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Collection by Heather Corcoran

Aging Gracefully: How Architecture Can Make Nursing Homes Obsolete

As a large portion of the American population reaches retirement, architects and designers are rethinking what it means to age. With a new book and conceptual design, Matthias Hollwich of HWKN puts forth a new plan urban living—for the ages.

Learn more about Matthias Hollwich's plan for New Aging at Dwell on Design New York, which runs from May 13–15, 2016.

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The first step, he says, is to just address the issue. Fear of aging—and, by extension, death—means that the issue is often pushed under the rug and hidden away in hospitals and nursing homes. In some ways, acknowledging the inevitability and respecting the benefits that come with experience mark a return to an older way of living when communities supported each other across generations.
The first step, he says, is to just address the issue. Fear of aging—and, by extension, death—means that the issue is often pushed under the rug and hidden away in hospitals and nursing homes. In some ways, acknowledging the inevitability and respecting the benefits that come with experience mark a return to an older way of living when communities supported each other across generations.
In his call to action, Hollwich says: "This process begins with developing a new attitude toward aging: Expanding our social reach by inviting friends into our family circle, finding new ways to stay relevant to the world around us, adopting habits for staying fit and eating well, experimenting with transportation alternatives to using a car, looking at our homes with a new eye (and then changing our living spaces if needed), and enlisting the services that will guarantee our independence far into the future."
In his call to action, Hollwich says: "This process begins with developing a new attitude toward aging: Expanding our social reach by inviting friends into our family circle, finding new ways to stay relevant to the world around us, adopting habits for staying fit and eating well, experimenting with transportation alternatives to using a car, looking at our homes with a new eye (and then changing our living spaces if needed), and enlisting the services that will guarantee our independence far into the future."
The skyscraper concept Skyler looks at ways that architecture can support sustainable human communities. Its residents proportionally reflect the full range of life stages, with systems and spaces designed to support health and well-being, socialization, and even spirituality.
The skyscraper concept Skyler looks at ways that architecture can support sustainable human communities. Its residents proportionally reflect the full range of life stages, with systems and spaces designed to support health and well-being, socialization, and even spirituality.
The book New Aging features simple tips to "live smarter now to live better forever", cheerfully illustrated by Bruce Mau design. Looking beyond architecture, Hollwich urgers readers to take care of themselves—physically and mentally—for the future, while calling on the public to work against ageism. Of course, design plays a part when creating a home you can live for the rest of your life. Hollwich's advice? When in doubt, hire an architect.
The book New Aging features simple tips to "live smarter now to live better forever", cheerfully illustrated by Bruce Mau design. Looking beyond architecture, Hollwich urgers readers to take care of themselves—physically and mentally—for the future, while calling on the public to work against ageism. Of course, design plays a part when creating a home you can live for the rest of your life. Hollwich's advice? When in doubt, hire an architect.