Our take: Senior living facilities are long overdue for an upgrade, and innovative firms are elevating these facilities with features like wellness programs and a more polished, welcoming appearance. From smaller, intimate homes with a distinct residential feel to sleek city complexes akin to 5-Star hotels, these inventive complexes prove that when it comes to senior living, creating a sense of culture and community is key.
Housing for Elderly People, Huningue, France: French architect Dominique Coulon chose a material palette reflective of the building’s location on the banks of the Rhine and the area’s history as a former port. Interlaced handmade red bricks add a tactile quality to the façade, while the common areas face toward the river so residents can watch passing boats. The convivial public spaces, including a restaurant, computer room, and hobby workshop, are tied together by terracotta tiles and patinated walls in a matching shade of salmon pink. Light-washed woods and abundant circular skylights give the space a warm and inviting quality.
Housing for Elderly People, Huningue, France
Day Center and Home for the Elderly of Blancafort, Spain: The low concrete and wood structure of the building recalls the surrounding architecture, becoming “part of the urban nucleus and [one] with the history and personality of the municipality,” says Guillem Carrera. Ensuring a minimal ecological footprint was top of mind for the Spanish architect, who used solar panels, sourced materials locally when possible, and added thick, layered walls to help with thermal regulation. The two entrances, connected by a striking Coreten steel structure, divide the internal courtyards into two spaces that encourage residents and visitors to spend time together.
Day Center and Home for the Elderly of Blancafort, Spain
Kampung Admiralty, Singapore: Fashioned as a vertical kampung, the WOHA-designed experimental integrated development spans a Singapore city block and comprises senior housing, healthcare facilities, a massive medical center, parks, and shops—including a 50-stall hawker center—to serve the nation-state’s aging population. The project focuses on integrating senior citizens into the community so they have “access to all the help and services necessary to lead a healthy and independent life,” while also creating something that is “good for the environment and the people living in it,” explains Mun Summ Wong, cofounder of the local firm. The complex, with its space-saving layered architectural approach (inspired by a club sandwich, according to the local architects) and public ground-plane plaza, is seen as a model for future planning in Singapore’s high-density areas.
Kampung Admiralty, Singapore
Sun City Kobe Tower, Japan: Japan is creating many communities such as the 35-story, 483-unit Sun City Kobe Tower to accommodate its growing elderly population. The gleaming “lantern” crowns the building and houses the dining room, sky lounge, and the largest of the residential quarters. Its dramatic double-height windows offer peaceful views of Mount Rokko and Osaka Bay’s harbor waterfront, “acting as a catalyst to social interaction and a sense of calm,” explains architect Richard Beard, who partnered with BAMO and SWA Group on the project. Light wood, white stone, and garden views keep the mood tranquil and relaxed.
Sun City Kobe Tower, Japan
