Participants of the competition "Society for All Ages" were invited to solve the problem of adaptation and socialization of older people in modern society by means of architecture. The project of a building for the elderly could be located anywhere in the world, and Anna Prokudina chose the shores of the Golden Horn in Istanbul for her work.
Anna Prokudina.
Project “Re-Generation. Play for life."
Problematic
The objective of the competition was to develop an architectural concept aimed at integrating older people into society.
The social isolation of this age group is due to many factors: first of all, the state of health, which often does not allow older people to lead their usual way of life. The second, but no less significant problem is the feeling of one's own uselessness. It's so important to feel needed: to your children, relatives, neighbors or just random people interested in health in a store or clinic.
However, the positive aspects of maturity, such as experience, knowledge, wisdom, are often underestimated. As a result, the younger generation is losing the opportunity to adopt and inherit this irreplaceable professional and life experience, and the gap between generations is growing, exacerbating the problem of “fathers and children”. In the meantime, the infrastructure for the elderly is limited only to nursing homes, which are a kind of "ghetto".
The aim of my project is to propose a solution aimed at integrating the elderly into modern society and involving them in social life. The task is to bridge the gap by creating a kind of "bridge" between generations.
Concept
The project was carried out for Istanbul, a city where special reverence for elders is cultivated, which is associated with the religion and traditions of Turkey. There is a widespread model in which elderly parents live with their children or next to them. Despite this, a significant percentage of older people live alone.
In my project, I tried to create a space that allows breaking the boundaries between generations and, using architecture, to establish a dialogue between different age groups.
As a result of the analysis and comparison of the characteristics of two programs: for the elderly and young people, the key word “game” was identified. Play as a connecting element for communication and interaction between groups. The peculiarity of the new program is, it would seem, in an obvious contradiction: to involve people who have not played for a long time and are far from children's fun in this adventure. The exchange of emotions, knowledge and experience will help overcome age barriers and taboos. Such interaction through play will give everyone a chance to act as a participant, to be a spectator and an actor at the same time, and also to look at familiar things in a new way.
Here anyone can be realized in a new role, different from everyday life. So, the retired captain will share his impressions of the wanderings through an exciting quest game; the literature teacher organizes a reading competition and a poetry evening, and she herself will try herself as an artist at a painting master class, having realized an old dream. Schoolchildren will be able to switch roles with their elders, teaching several lessons on the topic “how to use the Internet and Skype”.
Architectural image
The architectural concept is a journey, a metaphorical journey from childhood to adolescence, youth and maturity. It starts at the foot of the hill. Once on the ramp, the visitor constantly rises, discovering new horizons for himself. It passes through the open theater, crosses different levels and functional areas. This path is a semblance of life, where a person also has to go through different stages of "growing up".
The project area is located on the picturesque bank of the Golden Horn, a bay that flows into the Bosphorus. The building consists of two components and a ramp-bridge connecting them into one volume. Due to the peculiarities of the local relief, it is integrated into the landscape. Once inside the structure, visitors can participate in activities on the ground floor or climb the ramp to other levels. On the first level, there are thematic workshops, play and study areas, organized around a courtyard - an open theater. This public space is the core of the building, where performances and concerts are held. The auditorium and library are located on the second floor. The ramp goes through all levels and leads to a green roof terrace. Two pedestrian bridges penetrate the building, allowing you to get directly from the street into the visual zone of the second level amphitheater, bypassing the main entrance.
The association with the life cycle is an allegory for the project. The world around you is perceived as huge while you are small, but over time it no longer seems so immense, because you have grown and become stronger. Similarly, after going all the way, gaining experience and reaching the top, the visitor finds himself on the roof of the building: a panorama of the whole of Istanbul and the Golden Horn opens up. Here, at the top, you can feel the whole value of the path traveled, which can be looked at in adulthood.
Anna Prokudina
In 2010 she graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute with a degree in urban planning.
From 2010 to September 2011 she worked as an architect in a construction company in Moscow
In May 2011 she won a scholarship to study at the Polytechnic University of Milan.
09.2011–10.2014 - Master's degree in architecture
09.2013– 03.2014 - internship at the architectural studio of Dominique Perrault in Paris
10.2014 - double master's degree in architecture from the Polytechnic University of Milan and Turin on the topic “Reconstruction of the industrial zone of Porto Marghera (Mestre, Venice). School of Arts as an Economic Stimulus for Territory Development”.
In 2013, within the framework of the design studio of the Milan Polytechnic University, she presented the concept of the project “Re-Generation. Play for life”, which was further developed in more detail and presented to the international competition“Society for All Ages”.
In 2014, this work won the first prize in the individual project nomination. The project was presented at the UN headquarters in New York in February 2014.
