AGING ISSUES

TOPIC OF AGING AND ARCHITECTURE HITS ITS STRIDE

"Architecture has failed to find a mechanism for dealing with the body's transformation as it ages. Modernism’s obsession with youth culture and its reinvention of traditional family structures rendered its designs powerless in this realm. Contemporary design yields more from regulations than a concern for ergonomics and the efficacy of good architecture."

The issue of building design and regulations not meeting the needs of our aging population will be a consuming topic in our homes and communities very shortly. The existing housing inventory will only maintain an acceptable value if it can be reworked to serve the human life cycle and the limitations that come with aging. These buildings also need to serve extended families. Currently building codes are written to deny in-law apartments and the logical use of existing out-buildings for additional dwelling space. Code officials will soon have to become part of the solutions sought by homeowners to maximize their space due to family and economic circumstances.