Showcasing Workplace design - new projects book released 20th Dec. 2011
ThomsonAdsett has released a new book featuring its recent workplace design projects. Click on the picture below to view the book online.
The rise of aged care in China 6th Dec. 2011
A recent article in China’s English-language international newspaper China Daily highlights the issues an ageing China is facing in housing its elderly population. A shift in government policy has seen a boom in international investment in the sector by developers targeting China’s emerging middle and upper classes.
ThomsonAdsett Principal David Lane was interviewed in the article, which highlights the clash of a culture where children are reluctant to see their elders placed in a nursing home because they feel “ashamed” or “embarrassed” to place them into a care environment.
In contrast to aged care facilities in Australia, the current stock of facilities in China are described as “overcrowded, receiving inadequate government funding, having poor amenities” and staffed by workers with no formal training.
The article identifies that the number of available beds in nursing homes can only cater for around 1.8 percent of China's elderly population, whereas the standard in many Western countries is between 5 and 7 percent.
ThomsonAdsett is currently working on numerous projects – two in Beijing and two in Shanghai, while bidding for further work in Foshan in Guangdong province, Dalian in Liaoning province, Wuxi in Jiangsu province, Wuhan in Hubei province and the municipality of Chongqing.
"I expect the level of inquiry (from investors and developers) will continue to increase rapidly over the next five years," said Lane.
“ThomsonAdsett has seen the need for quality seniors’ developments in this region for some time, and we are well placed to deliver the new wave of seniors living in China. We opened a design studio there in the early 1990s and have maintained a presence in the region ever since.”
Lane is a regular guest speaker at international aged care and health conferences on the subject of aged care in China. He recently gave a presentation to the World Gerontology Conference on the long term trends in dementia care design.
“Many hospital providers are under pressure from the government to expand their services to include aged care beds, and are looking to Australian experts to deliver these changes.”
The aged care industry is still undeveloped in China when compared to many Western countries. Australian design standards and models of care are perceived as amongst the best in the world, and therefore Australian expertise in the sector is sought by many Chinese organisations looking to develop their own aged care solutions.
“We have developed strategic partnerships with a number of firms, essential for doing business in Asia. We have been working with many of the sectors NGO’s and the Hong Kong Housing Society for the past 15 years helping to deliver their two pilot SEN (Seniors) developments in Hong Kong. These projects have set the benchmarks for future developments.
Architectural director Philip Wong is the manager of ThomsonAdsett’s Hong Kong studio, and he highlighted the office’s recent growth.
“Our studio has been expanding to meet increasing demands in the seniors living and health arenas. We have moved into larger office space and have put on several new staff in the past year and are currently delivering several large-scale aged care projects in Hong Kong and mainland China,” said Wong.
With the Chinese population getting older, a rising middle class, improving regulatory frameworks and increased interest from international investors in the sector, the future looks bright for aged care development in the region and ThomsonAdsett is ready to support the region’s growth.