If you’re
considering moving, downsizing or building a home in retirement, you’ll
find plenty of inspiration in the new book “Unassisted Living: Ageless
Homes For Later Life” by architects Wid Chapman and Jeffrey Rosenfeld.
“Unassisted
Living” feature 33 homes for baby boomers -- ranging from single-family
to apartments to getaway cottages, built over the past dozen years.
They vary widely in location, style, size and cost, but share an open
and contemporary feel, flooded with natural light and crafted with
natural materials such as wood and stone. Simultaneously minimalist and
warm, these dwellings were built with both longevity and vitality in
mind – but barely hint at the special accommodations typically required
by age.
“Boomers
have gone through life being rebels,” said Rosenfeld. “They are aware
of their coming frailties, but they are thumbing their noses at some of
the rules.” For instance, Rosenfeld interviewed the director of a
geriatric program at a major hospital who specifically asked for stairs
in his retirement home. “If anyone should know the challenges of age it
would be this person, but he said, ‘How will I get exercise if I have
no stairs in my home?’”
The
notion of being challenged by one’s home is taken to a conceptual
extreme in a project called “Bioscleave” in East Hampton, New York.
Designed by Madeline Gins and Shusaku Arakawa, the home looks more like
a child’s playset, with vibrant colors, floors textured like a lunar
landscape and unexpected twists, turns and sloping spaces. Not even the
light switches are where they’re supposed to be. Outside, the grounds
are literally a maze.
Bioscleave
is an example of a philosophy called “reversible destiny” –- the idea
that a steady decline in faculties from midlife onward is not
inevitable. “It’s all about a home that is intentionally disorienting,”
said Chapman. “You need to think about finding your way through the
home.”
Chapman
admits there’s a “healthy element of denial" at work: "Boomers are in
good health and many of them are not fully addressing these issues.”
Some homeowners included shafts for future elevators and space for
bathroom grab bars; one designed a pool cabana that could be converted
into a caretaker’s cottage.
“No
generation has ever placed such contradictory demands on later-life
housing,” the authors write. In their interviews with homeowners and
architects, the authors discovered three main priorities in a
retirement home.
“Many
people wanted to stay connected to children, grandchildren and friends;
stay fit and healthy; and be involved in a combination of work and
leisure pursuits,” said Rosenfeld. “I didn’t hear people say, ‘I want
to leave it all behind me.’ Many were planning to continue their
careers in a new form -- working from home or as a consultant or doing
volunteer work related to their careers.”
In
addition, post 50s want homes that balance privacy and connection --
the cozy master suite as well as flexible, separate quarters to host
adult children, aging parents or visiting friends. Sustainability is
another priority. “It’s the first aging population that had any social
interest in green design and an understanding of climate change,” said
Chapman. Homeowners put a premium on sustainable materials and
energy-efficient systems.
“Boomers
are transformative,” said Rosenfeld. “The life span is lengthening and
the whole experience of later life is changing, and they are making an
impact on how we live our later years. We wanted to celebrate that."
