Terminal Atelier-A hospice for Artists-

Yasue Imai

The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts School of ArchitectureDepartment 11

Master’s Thesis Project ProgrammeFebruary 2013

stud4995Yasue Imai

SuperVisor Prof. Anders Brix

CONTENTS

Motivation

Introduction

Context

Issue

Thesis Statement

Framing

Notes

Schedule

Deliverables

Bibliography

“Death is the side of life turned away from us, un-illumi-nated by us: we must try to achieve the greatest possible consciousness of our existence, which is at home in both of these unlimited provinces, and inexhaustibly nourished by both...there is neither a here nor a beyond, but only the great unity. in which the Angels those beings that surpass us, are at home.“

-Letter 1925, Rainer Maria Rilke

MOTIVATION

Not so long ago, the whole process of human life from birth to death normally took place in the house.

Modern development of medicine has been great and rapid, and eventually it has made the peoples life under medical treatment longer and a place of dying was swallowed up by medical institutions. Now half numbers of dying people last their end of the life in hospitals in Denmark despite they originally had wish to live in home until their termina-tion.

A hospice is an institution purely designed to improve the quality of life of the terminally ill, the dying and their relatives. Although it is programmed for the dyings, I be-lieve that it contains many starting points of discussion about “how we live”.

The aim of this project will be an investigation of future hospice’s concept.

“Architecture should defend man at his weakest.“ -Alvar Aalto

INTRODUCTION/ a home at the end of life

A hospice is a medical facility which is designed specially for the patients in an incurably ill condition, to live their last time of their own free will.

Hospice care is based on the palliative care which is fo-cused more on pain-relieving and Spiritual Care to bring self respect to the patients rather than the positive life pro-longing treatment. All kinds of treatments and help will be provided when the patient requests.

Movie “Hospice patient thrives with art therapy.”by The News Herald

CONTEXT/ Art as Care. Acts of remembrance.

It has been a long time since Art started to show its great potential in the medical scene. Beginning from the communi-cation tool of counselling for mentally ill patients, now it is even adopted as one of the ‘Alternative Medicines’ with a firm belief of intimate interactivity between human body and soul.Art actually can control pain and suffering of cancer and it supports patients to regain the life force by stimulat-ing their imagination.

Especially in the terminally ill situation at hospices, with no longer having the way to cure the disease radi-cally, this kind of Care have a major role and can perform fully to it’s ability.

The Connecticut Hospice, the first hospice in the US, re-gards art as the fundamental essence of care like as food or medicines. They approached the state and put this theory in the state’s health care institution.

Every artwork produced by the last stage patient will be indispensable conviction of their life and it will surely provide a sense of relief for those patients.

The oldest hospice, Hôtel-Dieu de Paris

CONTEXT/ History

In the earliest days, a hospice meant a church where trav-ellers could stay on the way of their religious pilgrimage over Europe in the medieval age. They also offered hospi-tality to the sick, wounded or dying travellers, eventu-ally the word hospice came to describe all kinds of care institutions including hospitals, nursing homes, orphan homes and so on.

The name hospice was first applied to the care of dying pa-tients by Jeanne Garnier who founded the Dames de Calaire in Lyon, France, in 1842. The name was next introduced by the Irish Sisters of Charity who opened hospices in Dublin and London by early 18th.

In 1967, Dame Cicely Saunders started St Christopher’s Hospice with the intention of creating a place that was better suited to pain control and preparing for death than a busy hospital ward. In the meantime her ideals have spread around the world, which gave her the reputation of being the founder of the modern hospice movement. Since then the hospice movement has rapidly expanded through the United Kingdom,the United States and elsewhere.

Hospice, Nursing home

Hospital Home

2004 TOMORROW

in hospice...average 25.4 days stay 67.7years old 95% cancer

We live longer with cancer elderly people’s population grows Hospices accept other chronic diseases

CONTEXT/ Hospice in Denmark

“When the debate about the hospice in Denmark began, it was said that the hospital of death did not fit into Danish mentality. But after the opening of Sankt Lucas Hospice in 1992, the first hospice in Denmark, this attitude changed.“-Preface, ”Programme for the good hospice in Denmark”

The hospice has became a highly controversial issue in Denmark recently. According to the Danish Nurse Organiza-tion, more people choose hospice in Denmark now and the total bed days of hospices has doubled since 2004.

In 2004, the Danish Parliament passed legislation obliging all counties to develop plans for a minimum of 12 hospice beds. Then the first national set of design principles for hospices was published by the Realdania Fund in 2006.

This “Programme for the Good Hospice in Denmark” was pro-duced as inspiration for future hospice projects in dif-ferent parts of the country, and as a tool in the plan-ning of new hospices. It is a good tool in understanding the current situation of hospices in Denmark, which is suggesting a lot of spatial qualities to achieve good hospice’s standard: how the private and public sections should be designed, or how the privacy, temperature, daylight, sound environment should be controlled in the bedroom and so on. Those suggestions are planned to be flexible enough to support the diverse patients.

“Look at the window, dear, at the last ivy leaf on the wall. Didn’t you wonder why it never fluttered or moved when the wind blow? Ah, darling,it’s Behrman’s masterpiece-he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell.“

-The Last Leaf, O.Henry

ISSUE/ Facing to Death

“It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth - and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up, we will then begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it was the only one we had. “

_Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

What will happen to the mind of a dying person...Elisabeth Kubler-Ross did extensive research in the field by actually talking to more than 200 of people in the process of dying, and she explored the five stages of death: denial and isola-tion, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

Patients come to hospice after they choose the life with-out fighting against the incurable disease anymore. There, the Fear of Death and the Praise of Life are opposite sides of the same coin. Patients would love the activities which make them feel alive, and keep in contact with the every-thing which is reminiscent of life.

Accordingly, it is the natural desire for them to keep their family or things they will bequeath to Earth closer so that they can feel relieved by looking at proof of their lifetime.

Life before Deathby Walter Schels, Beate Lakotta

ISSUE/ Quality of Life in the future hospice

“While Quality of Life (QOL) has long been an explicit or implicit policy goal, adequate definition and measurement have been elusive. Diverse “objective” and “subjective” indicators across a range of disciplines and scales, and recent work on subjective well-being (SWB) surveys and the psychology of happiness have spurred renewed interest.”

-Costanza.R

The central philosophy of hospice care has been ‘Live true to oneself with human dignity, Keep the QOL until the last moment’ from the time when the first hospice was established in 1967 till now.

Through all hospice movements, we acquired many case stud-ies as well as the established hospice’s building type. The concept of hospice care seems to be going to penetrate into modern medicine. We are on a good starting point about how we can develop the idea of hospice for the future.

I suppose it will be necessary to discuss what is the Qual-ity of Life in higher level. At this point I guess the delicate point of view to look at the patient’s individual-ity would help a lot. The Quality Of Life must be very much varied for one by one, depending on their nature.

The very initial sketch

THESIS STATEMENT

This project is a proposal of small scale hospice which is specially designed for Artists to support the quality of life upon the personal level.

I expect that this consideration of patient’s personality will enrich the architectural programme and lead us to one of the possible futures of hospice architecture.

The spatial focus will be expressed in a “Living Unit“ which will function as the patient’s bedroom, atelier and gallery space. This is the space that envelopes the per-son’s daily life until the termination of life, where it represents the person’s past life by being closely united with his(her) artworks, and allows patients to release their imagination.

”Towards Another Light”(The last work)_Marc Chagall

FRAMING/ Users

Even though ‘Programme for the Good Hospice in Denmark’ discuss a lot about the spatial requirements to keep the quality of life for patients, yet patients are not de-scribed any further than the general patients. There are some hospices specifically designed for children or for some particular disease such as HIV. On the other hand, it’s not common to design a hospice in accordance with pa-tients’ personality.

For this project I define the artists as the main user.They are not necessarily professional, but people who have enjoyed their own creative life.

Besides, their family and friends, caretakers, nurses, and doctors, visitors for their exhibitions are important us-ers of the building.

Something to live for

Releasing Imagination

Proof of Lifetime“Relief”

“Energy”

“Dream”

FRAMING/ Specification

I will design a small scale hospice, for three artists and their family, caretakers, visitors.

‘Living Unit‘ for patients(35m2) Bedroom---Atelier---Gallery

‘Center‘ area for caretakers Bathroom(15m2), Medicine room(10m2), Linen Room(10m2), Machinery(10m2), Staff Room(20m2)

‘Home‘ area for patient’s family and friends Conservation Room(10m2), Resting Space(15m2)

‘Garden‘ area for visitors, and everyone’s interaction Lounge(20m2)

Emdrup StationAtelierhusene

Bispebjerg Kirkegård

Grundvigs Kirke Bispebjerg Hospital

Where I live

Utterslev Mose

Emdrup Kirke

Bispebjerg Hospital

Utterslev Mose

FRAMING/ Site

The site is located near the north-east side of Utterslev Mose, in Northern West Copenhagen, Denmark.Utterslev Mose is a recreational area consisting of huge wetland and a park, with beautiful nature and quiet envi-ronment. Total area is 221ha including 97ha of the water area.

Many people come here to enjoy walk-ing and cycling on a long path which is surrounding the whole area. Utterslev Mose was protected in 2000 to create opportunities for improving the area’s biological, scenic and recrea-tional values.

Utterslev Mose is on the border in be-tween Bispebjerg and Brønshøj, the two distincts both mainly residential area.The site is in Bispebjerg side, which has also been my neighborhood.

Bispebjerg Hospital Palliative Care Department

Neighborhood, Bispebjerg Hospital

Designed by Martin Nyrop, completed in 1913. One of the most historical hospitals in Copenhagen.

The original brick pavilions and spreading over the huge area with beautiful green. Those pavilions have now been listed as buildings of preservation by the Heritage Agency of Denmark.

They are currently having a big reconstruction under a new master plan. On account of its peaceful and relaxing envi-ronment the hospital was decided to be especially special-ized in Psychiatry.

Bispebjerg Hospital is also one of the pioneers in intro-ducing a Palliative Medicine Department.This Department offer treatments through Outpatient clinic, Out call section, Bed section(8 privates and 2 twins), and Research section. Staff are working in a multidiscipli-nary team which consists of: Doctors, Nurses, Psychologist, Priests, Physiotherapist, Social Worker, Secretaries, Coor-dinator, Companions. This combination of staff is very much similar in the hospice as well.

They also have a Geriatric Department for older patients.

Considering the practical reality of the hospice, I will count this existing hospital as part of the system and de-sign a hospice on the assumption that it will get strong support from the appropriate department.

Studio

Site Plan House Type C

Atelierhusene

There is an artist colony called “Atelierhusene” in the northern west corner of Utterslev Møse. Is was built on the initiative of three artists: sculptors Povl Søndergaard and Johan Galster and architect Viggo Møller-Jensen during World War II when housing and building materials were in short supply. Their dream was to build homes that were both cheap and could accommodate the artists’ need for proper working conditions. Finally they got the help of Social Housing and foundation from the major bank and building was designed by Viggo Møller Jensen and completed in 1943.

Apartments are 21 in total, have 3 different type of hous-es: A(2rooms and 2bedrooms/116m2) B(1room and 2bedroom/105m2) C(1room/71m2)All houses have a 35m2 studio which have a good daylight source on the side or gable.

Grundvigs Kirke

This church we build as a remembrance and monu-ment to honour one of the most important Dan-ish theologian N. F. S. Grundtvig (1783–1872). Designed by P.V.Jensen Klint in 1913, complet-ed in 1940.It is entirely made of six million yellow bricks.

The Church was placed on top of Bispebjerg hill. Since this site was the heart of a new housing development, the architectural lan-guage was brought to the surrounding housing master plan.

Bispebjerg Kirkegård

Bispebjerg cemetery was estab-lished in 1903. The main avenue of poplar trees extends from Grundvigs Kirke to Utterslev Mose. The area is approximately 430000m2 including beautiful green areas. This cemetery is more like a park and also popular for walking or jogging.

3.Feb 2013, PM3:30 Sunday walking around Utterslev Mose

1930Sant Pau Hospital by Lluis Domenech i Montaner Barcelona, Spain

2010Teshima Museum by Ryue Nishizawa&Rei Naito Kagawa, Japan

Built under the philosophy “Art has a power to heal the people.” “Very articulated collaboration of Art and Architecture.”

NOTES/ Art and Architecture

“(Social) space is a (social) product [...] the space thus produced also serves as a tool of thought and of action [...] in addition to being a means of production it is also a means of control, and hence of domination, of power.”

_The production of Space, H.Lefebvre

The relationship between Art and Architecture is always changing with the times. Recently the boundary between them has become very abstract. We can see so many Architectural Art and also Artistic Architecture around the would. Behind this situation, there has been big fashion of Site-specific, or Experience oriented Art such as Installations which be-came popular from 1970s.

Today modern architects can purely pursue spatial Beauty while developed technology can solve the practical matters of Utility and Durability. On the other hand, modern Art has come very close to the space itself.

Art used to be the “thing to be looked” that is placed in the museum(Institution), and now it turns the visitor into the participants by giving experiences. This participation is realized through the embodiment, there the visitors can release their imagination and creativity. This kind of Art seems to have an intimate relationship with the concept of Care.

The heart of my design is the patient’s living unit where Art, Architecture and Care all meet together. I expect that I will get a deep understanding of the historical context of each field so the project can form the new relationship between Art, Architecture and Care.

“Light! More Light!“ -The last word, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Bagsværd Church by Jørn Utzon, Denmark

Chapel of the Resurrection by Erik Bryggman ,Finland

Stockholm City Library by Gunnar Asplund ,Sweden

NOTES/ Daylight

Natural daylight should be considered as the one of the most important architectural elements in designing a hos-pice bedroom.

Even if a patient looses the ability to go out for spatial experiences and the bedroom becomes their only living place during their seriously ill situation, daylight would bring the natural surroundings and the sense of the day into the room and it could always entertain a patient and their fam-ily.

At this point, Nordic architecture has a resourceful li-brary of fine detailing that I can learn from.

Denmark and other Nordic countries have very unique con-ditions of daylight. The topological location of the high latitude brings dramatic change in the length of daytime throughout the year and the low slant of sun. Given this situation, sunshine really means happiness for the people. Therefore the issue of how to welcome light in a space and how to express and construct a beautiful space by this lim-ited light source has always been the big concern, and ar-chitects have made great effort with the earnest attitude.

Meanwhile, there are many near-death experiencers that de-scribe that they were going to follow the big light which gives the warmth of love in their experience. Those inter-views are very personal, yet so many people share the same experiences. I think it would be interesting if I could reflect this kind of research in my design.

SCHEDULE

Programme

Visualization

Site

Visit

Reading

Concept

Making

Brush

Up

Preliminary

Design

Material

Research

Conceptual SketchesSite Analysis 1:200 Site Plan

1:200 Site Model

1:50 Sketch Models

1:50 Plan, Section1:50 Model1:1 Material Experiments

1:100 Plan, Section1:10 SectionPerspectives

1:100Model

Detailing

Research

FINAL DELIVERABLES

Drawings1:200 Site Plan1:100 Plan, Section, Elevation1:10 “Living Unit” SectionPerspectives

Model1:200 Site Model1:100 Model1:20 “Living Unit” Model1:1 Material Experiments

Powerpoint presentation

If only Heaven will give me just another ten years...Just another five more years, then I could become a real painter.

_the last work and the last word, Hokusai

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, On Death and Dying, 1969

Ken Worpole, Modern Hospice Design-The architecture of Pal-liative Care, 2009

Stephen Verderber&Ben J.Refuerzo, Innovations in Hospice Architecture, 2006

Realdania ,Programme for the Good Hospice in Denmark: An outline for the hospice as part of palliative care, 2006

Yoshimasa Yokokawa, The Day When Hospice Replace Museums: The Era of Care and the Future of Art, 2010

Henri Lefwbvre, The Production of Space, 1974.1984

Gaston Bachelard, The Poetics of Space, 1957

Juhani Pallasmaa, The Eyes of the Skin: Architecture and the senses, 1996

Henry Plummer, Nordic Light: Modern Scandinavian Architec-ture, 2012

EDUCATION

2011-Present The Danish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, School of ArchitectureDepartment of Architecture, Design and Industrial FormMaster’s Programme

2007-2011 Kyoto Prefectural UniversityDepartment of Environmental Design, Course in Living DesignBachelor Degree, Graduated from Architectural Design Studio

COURSE

2012 1-14 July Summer Course in Capellagården, Sweden Design and Build a stool with traditional tectonics

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PLOT&GF PLAN 　BF PLANROOF PLAN

Bachelor Diploma Project Welcome space in Valby Park

WORK LIST

2007 1:50 Model of Masterpiece Architecture Staircase, Toilet 1:1 measuring and 1:20 drawing

2008 Atelier for 6person, Atelier for 30 person 1:50 Floor light “Birthday“1:1

2009 Station and Library in the forest 1:500~1:100 A house in the nature 1:100

2010 Renovation of traditional Japanese House 1:100 Central Glass International Architectural Design Competition

2011 Bachelor diploma project”YAMAORI” 1:2500~1:200 Furniture Competition ”CRADLE” (finalist)1:5_________________________________________________________________Japan

First semester’s project “Welcome space in Valby Park” Workshop “Roofless Architecture“

2012 Second semester’s project “Chairs” 4chairs in 1:1 Workshop Daylight Kinetics “Clouds 1:1 pavilion Shelter International Competition2012 “A house hugging the earth” Third semester’s project “At home Kitchen” a single family house_______________________________________________________________ Denmark

“At Home Kitchen” from Chair Semester“Cradle”