A Physical Response to the Problem of Intergenerational Space

A Physical Response to the Problem of Intergenerational Space A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture in the Department of Architecture of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning by Josiah Ebert B.S. University of Cincinnati May 2017 Committee Chair: Michael McInturf Committee Member: Elizabeth Riorden Abstract People of all ages inhabit architectural designs; sometimes these designs are geared toward their specific needs, but more often spaces are built for some predetermined average person. Although this has its benefits, it tends to encourage the already natural problem of age segregation within spaces because each space is designated and designed for a specific age group, such as children in a preschool or elderly in a nursing home. While such spatial segregation is easily navigated by most adults who freely move between these spaces, it can have more perverse effects on the young and old who are less able to move between spaces and who have more distinct spatial requirements and barriers to entry than the average adult. These effects include isolation which can lead to decline in health as well as slower development of social skills for children. At the same time, the groups that are affected the most are also the ones that are currently growing the most, with the elderly and youth populations expanding at a high rate. For the effects of spatial segregation to be addressed, spaces of overlap should be explored both on a programmatic and spatial level. By analyzing the research in how spaces are designed for specific groups and then refolding this information back into the fabric of overlapping spatial design, a more true form of intergenerational space can begin to arise. Alongside this exploration, programs that support overlap can be developed and explored, such as combined care facilities for the elderly and preschool age children, a type that has arisen in recent years due to much social research, but which still lacks architectural research. This model provides a useful testing ground for intergenerational concepts due to the specificity of interaction, and the design explored here will seek to map these interactive concepts. By redeveloping spaces of overlap through the lens of differing generational user groups, barriers to intergenerational exchange can be mitigated and such exchange can begin to be supported rather than impeded by the spaces they occur within. To my Grandma Ebert, who always found my work interesting. And for my father, who always had ideas for me and loved to talk about architecture and design. Special thanks to my mother,, who never lost patience with my complaints. TABLE OF CONTENTS .1 People in Space 11 .2 Seniors in Space 27 .3 Children in Space 41 .4 Together in Space 53 .5 Design Application 67 .6 Conclusion 83 .7 Bibliography 85 11 .1 People in Space People exist simultaneously within the confines of time and within the confines of space; these relationships are at once evident and continuously intertwined. Take, for instance, a small suburban home. The toddler crawls along the floor – the eight foot ceilings are high, out of reach- the texture of the carpet is felt, tactile- it takes a full 5 minutes to cross the living room. As a teenager, it takes no more than 4 steps to cross the room. The ceiling is low and within reach. Not only this, but the experience of life and culture has changed her view of the world. What she actually perceives is different because of what she has learned is important to notice – and at the same time she thinks very little of the room because it is familiar. Forty years later, the familiar room is further from reach once again. The steps at the entry take careful concentration rather than flippant bounding. The room feels larger as it takes longer to cross and vision is faded. The experience is different. As Hall perceptively notes, “superficially, these groups may all look alike and sound somewhat alike… beneath the surface there lie manifold unstated, unformulated differences in the structuring of time, space, materials, and relationships.”1 Hall was, of course, referring to culture when he made his observations of perceptual differences in the interplay between time and space, but there is evidence that differing age groups, also, interact with, experience, and perceive space in unique ways. This is especially true with recent demographic trends that point to a large increase in the 65+ population over the next 30 years combined with an average life expectancy for seniors that is 90+.2 This lengthening of the age gap means that in addition to changes in spatial perception due to age, there actually are Figure #1 1. Edward T. Hall, The Hidden Dimension (Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday, 1969), X. 2. John K. McIlwain, Housing in America: the Baby Boomers Turn 65 (Washington, DC: Urban Land Institute, 2012), 6. 13 differing cultural perceptions of space, just as Hall describes, even within the same country, simply due to the drastic changes in the arc of history that can occur over a 50-70 year period. And yet, although people’s perceptions are changing as they move through time and space, the space itself often remains static, suited to a single view – that of the average, vaguely human, occupant – the architectural subject as it were. CURRENT SOLUTIONS Even when these differences are acknowledged, they are dissected and exploited individually – as with the proclivity to neatly categorize and solve social problems, the method adapted is divide and conquer. Preschools are designed for the specific needs of children, assisted living facilities acknowledge the needs of seniors, and businesses are made for the average adult.3 The result is the splintering seen between age groups at a macro, but perhaps more importantly, a micro level in many communities across the United States.4 What is more important is that whenever a person enters a space designed for the specific needs of another group (if he ever goes at all), he is immediately alienated by the space itself. By trying to address the problem, the gap between competing users is highlighted, only further exemplifying the Figure #2 - McCarthy Place, 2020, All Seniors Care, Figure #3 - The École Maternelle Pajol, 2017, 12 Of the 2020. Most Beautiful Kindergartens around the World, 2020. problem that it was in some way meant to solve. Expedient Solutions Isolated Solutions How, then, can generational perceptions of space be both acknowledged and at the same time recombined into a space so that it is both inviting and conducive to multigenerational use? Overlap Is Not Spatially Supported Traditional responses include only the idea of bringing accessibility into normative spaces – this is the goal of projects such as the World Health Organization’s Global Age Friendly Cities 3. Robert M. Vanderbeck, Intergenerational Space (London: Routledge, 2015), 4. 4. Richelle Winkler, “Research Note: Segregated by Age: Are We Becoming More Divided?,” Population Research and Policy Review 32, no. 5 (November 2013): pp. 717-727, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-013-9291-8), 723-25. 15 initiative.5 However, accessibility is only one factor in making space available to members of widely differing age groups – a ramp alone does not necessarily alter spatial perceptions or promote social engagement. If, then, both separating space for unique interventions, as well as making space physically available to everyone, are not sufficient solutions, a reasonable reconsideration of spatial constructs in terms of intergenerationality becomes necessary. That is, WHAT IS INTER-GENERATIONAL rather than simply impose the needs of one group on all the others or separate groups completely in order to cater to their needs, overlapping dynamics should be exploited to begin to generate new spatial rhythms that facilitate the coexistence of differing age groups within shared spaces. “A site that has been designed for the purpose of facilitating and promoting interaction between members of different generational groups.” - Vanderbeck In general, intergenerational space has come to refer to “a site that has been designed for “Interpersonal relations are always located in a place.” - Mannion the purpose of facilitating and promoting interaction between members of different generational groups.”6 First, there must be a “site” or “contact zone;”7 as Greg Mannion points out, “interpersonal relations are always located in a place.”8 The requirements of the site are that it must facilitate and promote “interaction;” most often this occurs through programming efforts: teenagers teach seniors to use technology, seniors act as teaching aids, community gardens are worked on by multiple groups, etc. Finally, the interaction must include people of multiple (2 or more) generational groups. All of these currently exist in some form; however, in the current state of intergenerational space, it quickly becomes evident that “intergenerational 5. Global Age-Friendly Cities: a Guide (Geneva: World Health Organization, 2007). Figure #4 6. Vanderbeck, 1. 7. Vanderbeck, 28. 8. Greg Mannion, “Intergenerational Education: The Significance of Reciprocity and Place,” Journal of Intergenerational Relationships 10, no. 4 (2012): pp. 386-399, https://doi.org/10.1080/15350770.2012.726601), 391. 17 professionals…….facilitate intergenerational communication and cooperation, while ignoring the environmental context in which behavior occurs.”9 In order, then, to expand the exploration of the “environmental context” of intergenerational exchange, the users must be understood, their interaction must be explored, and finally, the place of interaction must be constructed.10 In order to develop an understanding of what is most needed to allow age groups to DEMOGRAPHIC SHIFT coalesce in space, the current generational landscape must be explored, the current problems delineated, and the most affected groups identified so that any intervention can be both appropriate and meaningful.

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