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Photo by Ricardo Oliveira Alves

1 Retirement Housing Goes Futuristic
Forward-thinking architects are already designing sophisticated communities for pensioners. In 2012, Guedes Cruz Architects completed the Social Complex of Alcabideche, a community in western Portugal. It consists of 52 cubic residences made with cast concrete walls and Plexiglas roofs. For safety at night, the houses illuminate medina-like pathways surrounding various amenities, such as pools and terraces. If an emergency occurs in one of the houses, the resident can activate an alarm that turns the unit’s roof red, alerting neighbours.

2 A Manifesto on Aging
When his firm’s concept for an LGBT retirement village stalled, Matthias Hollwich of HWKN set out to write a handbook with Bruce Mau Design about changing attitudes toward aging. New Aging: Live Smarter Now to Live Better Forever, to be published next year, outlines ways to stay proactive at every stage of life. Before retirement, for instance, Hollwich recommends assessing your home for areas that might become hazards later on, including stairs and maintenance-heavy backyard pools.

Walking canes with wall mount, by Rie Nørregaard for Sabi.

Circular grab bar, by Barber & Osgerby for Sabi.

The Changing Gears walker with GPS, by Kuen Chang and Florian Gerlach.

3 A Leg Up on Product Design
Several start-ups are tap­ping in to the aging market with well-designed medical and physical aids. One young company, Sabi, is rethinking the look of home accessories, as with the bathroom grab bars designed by Barber & Osgerby. And tech brands such as Nest are taking the lead in envisioning all-in-one home control apps.

4 From Garden to Home Farm
Spark, with offices in London, Beijing, Shanghai and Singapore, has proposed a new
typology of urban retirement home – one modelled on the vertical farm, where seniors remain active and stimulated by cultivating high-density vegetable gardens. Conceived
for Singapore as a way for the government to prop up its rapidly aging society while enhancing food security, the project would be feasible in any city with an imagination.

Photos by Julien Lanoo

5 Europe Has the Right Idea
Located near a hospital in the suburbs of Paris, the EHPAD Paul Brousse retirement community, which also contains 24 units for Alzheimer’s patients, was designed by Naud & Poux Architectes with a profound sensitivity to tenants’ emotional needs. Grouped around a core of stairs and elevators that offer inspiring views of the interior gardens, the complex includes beautiful peaked-roof structures with folding window louvres for privacy.

 

Pill dispenser, by Fuseproject for Sabi.

6 Gadgets for the Elderly
Many companies are seizing on ways that good design and technology can play a key role in the new aging market. Lively has created devices with enhanced readability. It makes a watch that doubles as an activity monitor and medication reminder; and a leaf-shaped gadget that attaches to pillboxes and fridge doors. The monitoring tiles let caregivers ensure from afar that their patients or family members stay on schedule.

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