~ ` T e c h i ~ n l ~ ~ ,

Laborarop of Cimssruc~ionEcorwmics und M a w p e n l , He1,rinki Universify
~ ' T e c h i ~ nP.O.ßo
l ~ ~ , 21W, 02015 HUT. Finland. [email protected]
" Research IfisiitufefŸ Healfh Care Ffu,ih~ie'iSOTERA, Helsinki Univer'.if? qf
Tcchnulogy, P.O,Bos 6SOO.02015 HUT, Finlartd, pirio. [email protected].
alu.ukerb/om@hui./!
Elderly people do not manage in their present apartments. The situation will only get worse
when the number of the elderly people increases. A procedure is needed in order to make the
renovation ~f flats more suitable for then~.This kind of method was developed and tested in
a real pilot location during the year 2001. It is possible to convert present residential
buildings to suit elderly people with the help of this methud. In the developed niethod. the
eldcrly people's and the helpers' points of view are given more weight than in building repair
projects that have been traditionally carried oul. 11 is essential to draw up alternative ways
of refurbishment and to cornpare their functionality and costs so that the decision-making
has a sound foundation. In this method, profiles of the inhabitants, descrihing the elderly
people's different needs in the residential environn~ent.are used.
Even a massive renovation is more worthwhile than to Support people in an institution.
Although the elderly or disabled person received home help service twenty-five times and
home nursing five times a month, living in a residential care facility would be more tban
twicc as expensive as living in a hospital ward. and nearly three times as expensive as living
in a renovated house. To invest in such repairs which enable the later flexible equipping of
apartments in accordance with the elderly people's wishes is worthwhile. The basic cbanges
in and arrangenient of the building should be first corrected. The arrangenient of a building,
such as moving the walls. are worth making in connection with large repairs, but it i s not
worth installing special furniture in all the apartments if i t is not needed. New means O S
financing are needed for the renovation.
Keywords: Refurbishment, residential buildings. the agcd, User requirements, feasibility study.
open building, total costs.
RESUMEN
Las personas mayores no se encargan del inantenimiento de sus viviendas, y la situaci6n
enipeora cuando se incrementa el numero de estas, lo que hace necesaria la creacidn de
niitodos de renovaci6n de viviendas mas dignas para las personas de la tercera edad.
Un nietodo de este tipo fue desarrollado y puesto en prictica en una locaci6n piloto durante
el afio 2001. Por medio de este mitodo es posible acondicionar edificios residenciales para
la reubicacidn de las personas mayores; dando mis irnportancia a las necesidades de las
personas que las habitarin que a los n~etodostradicionales de reparaci6n. E 3 necesaria la
creaci6n de alternativas de restauraeion y comparar sus eostos de implementaci6n con los
in6todos rradicionales para tener un argumento de pese para su utilixacion posterior.
Sin embargo la renovacidn masiva es mas importante que la manutencidn de las personas de
una instituci6n y, aunque las personas mayores y los discapacitados tienen servicio de
atencidn residencial 25 veces y servicio de enfermerca 5 veces al mes viviendo en una
nstalacibn de cuidados residenciales de este tipo, esto costan'a la initad en un hospital y una
tercera Parte viviendo en una casa renovada.
Invertir en esas reparacioncs que permitiri'an activar posteriores equipamientos de operaci6n
mas flexible en departamentos de acuerdo con los deseos de las personas mayores, vale la
pena. Los cainbios basicos en los arreglos de las construcciones deben primero ser corregidos.
Los arreglos de una construcci6n. comu mover paredes son importantes. como lo son las
grandes reparaciones, pero no lo es tanto la instalaci6n de mobiliario especial. si este no es
necesario. Para estas renovaciones se dehen crear nuevas formas de financian~iento.
The majority of Finnish aged people live in their own
homes and receive home care services when
necessary. In 1999,only 7.3 percent of those over 65
were in institutional care. year-round housing
services units or homes for the aged (Stakes, 2001).
In Finland, as in the West in general, the share of the
agcd will increase significantly. It has been estimated
that in 2030 nearly a quarter of the population will be
over 65 years old.
The majority of Finnish apartment blocks were built
in the 1960s and later. The 1970s saw brisk
constmction of apartment blocks % about 25 percent
of the Finnish housing stock. About one fifth of Finns
live in apartment blocks.
From the viewpoint of social welfare and health care,
a dwelling should cater to the needs of the occupant
throughout hislher life cycle. Thus, the occupant
should be given the chance to live at home for as
long as he/she wishes to or is able to. Both dwellings
and environments should be developed so that they
would Support occupants' efforts to cope with their
daily activities independently (Regulation of Council
of State, 1999). As an effort will be made in coming
years to allow people to live longer at home, the
occupants will most likely include people that are in
far worse shape than today's home-dwellers.
Therefore, their dwellings should also adapt to
situations and measures that are normally thought
of as taking place in old people's homes or hospitals.
The paper presents the results of study aimed to
develop a procedure for modifying the dwellings
of old and handicapped people in connection with
refurbishment projects. The study is part of the
larger ARVI research project financed by the
Finnish National Technology Agency. The
Internet-based ARVI allows establishing the
feasibility of design solutions from the viewpoint
of occupants of different capacity.
The applied research method was participative
piloting in an actual refurbishment project which
involves preparing material for project meetings
through the makinmbservations and measurements
in the building, by conducting queries targeting
occupants and hon~e-carepersonnel, by reviewing
documents, and by working out refurbishment
alternatives and financial anal yses.
The subject of the case study was a rental residential
building for the aged under Kumpula real estate
company built in 1976 at Juhana Herttua road 15.
The building comprises six residential floors and a
basement where the common facilities are located.
The building has a lift. There are a total of 78
apartments about 25 m2in size. The subject building
is Part of a regional real estate company owned by
the City of Helsinki. The company manages 17
properties comprising a total of 75 buildings.
Fig. 1: F a d e of subject building