SEMINAR RESEARCH PAPER

“CONNECTING ELDERS TO NATURE”

A SPACE FOR ELDERLY
SUBMITTED BY:
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

START

Survey and analysis

Literature study: Bioplilic Bye- laws and universal

Secondary case study
architectute design

Inferences, patterns and

insights
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 REVIEW
The Distribution of Old Age Homes in India (2020)
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.
COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS
SERIAL DESCRIPTION OLD AGE HOME AT BINDAPUR SILVER LINING OLD AGE HOME
NO.
1. Address Block b, uttam Nagar, bindapur, new Dwarka vihar, near Jal board, sect 16b,
Delhi, Delhi 110059 Dwarka, block x, Najafgarh, new Delhi,
dl 110043

2. Type Government Private

3. Capacity 50 40
4. Maintenance Not in a good condition, Cleanliness is a Work in a better condition as
major issue compared to government OAHs
5. Amenities Only basic needs Double Occupancy, Studio Apartment,
Regular Free Parenting Workshop,
Yoga Session, Work Shop for Old Age
Citizen, Optional Facility, 24x7
Ambulance, Hospice & Medical Care
6. Charges Free of cost On paid basis
7. Environment Not so homely Found homely atmosphere
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.
 PAPER 7 -Biophilic Design in Architecture (2017)

P. NO PATTERNS INTER- PICTORIAL ATTRIBUTES DOMAIN OF DESIGN

RELATION REPRESENTATION PRESENTS APPLICABILITY CONSIDERATION
P1 VISUAL CONTACT P2 Vegetation; Animals; LANDSCAPE • Design to support visual
terrain; soil; moderately BUILDING connection that can be
designed landscape experienced for at least
5- 20 minutes a day
• Prioritizing real nature
over simulated
P2 NON VISUAL P3 Weather ; Natural LANDSCAPE Connections easily accessed
CONTACT P4 Ventilation from one or multiple
(operable windows) ; locations.
herbs & flowers Through building openings
facing open spaces
P3 NON- RHYTHMIC Cloud movement; LANDSCAPE
SENSORY STIMULI Breezes
P4 THERMAL & P1 Solar heat gain ; Shade & BUILDING Orientation of built form to
AIRFLOW P2 shadow ; Radiant LANDSCAPE suitably shade the interiors
VARIABILITY surface material ; as well as promote self-
vegetation with seasonal shading due to adjacent
densification structures
 PAPER 7 -Biophilic Design in Architecture (2017)
P. NO PATTERNS INTER- PICTORIAL ATTRIBUTES DOMAIN OF DESIGN
RELATION REPRESENTATION PRESENTS APPLICABILITY CONSIDERATION
P6 DYNAMIC & P1 Daylight from multiple BUILDING Strategic usage of skylights
DIFFUSE LIGHT angles; Direct sunlight ; and translucent materials
Diurnal & Seasonal light like fibre - glass sheets,
producing diffused lighting
to interactive spaces

P7 CONNECTIONS P1 Simulated daylighting BUILDING

WITH NATURAL P2 systems; Hedges & LANDSCAPE
SYSTEMS P6 flowering vegetation

P10 COMPLEXITY & P1 Exposed structure ; BUILDING Structure revealing fractal

ORDER Façade material; Floor LANDSCAPE geometry
plan ; Building skyline
P11 PROSPECT P1 Elevated planes Views BUILDING • Orienting building;
including shade trees; LANDSCAPE openings, fenestrations
Shade shadow optimizing visual access to
indoor & outdoor vistas,
open interactive spaces.
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 -
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 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 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
Site plan
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.

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.
Color-
• Color is another important sensory stimulation as it has both an emotional and physical impact on humans.
• With age the ability to distinguish color decreases with blue to yellow spectrum being affected the most.
• Warm colors are recommended to be used in the interior and furnishing because it makes it easier to distinguish
between them.
• Cool colors, pastels, grey shades should be avoided, as they are harder to distinguish and might cause agitation due to
that.
• Creating high contrast between different color 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.
THANK YOU