Course syllabus for Residential healthcare: Housing for seniors

Course syllabus adopted 2023-02-13 by Head of Programme (or corresponding).

Overview

  • Swedish nameBoende och vård: bostäder för äldre
  • CodeACE520
  • Credits15 Credits
  • OwnerMPARC
  • Education cycleSecond-cycle
  • Main field of studyArchitecture
  • ThemeArchitectural design project 15 c
  • DepartmentARCHITECTURE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING
  • GradingTH - Pass with distinction (5), Pass with credit (4), Pass (3), Fail

Course round 1

  • Teaching language English
  • Application code 05126
  • Maximum participants24 (at least 10% of the seats are reserved for exchange students)
  • Minimum participants8
  • Open for exchange studentsYes
  • Only students with the course round in the programme overview.

Credit distribution

0123 Project 15 c
Grading: TH		 15 c

In programmes

Examiner

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Eligibility

General entry requirements for Master's level (second cycle)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Specific entry requirements

English 6 (or by other approved means with the equivalent proficiency level)
Applicants enrolled in a programme at Chalmers where the course is included in the study programme are exempted from fulfilling the requirements above.

Course specific prerequisites


Aim

To practice the design of housing for elderly in a realistic planning context. This design project offers a combination of aspects of space for healthcare, housing and work.

Students will do a design project on a real problem and site of a building where care will be combined with housing for old people. Either it is Senior housing, which means forms in between the ordinary housing and the specific housing-units for elderly, including services and space for common activities, or it is a building where healthcare is more in focus. The dialogue with external experts and with the client is vital.

Learning outcomes (after completion of the course the student should be able to)

Knowledge and understanding
  • Demonstrate specialized knowledge in the sector of housing for seniors and on methodologies and processes related to design for an ageing society.
  • Describe and refer to relevant research findings in the sector of housing for seniors.

Competence and skills

  • Be able to design, develop and preserve the built environment from a holistic and an ageing perspective, dealing with complex contexts and regarding existing values and demands from different user’s perspectives, and in relation to sustainable development.
  • Be able to fulfil a qualified project within architecture; independently and in a team, creative, and critically with adequate architectural methods and syntheses, targeting an ageing population
  • Be able to systematically apply knowledge and understanding of physical, technical and process principles in design, along with aspects of housing, care, and workplace.
  • Demonstrate the capacity for teamwork and to collaborate and communicate with different stakeholders and colleagues, via presentations and oral descriptions, using the entire repertoire of architectural media and methods, to present the reasoning and work conclusions

Judgement and approach

  • Demonstrate the ability to adopt a holistic view in making judgements and appraisals informed by the relevant disciplinary, social, and ethical aspects and to integrate the needs of all user groups as a fundament for proposals of long-term sustainable architecture and high aesthetic quality.

Content

The course contains the following compulsory elements.
  • The Design Project, containing design-work in the teams and scheduled tutoring.
  • Lectures and studio meetings.
  • Scheduled self-studies/individual studies.
  • Presentations.
  • Literary assignments.
  • Workshops, laborations, etc.
  • Study visits.

Organisation

All compulsory course elements are described above, under Content. Some explanatory descriptions are added here below.

The first weeks of the course includes lectures, organized in themes. In parallel, local study visits and a longer study trip are made. This period also includes three exercises in form of two workshops and one presentation. In one of the workshops, the students produce an apartment/room. In the other they work with a model of the site.

Throughout the course, there are studio meetings. The purpose is to summarize completed tasks, describe upcoming assignments and to give room for questions.

The following, and main, part of the course contains teamwork in the projects, with scheduled tutoring sessions.

The progression of the student projects is monitored via the scheduled tutoring sessions and the mid-crits presentations.

In connection with the final crits and examination, the students present their projects for the client in a separate session.

Literature

A list of literature will be provided later.

Examination including compulsory elements

All compulsory elements are described in Content, above. To obtain the grade passed, the compulsory elements are required all deliverables must be handed in. Absence from compulsory elements will be evaluated in each individual case and additional assignments may be required.

The final individual grade is based on the grades from the project work and from the individual assignment.

Grading for the Projects
All students in a team will receive the same grading for their design project, if there are no extraordinary circumstances.

Assessment is made according to the following:

Failed (U): The project is clearly unviable. Significant parts of the requested material are missing in the project report and presentations.
Grade 3: The project is carried out at an acceptable level and is feasible. No parts are missing (additions can be discussed).
Grade 4: The project is well executed and well feasible. All parts of the project report and presentations are included and are well implemented.
Grade 5: The project is very well executed and very well feasible. All parts of the project report and presentations are included and are very well implemented.

Individual assignment grading
The individual assignment is a literature assignment. It is graded according to language, structure, and content.

The final grading
Each student receives an individual grade, based on the mean value from the grading procedure described above.

The course examiner may assess individual students in other ways than what is stated above if there are special reasons for doing so, for example if a student has a decision from Chalmers on educational support due to disability.