STUDIO OVERVIEW
Continuing the study of memory that the current Ventulett series has explored, this studio examines the invisibility of the body and senses in architectures of care, and how emerging studies in NeuroArts, Palliative Care, and Cognition may guide the spatial, material and atmospheric decisions of a design for a Center for Living and Dying. Using a speculative and existing site, students proposed a new model for care, comfort, and community at the end of life. This campus will become a hub for NeuroArts therapies and generative research in this emerging field, and at its heart a Center for Life and Death will anchor the community. This work draws from collective and individual experiences in architecture, embedding ritual, memory and the body in space. Proposals include program including live-in units, care-delivery, art/music studios, gathering and community, multi-sensory exploration, reflection and meditation, counseling, care-giving support, and other therapeutic programs. Students not only designed a building, but engaged in analysis of Hospice/Terminally-Ill Design, implementing their research and findings from NeuroArts and other social sensory-architectures that are emerging, and proposing evidence-based design solutions that mix conceptual and real-world expectations. The goal is to explore how spaces can hold grief, create dignity, and resist the sterility of conventional healthcare environments through design solutions grounded in the arts, cognitive empowerment and sensory exploration.