Elderly Housing Design in Europe

The differences between elderly housing here in America compared with elderly housing in Europe has always been alarming to us. The elderly housing typical of American design seems marked by large scale mega-complexes intended to house the maximum amount of people with the minimum amount of effort. The housing is usually pushed out of sight (and out of mind) and the work lacks inspiration, composition and identity. We’ll eventually pay the price for such near-sighted design when the majority of us end up spending the tail-end of our lives in these overlooked, dreary facilities.

In stark contrast, the work in Europe tends toward a human scale and seems to evoke a sense of community. These projects are situated in gorgeous settings with fantastic views; the design seems deliberate and thought-out by good architects. It’s as if the Europeans aim to offer respect and appreciation to those individuals who paved the way before them. How novel.

But enough of our ranting. Today we’re going to give you the scoop on some truly phenomenal elderly housing projects. As always, let us know what we missed out there.