The Silent Carer

The meeting of neuroscience and architecture provides biologically supported clues into architectural experience and the memories we are left with. This proposal explores the mechanisms behind the brain’s perception sensors, space navigation and memory forming, as well as considering an architecture for a better experience of end of life.

Every memory we have is connected to a place and the built environment modulates the nature of this experience. Our sensory and physical responses to a building precede conscious understanding. There is an emotional value attached to this moment and the more intense the response, the more memorable the experience.

The experience of end of life has changed profoundly over the last 100 years. People used to die at home, within days, surrounded by family. Today we often deal with degenerative and chronic illness, for extended periods of time. This can be an isolating period.

Sited at 104 Studley Park Road in Kew, the project unfolds across four complementary programs for patient, family, friends and carers. It organises different gradations of community and personal engagement. Neighboring outdoor spaces alternate between the public and private realm. A drop-in centre and private cabins provide familiar places for conversation and everyday life, away from traditional institutional settings.