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Changchun, China
Retirement community in Changchun
| Program | Retirement residence: 926 one- to three-room apartments; clubhouse building with restaurant, café, concert halls and multifunctional hall, indoor swimming pool with wellness, sports facilities; rehabilitation hospital (208 beds); nursing home (296 beds) | ||||||||
| Competition organizer | Taikang Insurance Group | ||||||||
| Competition | 1st prize, 2023 / master plan and concept | ||||||||
| Services provided by IB |
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| Architecture | Itten+Brechbühl AG with ACC | ||||||||
| Surface area | 136'700 m2 | ||||||||
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Taikang Insurance Company wishes to build a retirement community in Changchun. The aim of the client is to create premises that offer community, enable a healthy lifestyle, meet high standards of cultural entertainment and provide residents with on-site care services. State-of-the art amenities, care, and technology are to be combined with traditional Chinese design for this purpose. The client launched an international invitational competition for the project.
Starting situation
Changchun is the capital of northeast China’s Jilin province and one of the most important industrial cities in the region. Despite this, the city with a population of 9 million has the highest greening rate of all major Chinese cities. The new retirement community will be located on the outskirts of the city. The construction site borders a natural landscape to the east and south, is enclosed by a river to the north and bounded by a main road to the west.
Project proposal
Buildings with apartments for the elderly are arranged along the periphery of the plot. A nursing home and rehabilitation hospital shield the grounds from the main road. This creates a large protected outdoor area with a multi-functional clubhouse located at the center. The clubhouse is the heart of every retirement community built by Taikang Insurance Company. The design of the clubhouse is of great importance, as it should remind the residents of their past life and childhood and create a sense of belonging in this way. For this reason, the clubhouse in Changchun reflects an urban setting with several buildings and staggered inner courtyards, which is traditional in that region.
Green courtyards and squares incorporate the adjacent river landscape to the north. Senior citizens can enjoy the landscape or observe what’s going on around the clubhouse from their apartments. The arrangement of the buildings ensures views of the landscape even from the clubhouse. Places to meet others and interact socially, sports facilities, and cultural activities offer the residents of the senior apartments a lively and enriching living environment.
