Gangdong-gu Eoreunsinsarangbang Reborn with Public Design

District Remodels Elderly Community Centers with Public Design to Combat Aging

To prevent slipping for elderly individuals with mobility difficulties, the slope was made gentle and a shade shelter was installed to create a comfortable resting place for the elderly.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Gangdong-gu (Mayor Lee Jeong-hoon) is carrying out the ‘Gangdong-style Eolseonsarangbang’ project, which improves elderly community centers with severe aging through public design.

The Gangdong-style Eolseonsarangbang project reflects the inconveniences experienced by the elderly when using the facilities, usage patterns, and physical characteristics, improving the interior and exterior of the facilities to suit the elderly’s perspective.

In April, the district selected three elderly community centers as the first project sites: Goil (Godeok 1-dong), Amsa 2-2 (Amsa 2-dong), and Somang (Cheonho 1-dong). To enhance user satisfaction, advice was sought from experts such as public architects and urban landscape planners and incorporated into the design.

The three existing aging elderly community centers were newly transformed with public design tailored to regional characteristics and elderly convenience, including maintenance of unused spaces inside and outside the buildings, spatial reorganization, and installation of furniture suited to the elderly’s physical structure.

The facility exteriors applied the comb-pattern pottery designs from the Amsa-dong archaeological site to the security bars and design elements, reflecting the unique characteristics of Gangdong-gu.

In particular, the interior spaces were rearranged based on the Seoul City Cognitive Health Guidelines to improve storage space and space utilization. New wallpaper and flooring were installed, and exercise equipment and massage chairs were added, focusing on elderly safety and cognitive health improvement.

Gangdong-gu completed two months of construction and plans to open the Goil elderly community center on the 26th, followed by the other two locations in sequence.

Lee Jeong-hoon, Mayor of Gangdong-gu, stated, “I hope the newly renovated elderly community centers become happy spaces for leisure and cultural activities for the elderly. We will accelerate the public design improvement project for elderly community centers to create a filial city where the elderly are happy in Gangdong.”

The Amsa 2-2 (Amsa 2-dong No. 2) Senior Love Room, newly transformed through the public design improvement project, features lattice patterns on the exterior security windows, reflecting the unique characteristics of Gangdong-gu.