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LeadingAge

LeadingAge Magazine · July/August 2014 • Volume 04 • Number 04
Some are redevelopments of existing campuses or the merging of two contiguous communities into one. Some are brand-new retirement communities offering the full continuum of care while others offer only independent living or assisted living.

Some offer luxury living in the suburbs. One sits surrounded by mountains and rivers and focuses on holistic living. Some are designed to integrate educational and cultural dimensions into the campus structures. Others offer resort-style living for affluent seniors. Some offer subsidized housing for low-income seniors.

Some are expansive while others create a small and intimate environment. Five of them, in whole or in part, offer senior cohousing, planned and managed by the residents, with a commitment to common space. Some are active senior/independent living communities while others are devoted to skilled nursing and dementia care.

All of them take seriously the ideas that design should serve the needs and aspirations of seniors, that environmental sustainability and energy conservation must be emphasized, and that socialization and wellness must be priorities.

The above refers to the 23 senior living communities profiled in Architecture for an Ageing Population, a new book from the International Association of Homes and Services for the Ageing (IAHSA) and Images Publishing.

The book compiles the results of the 2013 Design for Ageing Showcase, which took place in Shanghai, China during IAHSA’s 10th International Conference in November. As in all of the Design for Ageing Showcases, design firms and aging-services organizations submitted their projects demonstrating how forward-thinking design, sensitive to the needs and aspirations of seniors, could meet those needs.

The projects highlighted in the book include 11 in the U.S., seven in Australia, three in China and two in the UK.

Each submission is fully described in the 224-page book. Hundreds of large photographs and artist renderings illustrate the communities, and for each one a detailed description includes:

  • An owner’s statement
  • An architect’s statement
  • Explanation of the client’s goals and the design team’s solutions
  • Design objectives and project challenges
  • The unique context of the project
  • Discussion of the project’s environmental sustainability and energy conservation elements
  • Advanced technologies used
  • The organization’s philosophy of care
  • How residents are integrated with the broader community

To order Architecture for an Ageing Population, please email info@iahsa.net with your name, address and the number of copies you would like to order. Each copy costs $60 plus shipping and handling (shipping rates vary by country). For more information, email IAHSA at info@iahsa.net or visit the IAHSA website.

The next Design for Ageing Forum will take place Aug. 31-Sept. 4, 2015, at IAHSA’s 11th International Conference in Perth, Australia, in conjunction with Aged & Community Services Australia (ACSA).