Reimagining Age-Friendly Living

Project team

Client
BDP Quadrangle

service

Completion

2021

The Project

Human Space collaborated on a research project with BDP Quadrangle and BDP's international studios from the UK and Singapore on the topic of age-friendly living.

The basis of the study is that third age seniors (people between retirement and age-related limitation) who enjoy relatively good health and mental competency can and should have viable options for long-term care. Approximately 70% of residents presently housed in long-term care facilities are people assessed with low or mild-to-moderate needs, which means that they do not actually need to be housed in a long-term care setting. Other disadvantages discovered in the current housing model include a lack of affordable, attractive and practical living spaces for people in the middle-income bracket, and the placement of long-term care facilities in the suburban fringes, cut off from amenities by wide roads, which can leave residents feeling isolated and disconnected from their communities.

We propose a design framework with four main pillars:

balance of personal, social and community space;
connecting with the neighbourhood;
revitalizing and intensifying urban centres;
modular construction.

These considerations are important not just for age-appropriate buildings, but they also help to establish age-friendly neighbourhoods at the macro level.

For more on what we discovered through our research and a detailed look at how we propose to improve housing options and quality of life for our older residents, see our full report here: Reimagining Age-Friendly Living Report

Project Images

rendering of an apartment building and a diverse group of people enjoying a park in the foreground

People are living longer, healthier lives than ever before. As they age, they are also seeking opportunities to stay active in their homes and communities.

person reading and text describing Personal Space, two people chatting on a bench and text describing Social Space, six people at cafe tables or walking and text describing Community Space

The Age-Friendly Living Report addresses: the design of high quality, age-friendly homes; urban intensification strategies; and, the creation of multigenerational communities.

two older women chat on a bench in a building hallway between their apartments, in a nook that is decorated to be homey and welcoming

Each building floor can be treated as its own micro neighbourhood, with hallways broad enough to permit social circulation and conversational nooks.

rendering of a rooftop amenity with garden plots and pitched roof trellises with greenery

Rooftops can be leveraged for terraces and gardens. Access to the outdoors is key to good health and wellbeing, and gardening provides opportunities for both mental and physical excercise as well as social connection.