CASA VALLEJO
Ecuador's turbulent history has given it a rich culture with diverse populations and traditions as we know it today. The country is characterised by a varied geography, from coastal areas to high mountains, which attracts and encourages people to discover, but at the same time excludes and isolates people. The rural town centre of San Felipe de Oña, located in the Andean mountains, is the habitat of a population that has been ageing in recent decades. Residents are getting older and older while part of the young population moves to larger cities in search of a better income. Dependent elderly people sometimes no longer have family members nearby, which means that there is a need for external care services, which are currently barely available in Oña. Moreover, these elderly people become isolated from their living environment and lack social contact.
Casa Vallejo is located in the centre of San Felipe de Oña. After the death of the couple 'Vallejo', the building became vacant and was donated by their children to the municipality of Oña. The traditional materials such as adobe and eucalyptus wood refer to the building methods of a hacienda, a typical form of architecture in the Andean mountains, which originated during the Spanish colonisation.
With the current social problems in mind, it was decided to build a care home for the elderly on the site of Casa Vallejo, with services that improve health care as well as community spaces to strengthen social relations in Oña.
The care home for the elderly is located in the new extension and consists of bedrooms, a communal dining and living area, activity rooms, a laundry room and a garden. Elderly people in need of care can count on care staff here. The care facilities consist of a doctor's and rehabilitation practice, where the elderly can quickly receive medical care if necessary. These two facilities will be placed on the street side of the existing building of Casa Vallejo so that they are easily accessible to the whole community of Oña.
The communal areas are there to maintain and strengthen relations between the elderly and the other inhabitants of Oña. For example, the pupils of the school, which is located opposite Casa Vallejo, are involved in activities with the elderly. These include educational activities such as reading or giving a presentation, as well as relaxing activities such as watching a film or planting vegetables in the garden. This creates an interaction of skills and knowledge between the elderly and the children, while at the same time strengthening intergenerational relationships. All kinds of activities can take place in the courtyard of the site, including a "Pampa Mesa", an eating feast where the community cooks for each other. The activity areas can be used to weave, do crafts or play cards together.
ACTIVITY ROOM
READING SPACE
LIVING SPACE
The construction is based on traditional building techniques. The roof structure will not be higher than the existing building in order to fit in nicely with Casa Vallejo. The floor has a layer of pumic stone (volcanic rock) that provides extra insulation.
A slope along the outer wall makes the project as wheelchair friendly and as sustainable as possible. Since this project is located in rural Ecuador, a slope can be maintained by local builders. The slope provides for easy circulation and storage for gardening equipment underneath. The slope can also be used for helping patients of the rehabilitation centre with the movement of their joints as it can be used as an exercise tool.
Universal design principles were used to make the kitchen a functional place for a wide range of persons. For example the kitchen island has two parts: on one side, the work surface is lowered which makes it comfortable to work on while sitting down. This makes it also easier for children to reach the countertop. The other side of the island is for cooking while standing up. The ovens, cooker and an extra work surface are placed in an ergonomic responsible way, to use it while seated or while standing up.
