38 Dongdaemun-gu Senior Centers Renovated to Welcome the Elderly with New Upgrades

Completion of Public Senior Center Facility Construction by End of July During COVID-19 Closure... Rooftop Cool Roof, Facility Repairs, and Installation of Standing Furniture Implemented for a Comfortable Senior Center Environment

Yoo Deok-yeol, the mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, is visiting a senior center before its closure to urge adherence to COVID-19 prevention guidelines.

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Dongdaemun-gu (Mayor Yoo Deok-yeol) is renovating old and worn-out district-run senior centers to support the comfortable and pleasant living of the elderly by utilizing the extended closure period of senior centers due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

The district announced that by the end of July, it will install cool roofs on the roofs of senior centers to prevent heat damage during the summer heatwave, conduct safety inspections, and repair aging gas, electrical, and fire facilities in the senior centers. Additionally, the district will refurbish the senior centers by providing standing furniture such as tables and chairs.

A cool roof is a technique that involves painting the roof of a building with light-colored paint that reflects sunlight and heat, reducing the amount of heat absorbed by the building.

Thermal imaging camera measurements of roof surface temperatures before and after cool roof installation showed that the surface temperature was lowered by nearly 40°C. Thanks to the reduced surface temperature, indoor temperatures drop by about 3 to 10°C, saving an average of 20% in cooling energy.

Last August, the district installed cool roofs on Subok Senior Center and Sini-mun Senior Center. In April this year, cool roofs were applied to the roof and exterior walls of the Korea Senior Citizens Association Dongdaemun-gu branch building, lowering the building temperature and improving its appearance.

The district has prioritized eight district-run senior centers that require waterproofing due to aging or have poor cooling facilities and plans to complete cool roof installations by the end of July.

In addition, in May, as part of the senior center facility improvement project, the district completed remodeling of the Hwameok Senior Center, which was selected for the Seoul City universal design project for senior centers. Furthermore, the district conducted safety inspections on gas, fire, and electrical facilities at 149 senior leisure and welfare facilities, repairing about 20 aging senior centers among them.

By July, the district plans to select about 10 senior centers with poor facilities and improve the inconvenient sitting lifestyle environment by providing standing furniture such as tables and chairs, enabling the elderly to live more active and efficient lives.

Yoo Deok-yeol, Mayor of Dongdaemun-gu, stated, “We have taken advantage of the current long-term closure of senior centers due to COVID-19 to refurbish them. When the senior centers reopen, we will continue to provide various supports so that the elderly can live in a more comfortable and pleasant environment.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.