High Density Living for Seniors

I am currently attending the World Architecture Festival in Singapore celebrating well considered design and being inspired by provocative thinkers. It is also a chance to experience one of the world’s most organised cities - reputedly the most liveable city in Asia. As a firmly committed regional architect, I am curious about global urbanisation and the fact that cities are now the dominant human habitat. In Australia two out of every three people live in a capital city. This trend clashing with the burgeoning ageing population compels us to re-think high density living so that it caters for seniors (refer to my previous blog). On my home turf, the Illawarra, in just over 10 years nearly one quarter of the population will be older than 65 years of age. While some of this cohort may be city dwellers making a sea/tree change, many will be from a regional city or country town having spent three or four decades in a home designed to raise a family. Edmiston Jones and IRT foundation have joined forces to facilitate a workshop on the 13 November to encourage some fresh thinking in the design of apartments and townhouses. I am a great believer in the ‘wisdom of the crowd’ and look forward to generating ideas with developers, real estate agents and aged care providers to ensure that high-density living also has a sense of community and supports ageing in place. Come and join us to contribute to the discussion. Click here to download your invitation. As I sit in my AirBnB apartment on the 25th floor overlooking Singapore's Marina Bay I do wonder how you to stay connected, environmentally and socially, in this vertical living environment. Many architects, supported by forward thinking clients, are taking up this challenge by designing terraces and rooftop gardens as well as common function rooms and other communal facilities. I look forward to sharing other ideas that may come from the round table discussion in a future blog.