WHW visits the Data Cave

Spring has finally arrived in Halifax - and what better way to celebrate the change of seasons than a visit to the Institute of Computational Astrophysics, at Saint Mary's University.  This month, teams of WHW architects, computer modelers, and program staff have been visiting Saint Mary's to learn about their Data Cave facility, an 3D, interactive, full-immersion computer simulator operated as part of the Atlantic Computational Excellence Network (ACEnet).  This advanced facility is used by scientists and researchers throughout Atlantic Canada to model the behaviour of everything from star clusters and galaxies, to molecules and sub-atomic particles. 

The use of computers in architecture is quickly moving beyond simple physical design and presentation work, to include parametric modeling techniques such as BIM (building information modelling).  The idea is to allow architects and design teams to become more productive, and allow clients to integrate their long-term operating decisions with the physical structure of their buildings.  It's better design making better buildings.

During our visit to Saint Mary's, we had a chance to look into the future at how technologies and facilities such as the Data Cave might be used to visualize dynamic energy distribution, air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, and other hard to conceptualize qualties that can make-or-break a great building. Our visit to the ACEnet facility at Saint Mary's University was hosted by Professor Robert Deupree, of the Department of Astronomy and Physics, and Director of the Institute for Computational Astrophysics.

Environments on Aging

On March 20 Tina Smith attended a 3 day conference in sunny Altanta, Georgia on Environments for Aging.  The conference was hosted by several organizations Vendome Group, Long-Term Living and HEALTHCARE DESIGN magazines, The Center for Health Design and the American Institute of Architects (AIA). 

The conference program addressed challenges of designing and caring for the aging population.  Key points of interest included culture change, new ways of thinking with the future of aging baby boomers, innovative design for dementia and persons with physical disabilities, sustainability and my favourite – the Elder-Centric Village™ Movement, a model for senior living and urban renewal.

There is a continued stigma occurring where our seniors are expected to retire into age-qualified, introverted communities for the remaining years of their lives.   Our urban centers are becoming less hospitable for persons with disabilities and our developing communities continue to support a ‘big box’ style of living with basic necessities that are not easily accessible, communities that lack diversity or age-friendly home design and reduced opportunity for ‘soft’ social integration in the form of  ‘walk-friendly’ amenities such as family-owned groceries, cafes, parks, etc.   Such occurrences continue to segregate our elder communities.   Furthermore, our senior facilities as well in their formality lack a certain ‘curb appeal’ that may welcome community interaction.

We are witnessing a culture change and our more senior community members are requesting change.  Our ‘new age’ senior population will be more active, will desire luxury, autonomy, choice and interaction, and will be very concerned with wellness and well-being.  These will not be the last years – but the best years.  It was an exciting conference for anyone interested in this topic.  I was also very happy to see in attendance Owner/Operators from our local community and hope that we have all returned home feeling inspired for what positive change can occur for the future of senior living in Nova Scotia.

The following are projects showcased at the event: