Architectural Lifeworld: Exploring Meanings of Spatial Environments for Residents in Dementia Care

• Author / Creator

  Ren, Hui

• This study explores the architectural lifeworlds in three dementia care buildings in Alberta, Canada, helping architects better understand the meanings of architectural spaces to people with dementia. Addressing the practical design issue of evidence-based design guidelines challenging architects’ application of these guidelines to design practice, this phenomenological study presents lived stories in the concrete spatial environment of dementia care, to metaphorically inspire architects to conduct better design practice. This study is conducted under the guidance of the nested research methodology that integrates reflective lifeworld research, reflexivity, and case study research. By conducting multiple data collection including building analysis, in-depth interviews with residents with dementia and their families, participant observations and ethnographic filming, and whole-parts-whole data analysis, this study explores three architectural lifeworlds that reflect the architectural space’s affordance to residents’ dwelling in dementia care. Based on these architectural lifeworlds, this study discusses the meanings of dwelling and its associations with architectural design, to further advance knowledge of design for dementia care in both theory and practice.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • person-environment relationship
  • affordances
  • dwelling
  • metaphor
  • dementia care
  • architectural design
  • meaning of home

• Graduation date

  Spring 2020

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-dn0y-vj52

• License

  Permission is hereby granted to the University of Alberta Libraries to reproduce single copies of this thesis and to lend or sell such copies for private, scholarly or scientific research purposes only. Where the thesis is converted to, or otherwise made available in digital form, the University of Alberta will advise potential users of the thesis of these terms. The author reserves all other publication and other rights in association with the copyright in the thesis and, except as herein before provided, neither the thesis nor any substantial portion thereof may be printed or otherwise reproduced in any material form whatsoever without the author's prior written permission.