Stacked Daydreams: Ceiling-scape for the Neglected (Hong Kong Factory Adaptive-Reuse for Elderly Care)

Abstract

This thesis operates at the intersection of three domains of neglect: 1. In the realm of building elements, the ceiling is often considered as an afterthought in the design process. 2. Across building types, the vertical factory sits abandoned and anachronistic to its surroundings. It spiraled into disuse due to Hong Kong’s shifting economic focus. 3. In society, the elderly is often subjected to social neglect, seen as a financial burden, and forced toward the fringes of society. These parts experience obsolescence that led to indifference, and subsequently to boredom. I intend to draw the parallel of deterioration between the body of the elderly and the body of the vertical factory. Using a set of ceiling parts in the manner of prosthetics to reactivate the spaces into elderly care facilities, revert boredom to daydreams, and re-imagine the concept of elderhood as an experimental second stage of life.