Faced with the aging of the global population, one of the most significant social transformations of the 21st century is anticipated. The design of patios, gardens, terraces, and other green areas in facilities for the elderly presents an opportunity to foster interaction, participation in various collective activities, and the establishment of gathering spaces aimed at reducing loneliness among older adults while enhancing well-being and social interaction in connection with nature. How can built environments be created to adapt to the needs of older adults?
According to the World Population Prospects 2022, the proportion of people aged 65 and older is growing faster than those younger than that age. The percentage of the global population aged 65 and older is expected to increase from 10% in 2022 to 16% by 2050, meaning that by 2050, the number of people aged 65 and older worldwide will be twice that of children under 5 and nearly equal to that of children under 12.
Reflecting on the living conditions demanded by older adults from the perspectives of architecture and design is accompanied by considerations of sustainability, materials, and accessibility requirements that contribute to the development of their activities and allow for dignified aging. The arrangement of outdoor spaces facilitates the integration of older adults with nature, as seen in NORD Architects’ Alzheimers Village, which transforms the landscape into a recreational space. Sentidos Comprehensive Center for the Elderly also focuses on person-centered care, emphasizing outdoor spaces through various sequences and enhancing the therapeutic value of vegetation, sunlight, and outdoor environments to stimulate active and independent living among residents. Whether observing species from their rooms and introducing vegetation indoors through large windows or strolling the garden paths, it is possible to foster the creation of both private and communal spaces, solitary and social, for each user inhabiting and moving through the residences.
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Interacting with Society: On the Integration and/or Isolation of Seniors in Urban Life
Being a broad topic of debate where multiple positions and perspectives intersect, complement, and clash in relation to how older adults navigate cities, whether or not spaces are adapted to their needs, and so on, there are various projects around the world that, in dialogue with their surrounding environment, aim to create spaces for collective community living. While the Elzenhof Veenoord Courtyard for Elderly proposes that they leave their large homes to move into smaller residences, making room for younger people seeking family homes in the town, the Nibankan nursing home, on the contrary, challenges the notion of an elderly residence with a proposal that avoids isolating them from the city and instead embraces urban life. Given that Japan’s rapidly aging population presents issues of isolation and a shortage of caregivers, the residence design seeks to preserve the health and autonomy of older adults by integrating them into the community and local environment. In fact, it includes dining rooms, lounges, and living areas open to the street to foster informal interaction with the neighborhood.
On the other hand, retirement village projects for older adults are also being developed. In response to a considerable demand for housing and care alternatives for aging in New Zealand, Warren and Mahoney were commissioned to design Metlifecare Gulf Rise Retirement Homes. Focusing on human scale, context, overall scale, diversity in residential offerings, and community engagement, the guiding principles of the master plan were linked to safety, socialization, and connection.
Elzenhof Veenoord Courtyard for Elderly / Specht architects & planners
Charm Premier Grand Gotenyama Nursing Home / Nikken Housing System Ltd
Metlifecare Gulf Rise Retirement Homes / Warren and Mahoney
Establishing a Home: Accessibility for Seniors in Indoor and Outdoor Spaces
How can we make senior residents feel at home? What materials and design strategies should be applied? Conveying a sense of home, close to a domestic scale and removed from the hospital-like concept, represents one of the most significant challenges when designing for the humanization of architecture. While cases like Les Hallates Senior Housing include medical offices and a community room to ensure nearby services for residents, the presence of courtyards, terraces, and gardens contributes to the development of resting areas, pergolas for socializing, spaces for exercise and/or rehabilitation, and gathering spots equipped with furniture and ramps suited to their needs. These features aim to create leisure spaces far from the hospital architecture concept.
Considering notions of accessibility and efficiency in the care and attention needs of older adults is important to ensure smooth, practical, and easy circulation that allows for the pleasant development of their activities and improves their quality of life. As seen in the Retirement Home of the Franciscan Sisters in Vienna, functional layout, access points, easy orientation, and short distances are essential for seniors and their caregivers, allowing older adults a more autonomous daily life and enabling staff to have more effective workflows and a good overall view. Similarly, in the De Drie Platanen Care Home, the floor plan and materials suggest a sense of home. In general, warm colors, tactile materials, carpets, and the use of wood help create harmonious and homely environments where older adults feel comfortable.
Retirement Home of the Franciscan Sisters in Vienna / Schenker Salvi Weber Architekten
De Drie Platanen Care Home / Bovenbouw
Les Hallates Senior Housing / Agapé
Alzheimers Village / NORD Architects
Sentidos Comprehensive Center for the Elderly / Estudio Cordeyro & Asociados
Achieving Energy Efficiency in Harmony with Nature: Sustainable Strategies for Indoor Comfort
The presence of pre-existing trees, the treatment of green areas, the conservation of species, and other design and landscaping strategies contribute to the daily well-being and interaction of older residents with the natural environment, both indoors and outdoors. Patios, gardens, and terraces can provide natural lighting, cross ventilation, and views in multiple directions, creating indoor spaces in dialogue with nature. Additionally, projects like the Residence for the Elderly in Pòrtol are designed following environmental and maximum energy efficiency criteria, aiming to achieve a nearly Zero Energy Building. With an A energy rating, this case prioritizes passive strategies over active ones and reduces energy demand to ensure building efficiency. The interior courtyards allow for adiabatic cooling, which, combined with cross ventilation, minimizes energy losses and reduces cooling consumption in summer. Furthermore, the placement of deciduous plant pergolas protects outdoor terraces in summer and allows solar radiation in during winter, turning these intermediate spaces into energy collectors.
Another example is the Nursing Home Passivhaus, conceived as an energy machine, a passive building where consumption is zero, and it produces more energy than it consumes. Additionally, the installation of heat recovery systems, along with filters and the building’s airtightness, ensures optimal air quality in these buildings, preventing respiratory allergies in its users while also improving energy efficiency. In this way, efficiency, sustainability, and nature come together to create wellness spaces that meet the needs of our senior citizens.
Residence for the Elderly in Pòrtol / Santi Vives Sanfeliu, Tomás Montis Sastre, Adrià Clapés i Nicolau
Nursing Home Passivhaus / CSO arquitectura
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