A garden to share

This EHPAD (institute for old people in need of care), built in a 2,5 ha park, with a capacity of 200 residents and 170 staff. This senior center quite contrasts with its context, surrounded by a great number of schools. This gardens projetc is an opportunity for developing activities for the residents, finding new contacts in time and space notions, creating therapeutic supports like working out their memory in a shared area directly in its direct urban environment by creating a transition space, a place between public and private.

The project focused on refined worked out atmospheres and new adapted gardening techniques. At the entrance, a vegetable garden is managed with the help of school kids. The rised-up levels give access to anyone, and then, can garden. An orchard goes all the way to the street. On the East side, games constitute a connection with the street. The back of the residence opens on a large prairies to break down with the park’s density. From there, a promenade goes to the goats enclosure and the pond. By densification of the trees, a wood is created at the back of the park. Along the building sides, two terraces become flowers gardens, adapted to the treatments needs for people suffering from Alzheimer.

Then, a succession of tiny gardens along the boundary wall, each one bringing a different atmosphere and proposing different uses, in order to create a relation to plants. The ‘Touch garden’, is made of soft and fuzzy plants ; another one is made of different tones of greens; and another based on purple and darks variations. The ‘Smells garden’ is essentialy with grey and pink herbs, then, the ‘Berries garden’, allows people to pick what they like. Finally, the ‘Giants garden’ shows scales with larges leaves plants. At the back of the park you’ll find the gardeners pavilion with the gardeners workshop and the greenhouse.