Interconnected Harmony: A Healthy Living Community Centre

This project is to design a healthy living community centre with a total of 38,130 sq. ft. that supports seniors through all dimensions of wellness. Located at 56, Jalan Diraja Ungku Aziz, Seksyen 12, 46200 Petaling Jaya, seniors will be able to socialise and participate in activities instead of spending most of their time at home. Family members are welcome to spend quality time with their older family members as this centre allows seniors to feel a sense of community not only among themselves but with all ages through intergenerational bonding.

Therapeutic gardens improve overall health of seniors through reducing stress and anxiety, while increasing their sense of security and belonging by providing connection to nature. Handrails and benches designed with armrests provide support and stability for seniors, while a simple looping path with no dead ends help to minimise confusion and promote circulation. Passive restoration zones allow for respite and contemplation.

The ample seating space allow seniors to rest while moving in-between spaces. The homelike environment evokes a sense of familiarity and belonging, reinforcing their emotional wellbeing.

The fitness studio allows for seniors to reduce stress through endorphins produced from light exercising, which helps to decrease age related morbidity. Sliding partitions allow access to therapeutic garden, enhancing the sensory experience of this space. 

Physically and emotionally comfortable design is utilised in the waiting and reception area for people to linger and hence create opportunities for brief and spontaneous interaction as well as maintaining contact with the wider community.

The community table provides opportunities for social interaction and feeling a sense of community, which can strengthen their mental and emotional wellbeing. Abstract tiles with provide contrast to the healthy eating cafe and a positive sensory experience to the seniors. Materials such as the retro style mosaic tiles and rattan panels bring a sense of familiarity to the space. The healthy eating cafe provides nutritious food to nurture a healthier lifestyle and eating habits for seniors. Pockets of semi-outdoor spaces strengthens their connection to nature.

Cooking workshops hosted in this space helps to encourage healthy eating, stimulate positive memories of sharing and preparing meals, and develop and sense of comraderie and intergenerational bonding which can greatly enhance their wellbeing.

The library and lounge area allows the seniors to maintain wider contact with society through reading and interacting with people from different age groups. A variety of seating arrangements are provided in the library and lounge for various individual or group settings with varying levels of privacy for each area to suit different needs.

Clay breeze blocks are use as a permeable facade as it not only provides shading and privacy to the space, but also preserve contact with the environment outside allowing sounds and smell to travel through.

Seniors are able to have low to medium intensity exercise while nurturing mindfulness, and sensory stimulation through connection with nature. Workshops held allow for intergenerational bonding and improvement in motor skills. Planting stands are used to display completed projects, in multiple heights to provide accessibilty. Intergenerational programmes can foster empathy from the youth towards seniors & allows them to act as mentors which increases their sense of purpose.

Art workshops conducted in this space help to improve dexterity and cognition through light but consistent activity, while providing a sense of control and identity in self-expression.