Arkitektúr og skipulag - 01.08.1992, Qupperneq 94

ENGLISH SUMMARY
This issue of Arkitektur og skipulag
(Architecture and Planning) focuses on
two issues: the elderly and their housing
options, and major architectural projects
in lceland today, i.e. the "Pearl" and the
new City Hali in Reykjavík.
Page 10 What is the Position of the Elderly
in lcelandic Society Today?
Philosopher Pdll Skúlason considers
lcelandic society, which disregards both
the young and the old and is dominated
by the obsessions and technology of
those "in the prime of life." He foresees a
society where the young and the old will
join forces and resurrect a more human
society.
Page 11 The City of Reykjavík’s Buildings
for the Elderly
Stefdn Hermannsson, assistant City
Engineer writes about the work of the
Building for the Elderly Committee, which
is responsible for construction of
institutions, residential developments and
service centres for the elderly. He
describes a number of service-flat
developments, where some units are
intended for sale outright, others for part-
ownership. Problems of defining services,
whether nursing homes should form a
part of apartment developments, as well
asthe issue of adapting homesto growing
need for services, remain to be con-
fronted. All elderly people have equal
entitlement to the social and medical
services they need, whether or not they
live in a "service apartment," but since
many such developments have been
built close to social and medical service
centres, residence there has its
advantages.
Page 15 Designing Apartments for the
Elderly
Architect Richard Ólafur Briem considers
the boom in construction of “service
apartments" for the elderly in recent
years, not ony by public authorities but
also by various groups. He points out the
concentration on apartmentsfor outright
sale, which does not meet the needs of
those who do not already own a home
and require rental accommodation. He
discusses the trend towards trying to
enable the elderly to remain as long as
possible in their own homes, with various
support. The elderly are, he says, a heter-
ogeneous group, and of a generation
which is not accustomed to making
demands. Their real needs, therefore,
ought to be researched far more
thoroughly.
Page 20 Buildings for the Elderly Shouid
be Better than Others
Architect Hilmar Þór Björnsson argues that
buildingsintended for the elderly should
not only ha ve interior design for the needs
of the elderly and infirm. They should be
designed particularly as high-quality, low-
maintenance constructions. Elderly
people, he points out, have generally
only their pensions, and cannot be
expected to afford expensive
maintenance work, He mentions two
examples: one apartment block built by
an owner who planned to own and
manage the block, which is technically
designed to minimise maintenance, The
other, built by a contractor as a one-off
project, is simply a standard apartment
building, which will involve all the normal
headachesofexteriormaintenance. The
author calls for renovation and redesign
of existing buildings with the needs of the
elderly in mind.
Page 22 The Most Urgent Need is for
Nursing Homes
Kristján Benediktsson reports on the
building developments carried out by
the Society of Senior Citizens in Reykjavík.
Most of the flats are bought by people
who sell a larger home, which is too large
forthem afterthe children have left home.
Common tree- and four-floor apartment
blocks do not have lifts, which can
become a problem as people grow older.
Solutions need to be found for those who
do. not already own homes: part-
ownership, for instance. The most urgent
issue, however, is the shortage of nursing
homesforthoseelderly peoplewhoneed
full-time care rather than support from
social services,
Page 24 Apartments for the Elderly in
Þorlákshöfn
Architect Geirharður Þorsteinsson
discusses the factors and issues which
must be considered in designing and
building for the elderly, such as the fact
that old people spend far more time in
their homes than younger people. Since
specially-designed flats for the elderly
are small, their interior design must be
give particular care. The need for some
form of "outdoor" environment which
can be used in all weathers is also
important. This project, with one- and
two-bedroom flats of sizes from 55 to 65
m2, has a covered passage with a plastic
roof, giving the impression of being
outdoors. The article ends with an
account from a resident of the
Þorlákshöfn development, who describes
his experience of moving in from a larger
home, and the facilities of the building,
The total cost of the eight flats, including
theroofed-in "street",waslSK57.4million.
Page 30 Residential Placesforthe Elderly
Ingibjörg R, Magnúsdóttir writes about
residential places for the elderly, which
total 1,948 with nursing and 1,287 with
services, in old people's homes, nursing
homes and hospitals. The emphasis is
moving from service-places to nursing
places, not least because the average
age of residents is rising, and hence they
need more nursing. Home nursing and
physiotherapy for the elderly are growing
factors,
Tables accompanying the article
compare the state of affairs in different
regions (table 1) and give a detailed
breakdown of facilities in Reykjavík (table
2).
Page 33 The Environment of the Elderly
Architect/planner/editorGesturÓlafsson
considers the changing situation of the
elderly in lceland, and throughout the
western world. People are living longer
and remain fit and healthy for longer, so
residential homes for the elderly do not
meet their needs. Yet society tends to
concentrate on the young and places
obstacles in the way of the elderly, such
as steps with no real purpose, etc.
The outdoor environment also needs to
be considered, so that older people can
walk in a pleasant open area without
having to negotiate uneven territory.
While purpose-built flats for the elderly
have been popular.otheroptionsshould
be considered, such as remodelling the
home for changing needs, rather than
moving away from a familiar environ-
ment. In conclusion, the author laments
thefactthatthe experience and wisdom
of the elderly is so undervalued. They
have much to offer to young people
who are finding their way in life.
Page 35 Lundur: A Creative Environment
Adjacent to the Old People’s Home at
Hella
Landscape architect Dagný Bjarnadóttir
writes about her design, which is her final
project from the Agricultural University in
Copenhagen. Her design is based upon
the idea of enabling elderly people to
remain active and be in charge of their
own lives, instead of being handled
passively by staff. The aim was to offer
residence the opportunity to grow crops
and keep livestock, to ensure wheelchair
access to all areas, and to create
sheltered, sunny havens.
Page 38 Designing a City Hall
Architect Margrét Harðardóttir, one of
the designers of the new City Hall in
Reykjavík, writes about the experience
of designing the building, which was to
prove uniquely controversial.
She discusses the role of good project
management in the construction of the
city hall, as well as the excellence of the
contractors, Istak.
Page 40 Reykjavík City Hall: “The
Unfinished Project” Architect Guðjón
Bjarnason writes about the new Reykjavík
City Hall from a philosophical point of
view. He praises the design for its
imagination, as well as for its original
treatment of human factors. The role of
water and light are discussed, as well as
the treatment of the columns, with their
comic overtones. The author views the
City Hall as a massive sculpture. He
concludes by considering the future: just
as the City Hall is influenced by its
environment, it will influence what is built
nearby in the future.
Page 47 Cost Estimates
The artcle deals with the different stages
of cost estimating, from the first estimate,
based upon a specification, initial design
and figures: the margin of error is from -
25% to +35%. The second cost estimate,
92