technology can also be applied to standard LCD screens.
Displax’s versatility could make it valuable for a new generation of displays that are powering devices such as e-readers. For instance, at the Consumer Electronics Show last month, Pixel Qi showed low-power displays that can switch between an active color LCD mode and an e-reader-like, low-power black-and-white mode. Pixel Qi’s displays, along with other emerging display technologies from the likes of Qualcomm’s Mirasol and E Ink’s color screen are keenly awaited in new products because they promise to offer a good e-reader and a netbook in a single device.
But touch is a feature that is missing in these emerging displays. Displax could help solve that problem.
It is also more versatile than Microsoft Surface, says Fonseca. “Our film is about 100 microns thick, while Surface is about 23 inches deep,” he says. “So we can slip into any hardware. Surface cannot be used with LCD screens so that can be a big limiting factor.”
The comparisons to Surface may not be entirely fair, says Wigdor. “Surface is not just another hardware solution,” he says. “It includes integrated software applications and vision technology so it can respond to just the shape of the object.”
Still he says, Displax’s thin film offers a big breakthrough for display manufacturers because it they don’t have to make changes to their manufacturing process to use it. Displax says the first screens featuring its multitouch technology will start shipping in July.
Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/02/thin-film-touchscreen/
TOPIC A: 5 Questions
From our research we have discovered that we would like to pursue a futuristic design.
In terms of the climate, we believe it will be significantly warmer. Based on an article written by Richard Bisgrove who is a lecturer at The Centre for Horticulture and Landscape, we must consider aspect in the design process as climate changes. For example, we must look at the impacts on the place, the users and the designers.
He points out that if winter is shorter, than we have opportunites of using more fragile materials such as terracotta and marble. We may even get the chance of changing the look of our garden if climate permits tropical plants to grow there. In terms of the user, we may consider using more grass than pavement since it has natural cooling properties. Nevertheless, we have to consider sustainable material to be used even if we can use marble. Would it make sense to import that all the way to Canada or is there something more ecologically friendly. We think there are better material to select for an environmentally friendly approach.
As designers, the author makes us consider what types of spaces and plants we should incorporate in our design as climate changes. Do we know enough of about the types of plants that will be appropriate for our climate? Did you know that some flowers were more drought resistant than others? These are questions that designers will have to look at as climate changes. We will have to take a look at the functions of our environment and what changes that might arise. For instance, he also brought up a good point about having to mow your lawn twice as much if summers are longer and if we were to keep our lawn green we would be wasting a lot of water. If grass costs too much, maybe we can use synthetic grass.
Therefore our spaces should incorporate climate change and be environmentally friendly. We have to consider that the climate may be warmer and that we have to be prepared for natural disasters like floods, and hurricanes. What safety precautions must we take if these natural disasters are to occur? Hypothetically, if our summers were longer, it would be nice if our retirement home had more park space and flowers. As a result, the public landscape may change where parks will be used frequently by more people.
How will people move around?
- Solar power will be readily available and will recharge vehicles. Click here to read more
We believe in the natural aging process and think that we will exceed the death expectancy to twenty years.
Because of technological innovations in the healthcare system we believe it will help people live longer. People's vision and mobility are enhanced. For example, hip and knee surgeries have allowed people to become remobilized. Click here to read article.
The population will grow tremendously. According to Stats Canada, we will have a population over 42.5-50 million people in 2056. Nevertheless, population growth is expected to slow down after 2056. Migration growth would play the biggest role in Canada's population growth.
By 2056 the median age is predicted to be between 45-50 years old. One in ten Canadians will be 80 years and over, which is a durastic change from 2005 where it was only one in thirty. The population is most likely to be higher in 2061 since the median age increases as time goes by.
Older workers from the ages of 45 to 64 years will comprise 45% of the population in 2056. Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia will have the largest growth rates in Canada, whereas Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan may have a smaller population than they currently do.
Therefore it is important to consider the aging population of Canada and what it will be like in 50 years. Since there will be a lot of seniors there must be enough facilites to accomodate them. With the increase of immigrants coming to Canada, we will also have design facilities that respects different cultures and religions.
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-520-x/00105/4095095-eng.htm
What will people eat?
Foods will be altered to be more nutritious and allergy-free. For example, scientists will be able to add vitamins to a particular food and allergenic proteins can be removed. Click here to read the article.
Everything will be genetically modified, as a result people can avoid certain illnesses associated with some foods. For example, they have genetically modified a bird that isn't contaminated with the bird flu.
Click here to read article.
Genetically modified foods will be use to feed the entire world without damaging oceans and trees. There will be self-contained ecosystems that can recycle and use very little water to grow cucumbers or even farm fish. Click here to read article.
What will cities look like?
Pop-up cities article
Cities in the future: according to the article, the future cities will be impacted by the changing environments like planet’s temperature and ocean level, so we need to bring out new solutions of ecological human settlements such as movable and interchangeable city; floating city and zero energy city are the themes for future contemporary design.
An example of using solar power which is Solar Lily Pads by Peter Richardson, who used the under-used waterway as site for a series of small artificial islands, places to mount solar panels.
Since we decided to create some floating-technology furniture by using solar power, we may as well set our goal towards the floating movable house, use the space properly, so that the house can move in a 3-dimension space. That may settle the problem of traffic and transportation.
Finance
Some people may not even have the finances to retire. For example, less and less Canadians ages 18-24 are investing RRSPs. Click here to read the article.
Technology
New technology will help monitor your health. For example, we can install toilets that can collect data from your urine and be sent to the lab, as a result, people will be able to catch illnesses faster. Click here to read more.
- floating furniture that is adjustable in height
- round automated doors
- have digital wall where residents can personalize what they display on the wall
- screen in the bedroom that monitors the body
- touch screen surfaces (there is a company that actually makes touch screen surfaces) http://www.displax.com/en/products/moovit.html#/en/products/overlay-multitouch.html
In terms of the climate, we believe it will be significantly warmer. Based on an article written by Richard Bisgrove who is a lecturer at The Centre for Horticulture and Landscape, we must consider aspect in the design process as climate changes. For example, we must look at the impacts on the place, the users and the designers.
He points out that if winter is shorter, than we have opportunites of using more fragile materials such as terracotta and marble. We may even get the chance of changing the look of our garden if climate permits tropical plants to grow there. In terms of the user, we may consider using more grass than pavement since it has natural cooling properties. Nevertheless, we have to consider sustainable material to be used even if we can use marble. Would it make sense to import that all the way to Canada or is there something more ecologically friendly. We think there are better material to select for an environmentally friendly approach.
As designers, the author makes us consider what types of spaces and plants we should incorporate in our design as climate changes. Do we know enough of about the types of plants that will be appropriate for our climate? Did you know that some flowers were more drought resistant than others? These are questions that designers will have to look at as climate changes. We will have to take a look at the functions of our environment and what changes that might arise. For instance, he also brought up a good point about having to mow your lawn twice as much if summers are longer and if we were to keep our lawn green we would be wasting a lot of water. If grass costs too much, maybe we can use synthetic grass.
Therefore our spaces should incorporate climate change and be environmentally friendly. We have to consider that the climate may be warmer and that we have to be prepared for natural disasters like floods, and hurricanes. What safety precautions must we take if these natural disasters are to occur? Hypothetically, if our summers were longer, it would be nice if our retirement home had more park space and flowers. As a result, the public landscape may change where parks will be used frequently by more people.
How will people move around?
- Solar power will be readily available and will recharge vehicles. Click here to read more
We believe in the natural aging process and think that we will exceed the death expectancy to twenty years.
Because of technological innovations in the healthcare system we believe it will help people live longer. People's vision and mobility are enhanced. For example, hip and knee surgeries have allowed people to become remobilized. Click here to read article.
The population will grow tremendously. According to Stats Canada, we will have a population over 42.5-50 million people in 2056. Nevertheless, population growth is expected to slow down after 2056. Migration growth would play the biggest role in Canada's population growth.
By 2056 the median age is predicted to be between 45-50 years old. One in ten Canadians will be 80 years and over, which is a durastic change from 2005 where it was only one in thirty. The population is most likely to be higher in 2061 since the median age increases as time goes by.
Older workers from the ages of 45 to 64 years will comprise 45% of the population in 2056. Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia will have the largest growth rates in Canada, whereas Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan may have a smaller population than they currently do.
Therefore it is important to consider the aging population of Canada and what it will be like in 50 years. Since there will be a lot of seniors there must be enough facilites to accomodate them. With the increase of immigrants coming to Canada, we will also have design facilities that respects different cultures and religions.
http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/91-520-x/00105/4095095-eng.htm
What will people eat?
Foods will be altered to be more nutritious and allergy-free. For example, scientists will be able to add vitamins to a particular food and allergenic proteins can be removed. Click here to read the article.
Everything will be genetically modified, as a result people can avoid certain illnesses associated with some foods. For example, they have genetically modified a bird that isn't contaminated with the bird flu.
Click here to read article.
Genetically modified foods will be use to feed the entire world without damaging oceans and trees. There will be self-contained ecosystems that can recycle and use very little water to grow cucumbers or even farm fish. Click here to read article.
What will cities look like?
Pop-up cities article
Cities in the future: according to the article, the future cities will be impacted by the changing environments like planet’s temperature and ocean level, so we need to bring out new solutions of ecological human settlements such as movable and interchangeable city; floating city and zero energy city are the themes for future contemporary design.
An example of using solar power which is Solar Lily Pads by Peter Richardson, who used the under-used waterway as site for a series of small artificial islands, places to mount solar panels.
Since we decided to create some floating-technology furniture by using solar power, we may as well set our goal towards the floating movable house, use the space properly, so that the house can move in a 3-dimension space. That may settle the problem of traffic and transportation.
Finance
Some people may not even have the finances to retire. For example, less and less Canadians ages 18-24 are investing RRSPs. Click here to read the article.
Technology
New technology will help monitor your health. For example, we can install toilets that can collect data from your urine and be sent to the lab, as a result, people will be able to catch illnesses faster. Click here to read more.
Futuristic Design Inspirations
We imagined the surface of the reception desk that uses touch screen technology.
Source:
http://besthomenews.com/wonderful-minimalist-apartment-in-manhattan/
This wall gave us an idea to use technology and interior design together. We were thinking of making the blocks on the wall able to post digital pictures.
Source: http://www.newhouseofart.com/top-futuristic-house-interior-design-ideas-photos-gallery/
This floating furniture concept has inspired us to create furniture that looks like it is floating and can be adjusted in height by electricity.
Source:
http://www.okbnetwork.com/2010/05/20/artistic-futuristic-home-interior-design-by-karim-rashid/
This picture gave us an idea to create a room that allows people to interact with computers, games, audio devices and other electronics. As our generation is used to technology, we think that elderly people in 2061 will also be using multi-media devices.
Source:
http://www.nhit-shis.org/futuristic-media-center-interior-by-n59-architect/futuristic-media-center-interior-by-n59-architect-2/
We liked the idea of the kitchen island and saw this picture. We would modify the counter heights to accomodate wheelchairs and suit the heights of seniors. We even thought of making the counter heights adjustable.
Source:
http://arhzine.com/homes/tag/future/
Our facility will have beds with screens that can monitor your heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar, body temperature and other functions of the body. You can customize what you want to monitor and can even switch the screen to watch tv or surf the Internet.
Source:
http://irfanrasyid.blogspot.com/2009/08/high-tech-bedroom.html
We like the shape of this building, although it`s not tall enough. It`s a good source of inspiration!
Source:
http://www.gapuak.net/search/futuristic+designed+houses
We came across another recpetion desk idea. We liked this one better because there is room for a wheelchair under the table.
Source: http://www.fopple.com/futuristic-incredible-and-sparkling-interior-design/
Circular door
Source: http://www.uptodatedesign.com/search/futuristic+cars/
TOPIC C: Retirement Home Visit
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| Entrance with a slightly sloped pathway to the door. The door is actually wider than a conventional door. |
Yesterday our class went to Sunrise Retirement Home and we got a tour of the house. We've never been in a retirement home so we didn't know what to expect. The building looked nice and cozy. The veranda at the front was a clever idea. We waited there before our tour began and noticed the vast amount of natural light shining in.
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| Indoor veranda with lots of natural lighting. |
The reception desk was a hub for various spaces and connected the bistro, reception desk, tv room and stairs. We noticed that a lot of the seniors spent a lot of time in the bistor and looked like they were enjoyed eating and conversing with each other. The reception desk was smaller than we thought would be, nevertheless it was in a central location where it was visible and inviting to everyone.
The bistro had a dining area and a kitchenette that a lot of people like to spend time in and could fit about 80 people, as our guide said. Residents would ask workers if something was out, like butter. During the day muffins and cookies are prepared. They could also prepare their tea and coffee at the station/kitchenette. As you can see in the photo below, the dining area was set pretty deep. It didn't seem like it was wheel-chair friendly, just because the path in the middle looks too narrow and when people are sitting in the chairs, the path becomes even more tinier.
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| Bistro area: where residents like to eat and socialize |
The tv room/lounge was occupied by a few people who were watching tv, or (what looked liked) waiting for visitors. There were a few chairs and sofas in front of the television and often there would be another row of seats behind the first row of seats. There were t.v. rooms on all floors and the most spacious one was on the 4th floor, which was the most wheel-chair friendly floor.
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| Common area with TV on all floors. |
The stairs was also a prominent feature on the first floor. However, it seemed like a decorative element because we would notice that not many residents used those stairs. There were another set of emergency stairs that we climbed up when we visited each floor. There were also elevators in the lobby behind the reception area. We think that most residents use the elevator as a means of going up and down the floors, especially if they use canes, wheelchairs or walkers.
On the second floor we saw the nursing station and wellness centre that didn't look that big. This is probably because this is a retirement home and not home that needs heavy assistance. In our plans we are told not to put in a nursing station, however we thought we would make note of it since it is a nice concept having one.
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| The nursing station. |
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We saw a couple animals in the home. One of them was a cat and the other was a bird. Poor bird! I actually heard that animals are good for the ederly. My grandparents had a cat and they loved her company. Plus, cats can't bicker back so they would be a great companion! The bird on the first floor was adorable. I wanted to take it home.
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| Every floor had a lounge area with a different theme. |
| We got a chance to visit the different suites and check out the dimensions of the rooms, millwork, furniture and appliances, such as the counter, cupboard, fridge, and more. The kitchenette was across from the bathroom in this case, and the bedroom was located in the back. In some cases the bedroom was located by the entrance, the bathroom would be in the middle and the family room was located at the back. You can have suites for singles, couples and couples who want seperate rooms. | ||||||||||||||||
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The bathroom you see in the picture is wheel chair accessible one. There are no borders to hop over, nor doors to open. There is also a pull chord in the washroom in case there is an accident and the patron needs help. Depending on the level of care you need, you can also get assistance from a staff when taking a shower.
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| Wheelchair accessible shower. |
One of the most interesting things I saw at the retirement home was the momentos displayed in the hallways of a workshop. Apparently, this display reminded seniors of the past and the good old days. As our guide mentions, their days as parents and having a family was a peak period in their life which they like to be reminded of. The fact that they used to be busy repairing things around the house and being handy was a way of being seen as a useful and active figure. The idea of having treasures lying around the retirement home sounds great. The question is now, what type of memorabilia do we want to put in our retirement home?
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| Woodwork station to remind residents of the pleasant memories. |
Therefore, throughout this visit we have learned a lot about the settings of a retirement home. We learned about the people who live in it, the places they like to spend their time, the types of room there are, where they live, how they are cared for, what kind of needs they have, what kind of decoration they like, and what type of activities they do. All of these factors have to be taken into consideration when building a space. It is important to know the needs of the people who will be using the space. Not only must we consider the visuals of a space, which most people thing design is all about, but we have to have a deeper knowledge of the social, physical and environmental impacts we have as designers.
All photos taken by Vanessa Vilic-Evangelista
Here are some notes we took on our visit:
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| Sketch of wheelchair accessible button |
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| wheelchair accesible button at front of house |
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| notes and measurements of suites |
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