Intergenerational Day Care Centre by Maria Ji explores how architecture can help different age groups share space, routine and support.
Set in Saint Anns, Nottingham, the project responds to social isolation and generational divides by proposing a day care centre organised around flexible shared spaces, communal kitchens and adaptable rooms.
Project focus
The proposal is strongest when it treats care as a spatial question. The building has to make casual contact possible, while still allowing quieter moments, supervision, accessibility and a sense of safety.
Design ideas to notice
- Flexible rooms allow the building to change during the day.
- Communal kitchens create a natural reason for people to gather and share routines.
- Operable partitions support different group sizes and activity types.
- The wider Saint Anns masterplan connects the building to green space, housing, retail and public movement.
Experience behind the project
Maria Ji studied architecture at the University of Nottingham and has worked across furniture modelling, technical drawings, planning documents and site visits. That mix matters because this project needs both empathy and practical understanding.
Portfolio lesson from this project
For social architecture, do not stop at saying the project is inclusive. Show the rooms, routes and daily moments that create inclusion. The reader should be able to picture who uses the space and what happens there.
Project links
Use these links to connect with Maria and browse more Architecture Social project work.
Showcase a social architecture project
If your project tackles care, isolation, community or public wellbeing, make the everyday user experience visible.
- Name the community and the problem clearly.
- Show how rooms and routes support behaviour.
- Explain the social value without losing the architectural detail.
Next step
Explore more project work in the Architecture Social Projects directory, or submit your own project for the showcase.
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