Architectural expression and the user : a study of their co-relation with special reference to home for the elders

Abstract

Caring of Elders in the family has been considered as a Nobel duty of their own children. In the past, elders were not considered as a burden to the family. Their help was needed in looking after the young children, while the economically active adults worked in the fields or were away attending day-today activities. The acquired wisdom of elders was looked for in matters to agricultural and other traditional activities. Older people played a valued role as guardians of the culture and traditions in weddings, funerals, religious ceremonies, and rituals related to land live stock and agricultural matters. According to the tradition of most earliest cultures Elders were always the head of their extended family system. In this extended family elder parents their older children and their families lived together in their parental houses, forming a small group of people or a community, within the village. According to the growth of the family the house was altered rooms were added to the existing house. It was a pleasurable experience to the elders to live in this quality home. But unfortunately this situation has been changing over the last few decades. As a result of socio-economic changes associated with urbanization, increase in employment among women and migration of people to cities and other countries for employment,the deep rooted appreciation and care for elders have declined. The deterioration of this situation continuous on the other hand decline is growth rate reduction in infant morality, increase in life expectancy due to enhances of health factor, tends to make population "aging". According to the senses and statistics, at present 8.5% of population are elders. This will pass 10% mark by the year 2000. In this present context, the older people are being looked upon as a burden. Now it is being realize that the society should not delay in finding solution to this situation. For a solution to this major social problem at present there are nearly 120 Homes for the elders established in Sri Lanka. Few of them are entirely maintained by the government and the others maintained by the private sector and semi-Government social organizations. Expect few professional's designed buildings, most of the other homes for the elders buildings are designed by non professional or convert buildings to the purpose. Therefore in these homes older people would satisfy their physical needs such as place to stay, food to eat, cloths to wear, but they are very much lack of love, care individuality, dignity which are the most emotional parts of their satisfaction which have been experienced at their on home.Since buildings are for people it is true that it has to satisfy physical as well as emotional needs of the users. Always physical needs are tangible and can be achieved in quantitative manner but emotional needs are intangible and satisfied only through quality of expression. A building which make us physically comfortable and satisfy our sensual pleasure is not enough to become architecture. It has to do something to improve the state of the mind of the user. For this purpose the building should rely upon the relation of its architecture to the consideration of its finest expression. As an example, a stair way or series of steps in a sign for a going down to a certain direction. But the width of the stair way, the room height, measurement of a step, the type of the railing, color and textures used in the stair way expresses or give out certain quality which could be strong enough to change the state of the mind of the climber, to affect his moods of behavior. As stated earlier, it is clear that the building should express appropriate meaning to the user for them to be comfortable physically and emotionally. The more relationship exists, the more the building will function and the user will be comfortable. Therefore the understanding of the relationship between architectural expression and user has become very essential from with the required level of relationship can be achieved in different kind of buildings. Elders are one of very "Special user category who need a building to get away from their loneliness and make lives live during the last stage of their lives. Therefore the architecture of the building of home for the elders has to play a major role in the contribution to the users satisfaction."