How can ‘care’ be used as a tool to rethink what is considered valuable in urban planning? This project explores the societal and spatial implications of reprogramming vacant hospitals into new Neighborhoods of Care. This is done with care for the climate, for the limited resources, and for the marginalized groups of society, that are often left out of modern city planning.
Developing with Care
The project takes departure in feminist economics – a critique of the way our modern society considers value exclusively in a monetary context – and suggest an alternative value system based on care. The project introduces six concepts of care as a toolbox in urban development; Public health, Preservation and Adaptive reuse relating to physical care and Citizen involvement, Inclusion of marginalized groups, and Gender equality in relation to social care.
This project develops a strategy for the vacant and not yet demolished or transformed hospitals. Aalborg North Hospital is used as a case example, to demonstrate how to establish a Neighborhood of Care with housing functions for vulnerable groups.
House of Care
The House of Care is a community house, with a focus on the difficult meeting point between different societal groups and the public of Aalborg. The transformation of the existing building is developed with care for our physical environment – with Public health, Preservation, and Adaptive reuse as guidelines.
On the ground floor, the Citizen’s office and the Social café share the main entry space. From here hallways are leading to the assisted housing functions - the shelter, the elderly housing, and the crisis center.
Spatial Interventions of Care
The spatial interventions are created with the already existing functions and structures in mind. Working with preservation and respect for the local historical identity that the hospital carries, the overall expression of the modernist welfare architecture is preserved. Elements and materials found on site are, with care for detail, used to develop new spaces and interiors.
The connective hallways of the existing hospital are enhanced and transformed into The House of Care trail that is running through the different buildings with smaller pockets to make room for more intimate situations. The ground floor is opened up to invite the public to take part in social activities, while the public spaces are designed with a focus on different identities and zones, making them suitable for specific user groups and for different types of stay.
Social Interactions of Care
Through models, the project investigates how we as architects can implement not only physical care but as well social care to make sure to sustain and improve the existing networks in the development of our urban future.
The model facades show the elements of physical care and transformation while a viewing box in front shows the social care and interactions. Contrary to the regular way of viewing an architectural model in bird’s-eye view, the viewer is invited into a more intimate situation, seeing the use of the architecture at eye level.
