The objective of this master thesis is to develop a modern dementia friendly
nursing home and day care centre. The need for dementia specialised
facilities is an increasing problematic as the illness is getting more
and more widespread. In Denmark it is estimated that the current population
with a dementia disorder is 84,000 and is expected to be nearly
doubled by 2040. Today one in five of all people residing in a nursing
home in Denmark is diagnosed with dementia, but only one in seven
of the accommodations in the nursing homes have taken dementia into
account in its design.
To be able to design a dementia friendly nursing home, the project is based
on an extensive programme consisting of analyses of the illness, the
people who gets it, existing nursing homes and day care centres as well
as the context of the project site. The programme opens up the discussion
on how dementia friendly design should be executed as there are
multiple contradictory analyses on the matter.
The final suggestion for the new Dementia and Brain Centre Aarhus
(DBC Aarhus) is based on three housing blocks each with a circular
layout surrounding a central sheltered courtyard. The day care centre,
the central element in the DBC Aarhus, is designed to house numerous
different functions such as cultural activities, educational facilities and
short term housing for the benefit of the residents as well as visitors. The
entire complex is designed to be as stress free, easy to navigate and with
a good indoor climate.