Ageing at Home Village: Normalcy is the Key to Living with Dementia with Grace and Self-Esteem
This project examines how our built environment could help to alleviate and slow down symptoms of dementia in the elderly. With research suggesting that over 300,000 people over the age of 60 could be suffering from dementia in Hong Kong by 2039, addressing this issue is urgent, especially given the absence of a cure. Following the Hogeweyk model in the Netherlands, the project proposes setting up villages in urban or rural areas of Hong Kong that resemble a homelike environment. Through co-design workshops at THEi and Kyushu University, the team will investigate potential dementia village typologies in Hong Kong and Japan, utilising AR simulations for user analyses.
This project examines how our built environment could help to alleviate and slow down symptoms of dementia in the elderly. With research suggesting that over 300,000 people over the age of 60 could be suffering from dementia in Hong Kong by 2039, addressing this issue is urgent, especially given the absence of a cure. Following the Hogeweyk model in the Netherlands, the project proposes setting up villages in urban or rural areas of Hong Kong that resemble a homelike environment. Through co-design workshops at THEi and Kyushu University, the team will investigate potential dementia village typologies in Hong Kong and Japan, utilising AR simulations for user analyses.
- 2025
- Grantee: Sylvia Ng, Loh Wei Leong, Tang Po Man Joanna, Saw Bengkian, Tsi Yatung, Dr Liu Chien-Liang
Sylvia Ng is a local practicing landscape designer for over 25 years. Notably at EDAW
Aecom, she worked on prestigious projects such as the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal,
Taikwun Central. Bringing her experiences and knowledge from the field to classrooms,
she has over 10 years of teaching at various institutions, including HKDI; THEi, and
HKU. She bridges her industry connections with developers and communities with
fruitful collaborations. Led many co-designing projects with student and local villagers
and local communities from Yimtintsai; So Lo Pun; Pokfulam Village; Caritas Kennedy
town and Shamshuipo. Topic of ageing and dementia began with a collaboration with
Enable Foundation where older people co-created objects with students to promote
dementia awareness. Her father, who is in the final stage of his journey in dementia,
inspires her to explore creative ways to alleviate and delay the symptoms of dementia
and ageing through evidence based environmental design of care.The collective comprises of professionals from a variety of fields. From architects to
landscape architects, they are highly experienced in their fields and have built projects in the
GBA and internationally. Some are design educators; academics and a medical doctor
specialise in dementia and research in a hospital. What sets them apart is that they are not
only compatible collaborators but some of them have long standing friendships built over
time. The internationally diverse group consists of members from local Hong Kong, Singapore;
Japan and Taiwan. They are passionate about the topic of dementia and believe in the
positive impact through Architecture of Care designs. Aiming to build meaningful and
memorable spaces for the growing ageing population; especially for people with dementia
and their families and friends. The group takes on a hands-on, bottom-up methodology to
community building and co-designing with the local community; stakeholders; developers
and the government.
- Organisation: Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi)