Mr Yijun Chen

Cyhoeddiad

• Date
• Type

Ymchwil

_{Design-led research for elderly care architecture from the female perspective in the next Chinese generation with the demographic transition}

_{The demographic transition occurs in China, and the birth rate hit the lowest point in 2019. The proportion of the elderly population continues to increase. Female status is also improving in China. The UK has experience in elderly architecture design that China could learn. It could help architects to improve the well-being of the elderly in China. This proposal uses design-led research to explore how the architectural space responds to demographics in China and female elderly groups' well-being in the next generation (1980-2000 born). In the preliminary stage, the author would have Ethnographic, including historical and spatial research in China and the UK, to find Chinese elderly care architecture's potential and direction. At the same time, this proposal would have various case studies and feminist practices in Europe to reference the elderly care architecture design. In the middle stage of the research, the author would conduct a series of small-scale architecture space designs for elderly well-being in China and the UK. In the later stage of the research, the author would select a specific site in China to have design-led research for testing the previous design, which helps the local female elderly group respond to the demographic transition. Based on this proposal's outcome, a dynamic handbook (website) could be provided to people of different backgrounds to put forward different views on elderly care architecture.}

_{Demographic transition challenges elderly care architecture space in China}

_{The People's Republic of China is facing the lowest birth rate in history (National Bureau of Statistics, 2020a). Simultaneously, its Old Dependency Ratio (the elderly population that every 100 people of working ages will take care of) also reached the highest point in history. Expenses of Basic Pension Insurance for urban and rural residents are snowballing every year(National Bureau of Statistics, 2020b). China has a large number of old apartments and houses for elderly care. With improved living conditions, the next generation has more diverse needs than the previous generation of Chinese elderly. Due to the problems caused by the demographic transition, much elderly care architecture should be updated. However, with the economic downturn, limited welfare investment requires architects to design elderly care architecture while keeping costs low. China needs to learn from the design experience of European countries.}

_{The wellbeing of Chinese female elderly groups and the next generation}

_{The aging of the population has always been a problem facing the world. In previous studies, elderly care architecture has not been fully explored from the perspective of women. The social status of women is improving in China. In the next few decades, the previous elderly care architectures would not meet their needs. The new functions of elderly care architecture should be designed throughout women's lives, such as family members' participation and social space requirements. Exploring how to eliminate environmental barriers to women with different identities in elderly care buildings should be essential to improve the well-being of single mothers, DINK families, LGBT, Grouping living, and minority groups in China.}

_{Design-led research for elderly care architecture from the female perspective}

_{Design-led research encourages researchers to participate in ethnographic research, involved, look at life from the perspective of the subjects, and accept the existence of the researchers on the study of influential material(Coyne, 2006). It would be used to produce design guidelines for elderly care architecture from the perspective of women. Not only about architectural space, but it should also be interdisciplinary such as social sciences, art, ergonomics, and history. It could compare and combine different disciplines to explore architectural space. Some fields like housing, medical care, ecology, art, and human rights are essential. The author would select a particular site to design an elderly care architecture from a female perspective, which tests and explore how female care spaces meet specific contexts in architectural practice in China.}