INVITATION Multi-Generational Living - Life Partners - The concept of a future worth living

17. September 2013, Wellings  Parkhotel,  Neuendickstrasse 96, 47475 Kamp-Lintfort, Germany

Admittedly - this is not a novel idea. Three years ago, representatives of the Student Union brought this project to the table with the STATTBAU GmbH in Berlin. The approach - students and senior citizens supporting each other in a common living space. At that point in time, the senior citizens in particular had great reservations...

Since then, the framework conditions have moved on. According to STATTBAU, the senior citizens had undergone a change in mindset; pilot projects on a shared llifestyle were successful. The demand for social housing is huge for the coming years. A student/senior citizen residential accommodation is thus a key to creating a "better quality of living" within these "constraints".

The result - LIFE PARTNERS: Students and seniors supporting one another in everyday life – sharing energy, ideals, experience, in short - a zest for life.

In collaboration with WELKER FOUNDATION Duisburg, we have developed a concept for a former care home for the elderly in Duisburg and had it evaluated.

The German PARITÄTISCHE WOHLFAHRTSVERBAND (Charities Association) - the INSTITUT FÜR ARBEIT UND TECHNIK (Institute for work and technology) - the BUNDESMINISTERIUM FÜR VERKEHR, BAU UND STADTENTWICKLUNG (BMVBS) (Federal Ministry of transport, building and Urban Affairs) came to the same conclusion:
The concept is not just a "nice idea" but economically and socially cost-effective.

We want to introduce precisely this approach to our target audience: For cooperatives, housing associations, municipal construction companies, towns and communities. It is not just pure theory, but can become reality with your help, in appropriate locations and within a very short timescale.
 
The following presentations will proved a scientific introduction within the context of our theme of "MultiGenerationalLiving":

"Modern technology for MultiGenerationalLiving"
by Prof. Dr. Viktor Grinewitschus, (Institute of energy systems and energy management of the University of Ruhr-West)

"Living - young and old"
by Michael Cirkel, (Institute for Work and Technology - Gelsenkirchen)

There will also be a finance presentation on:

“Routes to financing using public funding”
By Stefan Kunz, Funding Advisor of the NRW Bank & Jürgen Jankowski, Funding Advisor of the NRW Bank, Social Housing Funding

The audience will include German representatives from communities, mayors, social services, housing associations, headteachers, universities and student organisations.

UK delegates in a relevant area or sector are welcome - Places are limited!

Whilst the conference language is German, translation services will be provided.

UK contact for more information:
Dr Chris Thomas, T: 01223 440024, E: chris@miltoncontact.com
Ambassador for Tollé Green Architecture

Tollé's Team Building at Kamp Lintfort

I was going to meet the team! That and the address of the hotel was all I really knew. Sandra and Leif Tolle had been involved in a whirlwind of activity in the past months. The new Düsseldorf office was now up and running. This was going to be the opportunity for colleagues from Verden, Düsseldorf and of course Cambridge to get to know each other.

Driving my Mother's old but trusty Audi, I found the Wellings Parkhotel in the ancient town of Kamp Lintfort, Germany. It was good to meet up again with Sandra & Leif.

View over the small lake of the Wellings Parkhotel

They had to disappear briefly for a catch-up from a prior meeting and this was a great opportunity to resume my friendship with their daughter by trying out the Hotel's range of small exercise toys. Scattered throughout the corridor outside the seminar room were devices to test your balance. It was almost with regret that we parted so the actual team building could go ahead with the adults.

Eric Borges was tasked with bringing this geographically-, personality- and skill-diverse collection of individuals together. We were 12 in all: Architects, project managers, designers, external contractors and office support. I was very familiar with the concept of such events from my Dale Carnegie days. You can always learn something new, tackle challenges and, above all, have fun together. Two of  Eric's exercises are embedded in my mind as achieving these goals.

"Blind Scribe" is my name for the first exercise. Each team of six was tasked with using 6 ropes to write the five letter word 'More' as accurately as possible, whilst blindfolded. We did have a trial period of 20 minutes with one rope to come up with a strategy.

The opposition debates whether the letter "L" is in the word "More" during their planning exercise

Now, I do not want to give our secrets away, suffice it to say that our team (Angelika, Anton, Laura, Leif, Ralph and myself) clearly had the better solution. Our rapid-fire brainstorming and trialing resulted in a strategy where Anton and I developed an intimate knowledge of our other team members legs and feet by touch. Fired on by shouts of encouragement and great hilarity all round, we clearly achieved a very legible written out 'More'.

What "more" can you say? Exactly as we had intended of course, despite Eric's reservations!

"Parallel Construction" was our last exercise. Given identical materials, our two teams had to build vehicles as similar as possible. Only one communicator from each team was allowed exchange information verbally with the other - and without seeing each other's work. In the end we had to admit: Though we had originated the idea of a flood navigating raft, with great stability and integrity, the vehicle created by Holger, Wolfgang, Markus, Eva, Marius & Sandra, had more style.

our Mark I

The design improved Mark II

Most importantly; we now could put names to faces; we had shared laughter and competition; we had broken down barriers to future communication. Note that all the German participants had given up a Friday before a long holiday weekend for this full day activity - not something everyone is willing to do.

Thanks to Leif & Sandra for organising this event. I think the farewell photo says it all!

I travelled to Germany by train this time, instead of flying. The journey is described in conversations and pictures here:
http://miltoncontact.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/a-trans-national-train-journey-in.html

Ambassador to Tollé Green Architecture Blog

Since February 2012, my initial contact with Leif & Sandra Tollé has expanded into a role representing Tollé Green Architecture in the UK . This blog will reflect interesting events, subjects and people that I encounter as an ambassador for Tollé Green Architecture. 

Tollé Green Architecture (www.tollegreenarchitecture.co.uk) is a long term venture by Sandra & Leif Tollé in the UK. It is an architecture company with sustainability, ethical and social interests that extend to forging cross border links that include training and research.

Photo: view from Ely Cathedral