Type Studio

Old Age Home

Studio Co-ordinator: Rupali Gupte, Prasad Khanolkar, Tushar Rajkumar, Samir Raut

Teaching Assistants: Manish Shravane, Rushikesh Hirulkar

Ronak Dagha

In architecture, the concept of type is a fundamental tool that helps us understand how buildings are made and how they work in relation to the people who use them. A building type is a deeper system or pattern that shows how spaces are arranged, connected, and experienced. It includes how people move through space, how different areas relate to each other, and how a building supports daily life.

Even if two buildings belong to the same type, their internal arrangements and the way people interact with them can be completely different. These differences can be subtle but are often meaningful and personal. To truly understand a type, it’s important to look beyond plans and sections, observations, sketches, and especially conversations with users are essential in grasping how space is actually lived in.

Old Age Home Study – Kelve

As part of our Type Studio, we visited an old age home in Kelve to explore the spatial, emotional, and social aspects of such a setting. Each group was assigned one room to study in detail. We also interacted with the elderly residents of that room to understand their experiences, likes and dislikes, and how their life had changed over time.

These conversations revealed a lot. Many of the residents shared stories about their past, their work, families, and how they felt about living in the old age home. It helped us realize that an old age home is not just about providing shelter, it's about creating spaces that hold memories, emotions, and comfort. However, we also noticed that many of them felt disconnected from the outside world and less active compared to their earlier lives.

Village Study – Makunsar, Near Saphale

In contrast, our visit to Makunsar village showed us a different way of life. Here, we studied clusters of houses in a rural setting, where architecture is shaped by nature, local traditions, and strong community bonds. Each group was given a cluster to study, and within that, one house was chosen for deeper interaction with its residents.

We closely observed how people lived and moved through their day, and even mapped their daily routines to understand their relationship with space and time. One of the most striking observations was how active the elderly were in village life. Unlike the elderly in the old age home, they were involved in everyday tasks, community activities, and spent time outdoors in shared spaces like verandahs or courtyards. This gave us a powerful contrast to think about.

Site Model

Documentation Drawings

These two visits, one to the old age home and one to the village taught us different things. The old age home showed us the emotional needs of the elderly and how design could address loneliness and comfort. The village taught us how active, connected, and meaningful life can be for the elderly when they remain a part of their community and surroundings.

By comparing both, we gained a deeper understanding of the elderly type and how different environments shape the experience of aging. These insights were not just theoretical, they became essential tools in our own design process. When we started designing our own old age homes as part of the studio, we carried forward the lessons from both visits. We thought more carefully about routine, interaction, movement, privacy, and comfort making sure our designs reflected not just function, but real human experience.

Based on our observations and conversations during the site visits to both the old age home in Kelve and the village of Makunsar, each student developed a design for an old age home. These projects aimed to respond not just to the functional needs of the elderly, but also to their emotional, social, and spatial experiences.

Here are some of the projects from our studio:

Esha Waingankar

Shared Paths

Observing how small changes in wall height on site created cozy sitting areas that felt both open and private. The design uses these layered wall heights to form gentle transitions between inside and outside spaces creating pockets for comfort, pause, and informal interaction.

Includes: Plans, wall sections, and site model.

Ronit Kothari

Verandahs

The design uses verandahs not just as open gathering spots, but also as a way to improve accessibility and allow residents to interact with each other, creating a sense of safety and community. The porous layout encourages visibility and care within the cluster.

Includes: Plan, process model, final model, and section.