Utilizing remembrance in architecture: Innovative design strategies for converting schools into nursing homes—Evidence from China and Japan

The combined challenges of declining birth rates and rapid population ageing have prompted many countries to consider adaptive reuse of vacant schools into nursing homes. Drawing inspiration from the medical practice of reminiscence therapy, this research develops an original theoretical framework of therapeutic adaptive reuse, exploring the influence of school architectural memory features on the well-being and daily experience of residents. In the first stage, questionnaires were conducted with respondents across different age groups in China and Japan, yielding 437 valid responses. Text-mining analysis of the survey results yielded 62 school architectural memory features. Chi-square tests revealed that national cultures exert a significant influence on memory features. Cluster analysis further identified 13 primary memory features in China and two in Japan. In the second stage, fieldwork and surveys were conducted in three adapted facilities and one conventional facility in China, generating 117 valid responses. Analyses using Chi‒Square tests and the Kruskal‒Wallis H test demonstrated that retaining school memory features can trigger residents’ memories, thereby conducting reminiscence therapy. These findings provide a novel perspective on adaptive reuse strategies for converting schools into nursing homes, establish a foundation for the conversion, and offer theoretical guidance for future implementation.