The deterioration in motoric and cognitive skills among the elderly can lead to a decrease in their well-being. Currently, Virtual Reality (VR) can sustain elderly well-being by making virtual environment to train their motoric and cognitive skills. Virtual environment offers broader possibilities for exploration and activities beyond real-world limitations. These activities require a virtual environment that can accommodate the elderly and make them comfortable to be in and engage in the activities. Therefore, the VR environment needs to be architecturally well-designed. This study aims to produce prototypes of VR environment that is designed based on architectural principles to support the well-being of the elderly. The research was conducted over two semesters in the fourth-year architecture studio class. In this class, the research began with literature study on architectural principles to be used and determining the types of activities as well as space requirements. Secondly, interviews were conducted with groups of elderly to determine their preferences regarding activities and spatial perceptions. Technical experiments were also conducted to determine the workflow and technical aspects of creating VR spaces. Afterwards, it is followed by prototyping of the virtual environment, and subsequently, user testing with the elderly. The results presented in this paper are two prototypes of virtual spaces that were designed using architectural principles to support elderly well-being. The first prototype is designed by applying the principles of behavioral architecture to support the motor skills of the elderly. The second prototype is designed based on the qualities of multisensory room to support the cognitive skill of the elderly. The result shows that users are allowed to experience new environments and interactions beyond their physical constraints. Furthermore, there are distinctive architectural aspects that are significant for building a virtual environment. Finally, the potential for further development of virtual environment design is also discussed.

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Architecturally Designed Virtual Environment to Support Elderly Well-Being Using Virtual Reality

  • Gregorius A Gegana,
  • Jessica Novia Limas,
  • Felicia Yosefanny

摘要

The deterioration in motoric and cognitive skills among the elderly can lead to a decrease in their well-being. Currently, Virtual Reality (VR) can sustain elderly well-being by making virtual environment to train their motoric and cognitive skills. Virtual environment offers broader possibilities for exploration and activities beyond real-world limitations. These activities require a virtual environment that can accommodate the elderly and make them comfortable to be in and engage in the activities. Therefore, the VR environment needs to be architecturally well-designed. This study aims to produce prototypes of VR environment that is designed based on architectural principles to support the well-being of the elderly. The research was conducted over two semesters in the fourth-year architecture studio class. In this class, the research began with literature study on architectural principles to be used and determining the types of activities as well as space requirements. Secondly, interviews were conducted with groups of elderly to determine their preferences regarding activities and spatial perceptions. Technical experiments were also conducted to determine the workflow and technical aspects of creating VR spaces. Afterwards, it is followed by prototyping of the virtual environment, and subsequently, user testing with the elderly. The results presented in this paper are two prototypes of virtual spaces that were designed using architectural principles to support elderly well-being. The first prototype is designed by applying the principles of behavioral architecture to support the motor skills of the elderly. The second prototype is designed based on the qualities of multisensory room to support the cognitive skill of the elderly. The result shows that users are allowed to experience new environments and interactions beyond their physical constraints. Furthermore, there are distinctive architectural aspects that are significant for building a virtual environment. Finally, the potential for further development of virtual environment design is also discussed.