There are more opportunities than ever to embrace the growing market that is Seniors Housing, and even more opportunities as Architects to respond to the new generation of Baby Boomers who are moving into retirement living.
The current thinking about Seniors Living is to provide the opportunity to “Age in Place”. Although there will always be a need for high care nursing facilities, contemporary design in Seniors Housing is moving away from the old style of institutional residential facility, to more of an independent model that offers a continuation of lifestyle while having the ability to adjust to the changing care needs of the resident.
The contemporary seniors housing complex, be it a residential care facility, a low density village comprising of self contained dwellings, a hostel or a vertical village, should be designed so that the residents can Age in Place while living socially with security, independence and dignity.
Contemporary Seniors Housing Design should not be aimed at “older” people; the current crop of retirees are Baby Boomers; the youngest is 50 and the oldest 68. The Baby Boomer market is culturally diverse, environmentally aware, lived through Vietnam, listened to the Rolling Stones and lived through the excesses of the 80’s and the fall of the 90’s. They do not want to live in a village that reminds them that they are aging; they want their housing to reflect the aspirations of their life and be the built form of the recognition of their life’s achievements.
This growing market is seeing a high demand for quality seniors housing, and Registered Clubs with excess land are in the perfect position to meet the demand. A registered Club can activate the SEPP (Housing for Seniors or People with a Disability) and develop their land to provide housing for seniors. There are several business models that can offer long and short term income for the club, both directly from the development, as well as through boosting membership numbers flowing from the senior’s development
Tags:
aged-living | ageing | architecture | baby-boomers | design | dwelling | generation | house | lifestyle | residential
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