Jingxian Nursing Home
Age-friendly living
Exploring GN Architects’ Shanghai Jingxian Nursing Home
Nursing homes in China have very strict requirements when it comes to construction materials and decoration elements. It’s important that materials, furniture and finishes are environmentally friendly, so that they do not negatively affect the health of staff, visitors and – above all – patients. These considerations were taken into account by GN Architects, when they were commissioned to design the 270,000 sqm Shanghai Jingxian Nursing Home.
The home is located around 30 km from the city centre in Fengxian District. Just 5 km beyond this site, the area becomes a typical Chinese-style suburban landscape composed of scattered villages, large-scale farmland and a large-scale road network.
The client’s aim is to build a continuing care retirement community for 2500 people. The architects’ solution is a series of rectangular prisms positioned on a 200,000 sqm site to form interlocking, stacked volumes. The long, louvred boxes have green roofs and a hollowed out centre to make internal courtyards. They balance on glazed bases. This formation creates a sense of lightness, visual interest and shading.
In order to contribute to the natural appearance of the timber elements, the Shanghai-based architects specified Axalta wood grain powder coatings. These coatings can achieve various effects on the substrate, including imitation wood. Used inside and out, they add to the natural theme and make the nursing home more environmentally friendly.