Evidence-Based Architectural Programming for Residential Care Centers for Older Adults with Alzheimer s Disease: From Contextual Data to Per Capita Space Standards in a Temperate-Humid Climate

Fatemeh Haji Agha Tabar Sangroudi¹ Mahmoud Tavakkoli² Ramin Dortolouie³

1) M.Sc. Student in Architectural Engineering, Tabari Institute of Higher Education, Babol
2) Lecturer, Department of Architecture, Tabari Institute of Higher Education, Babol
3) Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Tabari Institute of Higher Education, Babol

IOI Code : ABFG-ACAAKZ
Publication : 12th.international Congress on Civil Engineering, Architecture, Art and Urban Development(12icsau.ir)
Abstract :
    Architectural programming is the interface between problem understanding and design; yet in many residential care projects for older adults in Iran, this stage is reduced to repeating generic per capita standards, and no clear link is established between the program s figures and contextual evidence. The present study aims to propose a systematic method for evidence-based programming in centers dedicated to people with Alzheimer s disease. The research adopts a descriptive–analytical method with a mixed-methods strategy and is carried out across three data layers: demographic–institutional data (statistics on older adults covered by the State Welfare Organization and the licensing capacity ceiling), climatic data (precipitation, humidity, temperature, and wind based on synoptic station records), and physical–contextual data (site analysis and surrounding land uses). Through a filter of State Welfare Organization regulations and dementia-friendly environmental principles, these three layers are translated into a program with a capacity of 50 residents, a net floor area of 2,173 m², and a gross floor area of approximately 2,650 m². The findings show that three programming decisions have the greatest effect on the final quality of the design: first, determining capacity on the basis of the regulatory ceiling rather than raw demand; second, explicitly accounting for the circulation factor, which is ignored in conventional programs; and third, assessing outdoor space per capita against the climatic capacity of the context. In addition, the zoning of domains according to disease stage is introduced as a programming -rather than merely design- decision, and its implications for the space schedule are explained.

Keywords : architectural programming evidence based design alzheimer s disease temperate humid climate