Date of Submission
Spring 5-6-2025
Degree Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Architecture
Department
Architecture
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Ameen Farooq
Secondary Advisor
Saleh Uddin
Abstract
In America, most try to plan for every aspect of life from birth. The country is home to some of the most advanced education systems in the world and has office buildings that aim to not only prioritize work efficiency, but also worker health. From cradle to Casket, architects challenge themselves with the task of making everyday spaces better. It was my experience and privilege over the past few years to bear witness and assist my grandparents through the last, fragile stages of life. I watched as each of them moved from home life, to assisted living, and then nursing homes. Unlike the other stages of life, where the imprint of architects was unignorable, the elder care facilities I witnessed my grandparents move to homes void of the solutions Prevelant Issues architecture provides, and full of the issues we strive to address. Little to no daylight exposure, improper access to facilities such as bathrooms, dining rooms, nurse stations, and common spaces, unsanitary living conditions, and hazard-prone layouts. Special circumstances during the Covid-19 epidemic only amplified these factors. It stretched staff thin, forced programs onto spaces that were never intended for it, made certain spaces unusable, and cut off portions of buildings to protect or isolate inhabitants. These reactions may have been necessary, but its hard to ignore how poorly our spaces adapted to the new conditions. Could these issues be because of code, finances, bad architectural design, or something else? The source is important, but I it only acts as a guide to the bounds this thesis operates in. have analyzed five different precedents who utilized their architecture in ways that question these same issues. Many have implemented pieces of the solution, but none of them have spaces that adapt, only ones that react. It is vital that this distinction be corrected. If these buildings are not designed for everything, then the mold of specialty remains, and our buildings do nothing more than shield patients from rain when inevitable problems arise.