Daycare centre for those affected by Alzheimer’s

The Daycare Centre is located on Salerano Hill, in the large park with centuries-old tall stemmed trees where Villa Sclopis is also to be found. The building, which hosts the centre for 20 day guests, was the site of the I.T. classrooms of the Ghiglieno professional training school. The building restructuring project by AMDL CIRCLE has transformed the space into a welcoming and organised place for patients and the family members who assist them.
The building consists of a basement and a volume one floor above ground. The basement, with the services and technical rooms, follows the uneven lie of the land: it has three exposed sides covered in split stone and one underground part. Standing above are the supporting structure and perimeter walls, covered with untreated cedar heartwood rafters. The wide balcony doors irradiate the interior with air and light. The roof, flashings and existing downspouts have been maintained. Two slightly inclined sheet pitches form the roof. On the eastern side the overhang of the roof acts as a cover for the porticos overlooking the garden. The new porticos maintain the material characteristics of the pre-existing ones: the supporting structure is made of wood, the ceiling has wooden rafters and the flooring is stone. The sensory garden has shrub vegetation consisting of a few varieties of visual and olfactory value. On the opposite side of the building, a wide balcony has views of the Val Chiusella and the Canavese mountains.
The interior is divided into various areas, which are necessary for the life of the centre and are designed to respect the requirements of individuals within the community structure. Everything revolves around the central meeting room, made of multiple materials and overlooking the sensory garden. The fulcrum of this space is the wandering furniture unit, designed by AMDL CIRCLE and made of walnut wood. It is a combination of five modular elements, with smooth, rounded corners, which contain monitors, drawers and notice boards designed, following the indications of the centre’s medical personnel, to attract the attention, make browsing interesting and discourage purposeless wandering. Around the perimeter are the rooms devoted to the activities for sensory stimulation and occupational therapy: to the west are the active area, which is a well equipped gym, and the calm area, which is a room devoted to rest and reading. The two zones are appropriately separated by the Belvedere: a wide balcony overlooking the vast expanse of the cultivated valley with the mountains in the background. To the east, the dining room, spacious and comfortable, is also a meeting point where relatives can swap experiences and unwind. Completing the perimeter are the necessary service rooms.