Designing for Aging
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Abstract
The built environment must adapt to the increasing number of aged
people by maintaining and improving the accessibility of the built environment. Due to improvements in medicine, as well as the aging of the baby boomer generation, the United States is seeing an increase in this segment of the population. The built environment must do more than it currently does to accommodate for aging and adapt to improve accessibility for all people. One aspect of the built environment that is in dire need of investigation is the quality
of assisted living centers and skilled nursing facilities.
The baby boomer generation is of particular interest and importance
to this thesis because they are the end users of the project. The bubble in the population that occurred between 1946 and 1964 calls for a project of this type. The project will consist of an assisted living center with twelve units
totaling 8,050 SF and an accompanying skilled nursing facility with seventeen units totaling 27,500 SF. It will be located in Crosslake, MN. This is a small town that currently does not have these facilities and is in need of this type of project.
The project will emphasize the mobility of the men and women by allowing them to grow within the project and move within it as they require additional services.
Research is fundamental to this project’s successful design. Case
studies of previous successful buildings will be analyzed and diagnosed. The knowledge that is gained will inform all aspects of the design. The process associated with the design will be documented using digital means and serve as a guide to future scholars pursuing similar topics.