A purpose-built “Alzheimer’s Village” in the French commune of Dax will give residents the ability to roam free and go about their daily lives in a new approach to treating the disease. According to The Telegraph, residents will live in shared houses in four districts reminiscent of the southwestern French region.
The village is designed to look like a medieval-style bastide, which is common to the area and will help prevent patients from becoming disoriented. Designed by NORD Architects, the village will have a local shop, a hairdresser, restaurants, a cultural center, and a healthcare center. Additionally, volunteers will help to stage activities for the residents.
The idea behind the new design approach is that the freedom the design provides will allow patients to lead an almost normal village life and maintain their participation in a social life (which recent research has shown to be a strong factor in living longer, healthier lives).
Oslo Alzheimer's Village with CLT construction. Courtesy NORD Architects.
Plain-clothes medical staff will watch over the residents, who are confined to the village for their own safety, and researchers will conduct a study to see if this new style of care helps patients remain more active, require less medication, and live happier lives. In total, the village will support 120 Alzheimer’s residents, 100 live-in caregivers, and 120 volunteers.
NORD Architects is also working on an Alzheimer Village in Oslo, Norway and will use CLT to construct the project’s various buildings.
Related Stories
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 24, 2021
Center for Children’s Integrated Services breaks ground in Flint
HED is designing the project.
University Buildings | Aug 19, 2021
School of Medicine completes on California University of Science and Medicine’s new Colton campus
The project was designed and built to address critical public health needs in an underserved region.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 18, 2021
20 years after developing the first open core hospital design here is what the firm has learned
Hospitals have traditionally used a “racetrack” layout, which accommodates patient rooms around the exterior and situates work areas and offstage functions in a central block.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 5, 2021
Animal health, a huge market getting bigger, is fertile territory for engineering firm CRB
Regulatory compliance is seminal to any project’s design.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 4, 2021
When the hospital becomes home
Patients and their loved ones need a variety of meaningful spaces outside the patient room to enhance feelings of optimism and control.
Healthcare Facilities | Aug 3, 2021
New 9-story outpatient facility planned on Washington University Medical Campus
Lawrence Group and Perkins Eastman are designing the project.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 27, 2021
Texas Oncology continues to expand its reach
It is replacing and consolidating a number of its cancer care centers.
Contractors | Jul 23, 2021
The aggressive growth of Salas O'Brien, with CEO Darin Anderson
Engineering firm Salas O'Brien has made multiple acquisitions over the past two years to achieve its Be Local Everywhere business model. In this exclusive interview for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sits down with the firm's Chairman and CEO, Darin Anderson, to discuss its business model.
Daylighting Designs | Jul 9, 2021
New daylighting diffusers come in three shape options
Solatube introduces its newest technology innovation to its commercial product line, the OptiView Shaping Diffusers.