Project: Taikang Community Shen Garden
Award: Healthcare, Gold, 2022
Location: Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China
Architect: GN Architects
Client: Taikang Group
This high-end retirement community in Northern China turns the traditional idea of an old folks home on its head. With apartments and state of the art medical and rehabilitation facilities on offer, it feels more akin to a combined hotel and wellness facility than nursing home. The emphasis is on nutrition, food, fitness and providing for the social needs of its residents, with designated spaces for a plethora of activities including karaoke, chess, yoga, swimming and table tennis.
At the heart of the scheme is a huge commercial and social building – a glass hall with a transparent ceiling - that offers a light filled communal space for residents to mix and mingle during the region’s long and extreme winters. It features an open flower hall, supermarket, shops and stalls. All designed to foster a love of life, whatever your age.
Elderly-friendly design features include emergency call buttons throughout, rounded furniture corners and chair and sofa seats that are designed to allow easy rising.
Design Highlights
Elegant white walls, natural wood, a warm colour palette and bright artworks create a refreshing and cosy space, while stained glass windows and vintage grey bricks conjure up fond memories of old Shanghai. The large, glass "forest hall" in the heart of the community centre is supported by tree-shaped columns and features underfloor heating so that people can move freely indoors during the long winter.
Photo credit: Liang Wenjun
- DESIGN TEAM: LI Sijia, JIN Xiaoyan, MENG Wei, SHANG Mengqi, HUANG Wei
- CONSULTANTS: WANG Yongwen