A purpose-built “Alzheimer’s Village” in the French commune of Dax will give residents the ability to roam free and go about their daily lives in a new approach to treating the disease. According to The Telegraph, residents will live in shared houses in four districts reminiscent of the southwestern French region.
The village is designed to look like a medieval-style bastide, which is common to the area and will help prevent patients from becoming disoriented. Designed by NORD Architects, the village will have a local shop, a hairdresser, restaurants, a cultural center, and a healthcare center. Additionally, volunteers will help to stage activities for the residents.
The idea behind the new design approach is that the freedom the design provides will allow patients to lead an almost normal village life and maintain their participation in a social life (which recent research has shown to be a strong factor in living longer, healthier lives).
Oslo Alzheimer's Village with CLT construction. Courtesy NORD Architects.
Plain-clothes medical staff will watch over the residents, who are confined to the village for their own safety, and researchers will conduct a study to see if this new style of care helps patients remain more active, require less medication, and live happier lives. In total, the village will support 120 Alzheimer’s residents, 100 live-in caregivers, and 120 volunteers.
NORD Architects is also working on an Alzheimer Village in Oslo, Norway and will use CLT to construct the project’s various buildings.
Related Stories
| Jul 26, 2022
Better design with a “brain break”
During the design process, there aren’t necessarily opportunities to implement “brain breaks,” brief moments to take a purposeful pause from the task at hand and refocus before returning to work.
Building Team | Jul 25, 2022
First Ismaili Center in the U.S. combines Islamic design with Texas influences
Construction has begun on the first Ismaili Center in the U.S. in Houston.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022
Office developers aim for zero carbon without offsets
As companies reassess their office needs in the wake of the pandemic, a new arms race to deliver net zero carbon space without the need for offsets is taking place in London, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
Codes and Standards | Jul 22, 2022
Hurricane-resistant construction may be greatly undervalued
New research led by an MIT graduate student at the school’s Concrete Sustainability Hub suggests that the value of buildings constructed to resist wind damage in hurricanes may be significantly underestimated.
School Construction | Jul 22, 2022
School integrating conventional medicine with holistic principles blends building and landscape
Design of the new Alice L. Walton School of Medicine in Bentonville, Ark., aims to blend the building and landscape, creating connections with the surrounding woodlands and the Ozark Mountains.
Market Data | Jul 21, 2022
Architecture Billings Index continues to stabilize but remains healthy
Architecture firms reported increasing demand for design services in June, according to a new report today from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Market Data | Jul 21, 2022
Despite deteriorating economic conditions, nonresidential construction spending projected to increase through 2023
Construction spending on buildings is projected to increase just over nine percent this year and another six percent in 2023, according to a new report from the American Institute of Architects (AIA).
Mixed-Use | Jul 21, 2022
Former Los Angeles Macy’s store converted to mixed-use commercial space
Work to convert the former Westside Pavilion Macy's department store in West Los Angeles to a mixed-use commercial campus recently completed.
Building Team | Jul 20, 2022
San Francisco overtakes Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction
San Francisco has overtaken Tokyo as the world’s most expensive city for construction, according to a new report from Turner & Townsend.
Libraries | Jul 20, 2022
Canada to open one of the world’s largest library and archive facilities
When it opens in 2026, Ādisōke is expected to be one of the largest library and archive facilities in the world.
