Reimagined

Eco-Therapeutic
Home for the Elderly
Complex

 In foreign countries, it is usual for the elderly to prepare for their own
continuing care and assistance; unlike in the local setting, which is the
opposite since Filipinos are known for their trait of close familial ties,
wherein the grandparents tend to be taken care of by their families
However, there are still little or a number of Filipino elderlies who are
homeless and are abandoned by their own family.

As they are part of the community, there are residential care facilities or
home for the elderly that accommodate such people, offering social
services that includes provision of basic necessities, special care, and
rehabilitation.
In Bulacan, the senior citizens importance to the community is
recognized through the ordinance Bulacan Senior Citizens Code,
under R.A. 9994 Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2012.

 Most of the existing elderly care facilities are generally

unsuitable for its target market and are lacking in some
architectural aspects.
Most of these facilities are also located in remote areas,
which isolates the elderly from the community.
The significance of the design of retirement homes to the
users

How architecture can address the needs of the users

especially the senior citizens on residential care facilities
Architectural solutions that can be used to improve the
conditions of the elderly
Innovations that can be applied and added to the
development of elderly care facilities
Psychological influence of design and environment of such
facilities to the elderly and other users

Community-centered, self-sustainable living for the

elderly through a reimagined elderly care facility
complex

GOAL
Identify the needs and wants of the users that will be
essential to the development of the design of the facility.
Develop the design of the usual elderly care facilities by
reinventing spaces within the structure and supplying other
functional areas.
Encourage community interdependence through
application of the concept of community oriented design.
Apply the concept of an eco-therapeutic environment that
will enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being
of the elderly who are vulnerable and sensitive.
Promote green living to its users through environment friendly
and productive activities by supplementing innovations to a
residential care facility

OBJECTIVES

 New concept and innovation in the design of retirement homes

that will recognize and adhere more to the needs of the
elderly.
Develop a more sustainable and effective structure that will
benefit the users physical, emotional and mental well-being.
Useful data to the government or respective authority for more
appropriate response to such facilities.
Guide to future research endeavors.

SIGNIFICANCE
Development of architectural design and it will not further discuss
other focus such as finances and estimates of the proposal, as well as
building technology and utilities.

SCOPE & LIMITATION

 Luwalhati ng Maynila Home

for the Aged at the Manila
Boys Town Complex at Brgy.
Parang, Marikina City

RESEARCH LOCALE
Open type of oral questionnaire for the personal interview
Naturalistic observation of the area to identify and
describe the behavior of the users

RESEARCH INSTRUMENT

Population of Luwalhati ng Maynila by

Gender

Overpopulated. Planned to

accommodate only up to 170

people; Total of 284 residents with
116 males and 168 females.
Male

Female

Undermanaged. Total of 31 staff,

Luwalhati ng Maynila Staff

1 Managing Director, 2 Social

Workers, 1 Cook and the rest are
volunteers.

Director

Social Worker

MDSW Worker

Cook

Volunteers

 There is a significant demand for reimagining and improvement

of the design of retirement homes.
The existing homes for the elderly in the country can be
described as mediocre, undermanaged and are too basic.

The elderly still have every right to have improvement in their

lives by experiencing even the smallest amount of
consideration and kind of atmosphere that will be beneficial to
their well-being;
The design of such residential facilities has an influence to the
users well-being and behavior.

The problems of such facilities can be solved through

architectural methods and application of techniques and
innovations for the design of such structures.

 Potential to grow into models of architectural beauty

Focus on the holistic application of sustainability and
green living on the design of these structures in the play
of nature and architecture.
The promotion of community interdependence to create
a context of a harmonious and self-sustaining
environment that will make the elderly feel useful
Stressing resiliency and use of advanced technology for
such kind of structures.
Reinvention of the current design of spaces of existing
residential care facilities that will address more the
special needs of the elderly
Implementation of new ideas and strategies to create a
well-rounded environment for the elderly that will provide
them barrier against emotional stress brought by isolation
and feeling of neglect

1. SELF-SUFFICIENCY
- Sustainability to reduce the carbon footprint and
provide better environment for the users.

2. GREEN LIVING
- promotion of green living to the users through simple
activities such as planting etc.

3. ECO-THERAPEUTIC
-Emphasizing the healing environment of the facility

4. COMMUNITY INTERDEPENDENCE
- Promoting interactivity and productivity among the
abled users and mutually depending on one another

PRINCIPLES

1. AESTHETIC AND INTERIOR DESIGN

- Integrating the shell design of the structure to
create a new perception on homes for the elderly as
model of architectural beauty
- Improving the interior design that will have
positive impact to the users
- Innovative design by using local building
materials and being inspired by Philippine architecture.

2. ENVIRONMENT
- Concepts of sustainability to create a healthier
and homey environment
- Optimized the mobility and accessibility of
spaces for independent functioning of the abled elderly

3. SPACES
- Reimagining the design and spatial configuration
for current and future users to prevent congestion
- Creating open type and/ or flexible design of
spaces for as better circulation as architectural solution
- Auxiliary spaces to generate more opportunities
for activities

1. LOCATION
2. NEIGHBORING STRUCTURES
3. ACCESSIBILITY
4. ZONING/ LAND USE
5. LAND AREA
6. TOPOGRAPHY
7. SOIL TYPE
8. FLOOD SUSCEPTIBILITY

SITE CRITERIA

LOCATION: Brgy. Look II

AREA: 6.7 hectares consisting of two adjacent lots
LOT TYPE: Inside lot
ROAD ACCESSIBILITY: Taal Road and is accessible via Tabang Road, linked
to Mcarthur Hi-way
SITE TOPOGRAPHY: Relatively flat and mostly surrounded by agricultural lands
and residences.

LOCATION: Brgy. Santor

AREA: 2.2 Hectares composed of two adjacent lots

LOT TYPE: Interior lot, provided with an RROW
ROAD ACCESSIBILITY: Accessible via the minor road, Purok 1st and is located

near the First Bulacan Industrial City.

SITE TOPOGRAPHY: Relatively flat in slope and is prone into flooding during
heavy rains

LOCATION: Brgy. Santor

AREA: 2.8 hectares, Lot 4459-H
LOT TYPE: Inside lot, but with a strategic shape causing it to appear as an interior lot.
ROAD ACCESSIBILITY: It is also accessible via Purok 1st road, and near the First
Bulacan Industrial City.
SITE TOPOGRAPHY: Relatively flat slope

1. Rectangular shaped lot which is more practical to develop and

planned and to also avoid wasting any spaces on the site.
2. 6.8 hectares will be ideal for proposing a complex; The left-over
spaces can also be converted into open spaces or for future
developments
3. Site A is not susceptible to flooding during heavy rains.

SITE A: BRGY LOOK II

4. The location of the site is ideal for a residential care facility because
of the environment yet still establishing contact with the outside
community.
5. The lot is conveniently accessible, approximately 700 meters from a
minor road
6. The selected site is surrounded by mostly residential structures,
yielding a homier environment

SITE A: BRGY LOOK II

SITE A: BRGY LOOK II

GEOGRAPHY
- It is situated about 42 kilometers northeast of Manila and is
easily accessible to all types of vehicle using the two major
transportation arteries, namely, North Luzon Expressway
and Mac Arthur Highway.
TOPOGRAPHY

- Generally, is relatively flat of about 0.81% to a gently

sloping of 2.17%.
CLIMATE

- Generally falls under Type I category of the Philippine

Climate Corona Classification that has two pronounced
seasons; wet and dry seasons.
SEISMIC HAZARD

- Has low risk to earthquake.

MALOLOS, BULACAN

 Brgy. Look II is one of the 51

barangays in Malolos.
The population of the barangay
from NSO Census as of 2010 is
2,610.

Brgy. Look II is mainly divided into

residential and agricultural. The
selected site is categorized into
agricultural

Although there are certain parts

of Barangay Look II that are highly
prone flooding due to the nearby
Guiguinto traversing the area, the
selected site has a low to moderate
flood susceptibility.

IRR OF P.D. 1096 (NATIONAL BUILDING CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES)

Building Type: General Institutional
Allowable Maximum Total Gross Floor Area (TGFA) Based on the Allowed
Percentage of Site Occupancy (PSO) of the Total Lot Area (TLA)
For Institutional GROUP D (Inside or Regular Lot)
Without Sprinkler System and Firewalls: BHL X 50% of TLA
With Sprinkler System and Firewalls: BHL X 60% of TLA
Building Height Limit (BHL) by Type of Use or Occupancy
Institutional: 15.00 meters (or must follow the duly-approved BHL in the
major zone it is part of)
Setbacks for Institutional building (10.00 m below RROW)
Front- 5.00 m
Side- 2.00
Rear- 2.00

As the site is located at a rural area and only surrounded by

residential structures, noise pollution is very minimal.

The design shall reflect the vision

of the structure as an institutional
facility which presents the idea of
compassion. It expresses the idea
of genuine service as what the
proposed structure is mainly
devoted for.

SCHEME 1

The design shall reflect the vision

of the structure as an institutional
facility which presents the idea of
compassion. It expresses the idea
of genuine service as what the
proposed structure is mainly
devoted for.

SCHEME 2

A curved structure should not be

limited to the structural foundation
of its concept. An evident layout
can be seen as it follows the grids
within curved walls and columns

The complexity of the form of

structure shall not be an excuse
for its structural concept. Through
shear wall reinforcement, it can
provide structural integrity for the
building
while
retaining
its
aesthetic function.

Shear walls are

designed to resist
shear, the lateral
force that causes the
bulk of damage
in earthquakes.

Shear wall can follow the irregular shape of the

structure and also provide a withstand pressure
from earth movement for additional resiliency. It
acts as both a foundation and a wall bearing that
are certified to endure collapse especially during
earthquakes.

As the structure shall promote

sustainability and self sufficiency,
the proposal shall consist of green
methods and environment friendly
procedures for the integration of
the building utilities of the
structure.

Accumulation and deposition

of rainwater for reuse on-site,
rather than allowing it to run
off.

It can be used as water for

garden, water for livestock,
water for irrigation, water for
domestic use with proper
treatment.

The harvested water can also

be used as drinking water as
well as for storage and other
purpose like irrigation.

The approach that requires a

systems thinking in sanitation,
where the steps user interface,
collection,
transport
or
conveyance, treatment, reuse
or disposal are all carefully
assessed - rather than simply
focusing on the toilet itself

Simple urinals with separate

collector systems could be
installed instead of using
toilets and pit latrines for
urination

Flush toilets could be modified

to use less water.

Greywater could be sourceseparated from the

blackwater from toilets thus
simplifying its treatment and
providing opportunities for
reuse.

Blackwater from toilets could

be held in conservancy tanks
instead of open septic tanks
and cess pits and then
emptied and transported to
biogas reactors; alternatively
the toilets could be
connected to biogas
reactors.

A Sustainable approach on
providing natural daylighting
and ventilation for the structure,
minimizing energy usage and
increasing the self sufficiency of
the structure.

Proper orientation of the

building and passive cooling
technique provides natural
ventilation
throughout
the
structure, limiting the use of
electric
fans
and
airconditioners.

Light shelves allow light to penetrate

through a building, and are also
designed to shade near the
windows due to the overhangs of
the window.