Design
The centre has expertise in the development and design of environments for people with dementia. Our consultancy service provides organisations with expertise in:
Design and Audit
Design Audit Certificate is a new service recently introduced to our portfolio which is an independent audit carried out by experts to assess the suitability of your environment used by people with dementia. A full report is provided and a rating of bronze, silver or gold will be awarded.
Consultancy team
Our consultancy team includes:
- Architects experienced in internal design and landscaping
- Consultants experienced in building project planning
- Consultants experienced in planning models of care
We provide consultancy to organisations at various stages of a design project; from the inception to providing detailed architectural guidance on a design. Our services can be delivered on location or within our Centre in Northern Ireland. The centre also has a range of publications available on the subject of design for people with dementia.
To make an enquiry to our consultancy service please complete our online contact form or contact us on 028 9093 0070. A member of staff will be pleased to assist you.
Iris Murdoch Building
The Iris Murdoch Building was the first public facility to demonstrate dementia-friendly design and hosts the DSDC, University of Stirling. The building exhibits internal and external design features that should be considered when creating public and private spaces for people with dementia.
The design of an environment needs to compensate for the impairments the person with dementia may have. These include:
- Impaired memory, especially recent memory
- Impaired learning
- Impaired reasoning
- Higher levels of stress
- Increased dependence on senses, which may already be impaired, for example hearing and sight
The environment should aim to be calming, predictable, and familiar, make sense to the person and be suitably stimulating. Dementia-friendly design can enable the person with dementia to have greater independence and experience less stress.
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