Lifelong Housing

Strategies for aging in place through all periods of life from millennials through retirees

By Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP

What makes housing not only attractive and functional but truly livable? The answer can depend on who is being asked. Young or middle-aged singles or couples have specific needs and wants that can be different from families with children who are still different from empty-nest or retirement households. Recognizing this, developers and housing designers often create housing solutions focused around just one typical household type, anticipating that residents will move in and out based on the phase of life or lifestyle that a particular housing design addresses. But there is an alternative approach in the form of housing that can adjust or adapt to different life stages, allowing people to live in the same housing situation longer. In some cases, elements of such designs remain the same by being universally appealing or functional. Other parts of the housing unit might be designed to be readily adaptable, allowing for elements to be movable, expandable, or even collapsible to suit different conditions. Such an approach allows people to remain in a home and neighborhood despite lifestyle changes, giving rise to the design notion of “lifelong housing.”

Universal Design

For the past few decades, buildings of all types have needed to comply with design requirements to allow people with physical disabilities to function independently in them. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and codified standards such as the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 117.1 have become both recognized and required as guidelines for the design of accessible spaces, including residential living spaces. As these requirements took hold, the design community began to realize that many of the things that make a home more accessible don’t need to rely on special or additional items, rather, just on a better design approach. Further, it became clear that residential units might need to accommodate people of different capabilities at the same time, as in multigenerational households, or that people who are otherwise able-bodied might have a temporary disability due to an accident or medical procedure. This gave rise to the concept of “universal design,” which is a design approach that holistically integrates accessibility features that are useful to people of all capabilities without necessarily drawing special attention to those features.

Universal design looks beyond code and regulatory requirements for accessibility by recognizing that there is a wide spectrum of human abilities either between different people or between different periods in someone’s life. Everyone, whether able-bodied or not, experiences childhood restrictions, adult capabilities, periods of temporary illness, physical injury, and limitations of old age. The differences at these periods can be found in physical, perceptual, and cognitive abilities, as well as different body sizes and shapes. By recognizing this diversity of experiences that affect all people, environments can be designed that are easier for all people to use. A good example can be found in curb cuts at sidewalks that were initially designed and constructed primarily for people who use wheelchairs. It didn’t take long to recognize that they could also be used by pedestrians with strollers or rolling luggage, thus adding functionality and convenience for everyone as part of a universal population.

Universal design can be based on permanent design elements, such as corridors and doors of appropriate widths, or on adjustable solutions in a space, such as adjustable counter heights, movable furniture, or even movable partitions. This approach allows for the building to have a longer period of usefulness to the owner, making it functional over different stages of life and making it more sustainable in the process. Who can benefit from this universal design approach? Almost everyone. Young, healthy people may not need to worry about any physical accommodation of spaces, until they incur an injury or find themselves needing to care for someone else who does need an accommodation. Young veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who were wounded in combat and are now back home recovering are an example of this situation. Households with children need spaces that are appropriately accessible to allow those children to participate fully in the family but are also appropriately limiting as they learn to navigate safely in their living environment. This might play out as isolating young children away from stairs or landings, while still allowing adults ready access for example. People entering or near retirement may not need to worry about any particular accommodations in the short term but often look at their housing with an eye toward the future, wishing to remove obstacles, such as stairs, to allow them to still function easily in the same home as they age. Of course, all of these different issues may come together at the same time if the household is made up of people of multiple generations, such as a middle-aged couple who has their adult child or children living at home with them or has brought an elderly parent to live in the house with them. In any of these cases, a universal design approach makes it easier for everyone to function and be accommodated in a coordinated/integrated way regardless of temporary or permanent physical capabilities. It also allows everyone to stay in the same living unit longer without being forced to move.

Trends Influencing Design

Residential designs are generally critiqued by the general public based on how well a residence suits their lifestyle, provides for their preferences, and stays within their budget. The interesting part for designers is to recognize that there are some very distinct groups of people that need housing with very different situations. To help us understand some of those differences, there are some national groups, publications, and organizations that are doing some very good and even groundbreaking work.

The Millennial Generation

At one time, the largest demographic group in the United States was the “baby boom” generation that emerged in the roughly 20-year period following World War II. That generation is now entering retirement and is being replaced by the “millennials” who were born roughly between 1975 and 1995. Currently in the age range of their 20s and 30s, this group has been touted in news reports, studies, and marketing efforts to discern what is similar and what is different about this generally well-educated, tech savvy, and capable generation. Of course, generalizations aren’t always justified. For example, The Atlantic magazine has reported that while white, suburb-raised millennials have mostly attended college and are considered to be quite upwardly mobile, minorities of this generation are sometimes “stuck” in poorer neighborhoods with little opportunity to move out.¹ Nonetheless, most of this generation feels financial pain either from low wages or college debt burdens, and they have delayed buying homes accordingly. Many are living with their parents much longer as a result, even after finishing college, and in the interest of being mobile to find the best job opportunity (not to mention postponing marriage and a family for the same reason) would rather rent their housing than buy a place to live. Of course, there are variations and exceptions, but overall, this generation appears to be following a different path in life than their parents or grandparents did.

A magazine devoted to millennial lifestyle has even emerged, appropriately called Millennial Magazine (millennialmagazine.com). It recognizes some of these trends, but also indicates that millennials are indeed entering the housing market, with projections indicating they will begin to make an impact in large numbers in the coming years. Based on that, in March of 2015, the magazine published a list of seven things that they believe this generation is looking for when it comes to choosing a home.² These include:

• Open floor plans that allow for group activities and entertaining with friends without being limited by small boxy spaces.
• Less maintenance since busy work and social schedules, or the need to travel out of town for a few days, aren’t conducive to spending a lot of time on cutting grass, repairing things in the house, or worrying about keeping up appearances.
• No formal dining room since sitting at formal group meals is not commonly part of their lifestyle. Rather, a home office or study space would be more useful, along with some flexible living space that could accommodate the occasional large meal gathering by moving the furniture around.
• Energy-efficient appliances that reflect an awareness of the need to control environmental impacts and a desire to keep long-term energy costs down. In some cases, it is reported that this single item could be the difference influencing a buying decision over another similar home that is not equipped with energy-efficient, more sustainable appliances.
• Hardwood floors or laminated flooring, which are are stated preferences over carpeting since they are easier to clean, meaning less maintenance, particularly if pets are involved.
• Comfort, a key criteria in most home decisions and one that certainly applies here, particularly for people who seek to unwind at home outside of work or other obligations.
• Connectivity to good cellular telephone service and high-speed Internet, which are not luxuries for this generation, but necessities of modern life. Many don’t have, or want, land-line telephones and use the Internet for a plethora of basic uses, such as communication, banking, shopping, and entertainment.

This list is certainly not definitive, but suggests that open, flexible, connected living conditions are needed without the trappings of undue maintenance or formalities. It is also suggests that some, or all, of these characteristics will not likely change much as this generation moves into other phases of life.

AARP HomeFit Guide

Formerly known as the American Association of Retired Persons, AARP is a national organization focused on the 50-and-over population in this country with more than 38 million members. It has the resources and capabilities to look at a variety of social, economic, and lifestyle issues for this demographic, including housing. Its sheer numbers confirm the large increase in the aging and retired population in the United States. Research conducted by AARP among its members and retirees in general consistently finds that the vast majority of people age 50 and older want to stay in their homes and communities for as long as possible. This has produced the concept of “aging in place,” which allows people to stay living where they are even as physical capabilities may change over time.

With the above in mind, AARP created the HomeFit Guide specifically to help people stay in their homes, turning them into “lifelong homes” suitable for themselves and anyone else in their household. Its approach is similar to universal design in that it seeks to make a home more livable by incorporating design principles and products that are adaptable, safe, and easy to use. It points out that, done properly, such smartly designed features are attractive, stylish, and can come at all different price points. The guide offers solutions that range from simple do-it-yourself fixes to improvements that are more involved and require skilled expertise but are all billed as well worth the expense. As both an educational resource and a personalized tool kit, the AARP HomeFit Guide is presented as providing lessons, suggestions, and practical solutions.³

AARP Lifelong Housing Certification Project

So it is one thing to follow a guide for your own residence, but how would you know if an existing housing unit is already suitable for lifelong housing or not? AARP teamed up with southern Oregon’s Rogue Valley Council of Governments (RVCOG) to see if it could address that. What emerged is the Lifelong Housing Certification Project as a voluntary certification process for evaluating the accessibility and/or adaptability of homes. It provides a way to assess the “age friendliness” and accessibility of rental units, newly constructed homes, and existing homes. The program was specifically developed to help meet the growing market demand for accessible housing in the southern Oregon region and to promote aging in place for older adults and people with disabilities who want simply to live safely and independently. It is based on a comprehensive checklist of features developed using established universal design standards and with input from consumers, home builders, rental owners, and home inspectors. All Lifelong Housing Certification is done by a licensed inspector. The program became available for public use in 2013, and the first certifications were issued in 2014.

The program defines three different levels of certification based on the following:

• Level 1: Visitable: The home includes basic accessibility and/or adaptability of architectural features on the ground floor and is “visitable” for guests with disabilities. It has a wheelchair-accessible entrance, plus entertainment area, hall, and a bathroom. Other examples of basic features include door handles and faucets that are lever-style and don’t require grasping.
• Level 2: Fully Accessible: The ground floor of the home is fully accessible, including all Level 1 features plus an accessible bedroom and kitchen, parking area, and entrance. Examples of additional features include raised toilet and appliances, grab bars in the bathroom, etc.
• Level 3: Enhanced Accessibility: The home includes Levels 1 and 2 features and has been customized for specific accessibility needs (for example, a ceiling track for transfer or electronic care monitoring). Specific features are noted on the certificate and available from the seller or listing agent.

Once rated, the home is then added to the RVCOG Lifelong Certified Housing database, which is available to Realtors^® and potential homebuyers and renters. The certification makes it easier for individuals of all ages to find homes that are suitable for lifelong living and promote the social and economic value of lifelong livability. Local consumers and housing industry professionals learn about the program from outreach activities (such as a booth at the Southern Oregon Home and Garden Show) and educational events for consumers and industry professionals that are organized by RVCOG, AARP, and other partners, including the local organization Age-Friendly Innovators. People can also find or learn more about the program online at the Rogue Valley Council of Governments website (www.rvcog.org).

NAHB Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS)

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) (www.nahb.org), in collaboration with AARP and other experts, has taken things national by developing the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) designation for housing design and construction professionals. Based on training and testing during a multicourse educational program, Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists are taught to understand the unique needs of the older adult population. They also become knowledgeable about aging-in-place home modifications, common remodeling projects, and solutions to common barriers. CAPS designees are often remodelers, but designers, architects, and others frequently achieve this designation as well.

Certified Aging-in-Place Specialists can fill a variety of needs. First, they can recommend updates to housing that will help a person live independently in his or her own home. They can also work with occupational therapists (OTs) to develop a home modification or build plan based on the safety and functional needs of an individual or household. Of course, they will need to collaborate with licensed architects, interior designers, or contractors about building and design strategies and techniques for creating barrier-free living spaces that are attractive and functional. NAHB is quick to point out that CAPS remodelers and design-build professionals are not medical or health-care professionals and do not give advice on those matters. Rather, they provide guidance on ways to adjust the design and construction of homes to promote aging in place.

Leadership by Designers and Developers

Recognizing these trends, programs, and changes in the demographics of America, architects, urban planners, and developers have begun to respond by embracing the notion of lifelong housing and begun to incorporate it into their work. In some cases, this response has been due to client requests, while others have been proactively leading the way.

Sarah Susanka, FAIA: The Not-So-Big House

Most people involved in any residential design work have likely come across Sarah Susanka’s popular work. With nine best-selling books to her credit, she has engaged the public in learning about effective, efficient, and creative residential design principles. In 2012, she participated in a demonstration program known as the Not-So-Big Showhouse, which was built in a dense, urban setting in Libertyville, Illinois. It incorporated some of the common features and principles that her work has become known for: efficient, affordable layouts that align with good natural lighting and three-dimensional spaces that are articulated cohesively. In addition to features that millennials would enjoy, such as open space in a very comfortable, energy-efficient design, she also incorporated aspects of flexibility that help with lifelong housing. In particular, she has included a first-floor “away room,” which can serve as a home office, a guest room, or even a play room for kids. It is located just off of a mudroom and bathroom area, which means it is readily adaptable to become a first-floor, accessible bedroom suite should someone need such a space. She also does not include a formal dining room, opting instead for a space-efficient eating booth in the kitchen. If a large holiday meal is planned, the kitchen table is readily movable into the main living area and can accommodate a crowd. The concepts behind this house have now been taken further to the Not-So-Big Working Lab in Lake Zurich, Illinois, where additional homes are incorporating these same ideas.

Matthias Hollwich: New Aging

Architect and millennial Matthias Hollwich has taken a look at aging in America and did not like what he saw. The typical cold, sterile nursing homes that provided residents with boredom and a loss of freedom and vitality is not the vision that he thought worthy of our futures. He has taken the position that instead of storing the elderly in nursing homes, we need to reimagine how our living spaces are designed so that nursing homes become obsolete. So, with the help of his architecture firm Hollwich Kushner and the University of Pennsylvania, he has started a movement to change the way we experience aging based on the premise that while our needs evolve as we age, our desire to enjoy life does not. “Aging is part of life. It is what makes us who we are,” says Hollwich. “But the way our society is aging is an outdated model, and we need to change that—immediately.”

His book New Aging: Live Smarter Now to Live Better Forever by Matthias Hollwich with Jennifer Krichels and illustrations by Robert Samuel Hanson of Bruce Mau Designs has been described as a manifesto.⁴ It is a call for people to take charge of their lives and reshape their living spaces to accommodate how their needs will change as they age so that aging will be less of a disruption and more of an adventure. The book lays out their work on aging and architecture into a collection of short, principled passages designed to help others think creatively and realistically about how we want to spend the rest of our lives. The advice ranges from practical design tips for making homes safer and more comfortable to insights on how people, work, relax, travel, socialize, and even eat. Most importantly, Matthias is promoting the idea that people can make small, simple changes in their 30s or 40s so they won’t be forced to make larger ones in their 70s.

Ryan Frederick: Smart Living 360

Smart Living 360 is a real-estate development and operating company that looks at issues beyond just property development. The company was created by innovator Ryan Frederick with a vision of developing residential communities with a particular emphasis on well-being. Its stated focus is to deliver innovative living experiences that are more than basic shelter, but rather, ones that can inspire its residents, create true community, and adjust as needs change. The approach to planning is based on an understanding that our surroundings encourage greater purpose, social connection, physical and financial well-being, and a sense of community, all of which are desirable at any age. Toward that end, it has established three core principles that guide its development.

• Connection: Creating community and promoting social connections
• Access: Enabling access to services and amenities that enhance life
• Simplicity: Delivering an experience that allows people to focus on what’s most important

Based on these principles and values, Smart Living 360 is working to redefine how living environments can enhance and support successful living at all ages.

Ross Chapin, FAIA: Pocket Neighborhoods

Looking beyond individual housing units, a place for lifelong living involves a neighborhood—ideally one that is conducive to a sense of community and positive interactions throughout various life stages. With that in mind, Ross Chapin, FAIA, an architect and land planner has authored Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small Scale Community in a Large Scale World. He has defined pocket neighborhoods as clustered groups of neighboring houses or apartments gathered around a shared open space, such as a garden courtyard, a pedestrian street, a series of joined backyards, or a reclaimed alley. The key is that this common space promotes a clear sense of shared territory and shared stewardship among the people who live around it. Such pocket neighborhoods can be in urban, suburban, or rural areas, but the important point is to create a setting where neighbors can easily know one another. That familiarity means empty nesters and single householders can find friendship or a helping hand when needed or where children can have some friendly supervision if their parents need some support. Clearly, such a neighborhood concept, with a mix of ages and lifestyles, is supportive of lifelong housing in multiple ways.⁵

With an understanding of the types of design issues and principles that can contribute to successful lifelong design solutions, let’s turn our attention to a few specific rooms in any living unit that receive a lot of design attention, namely, kitchens, and laundry areas.

Integrated Lifelong Design: Kitchens

Kitchens are central to all housing units and among the most used rooms in any living situation. Their size, shape, layout, and details are influenced by many factors, not the least of which is the lifestyle of the people who live there. This room often has the most built-in features too, which means if it is going to accommodate different stages of life or be readily usable for a multigenerational household, then there needs to be some inherent universal design aspects and perhaps some things that can change, adjust, or adapt to suit differing needs.

The first design priority for a kitchen in lifelong housing is to optimize the layout for use by people of all ages and capabilities. That means there has to be ample, not minimal, space for accessing and moving through and around the kitchen area. That doesn’t necessarily mean wheelchair access everywhere (although that would be ideal), but it might mean enough access for walkers, crutches, or other mobility aids. Since appliances are central to all kitchen layouts (i.e., refrigerators, stoves, etc.), those need to be located appropriately not only for easy access, but also for the opportunity to place something down adjacent to these appliances. These “landing areas” on either side are needed to provide a place to set pans, utensils, food, etc. on a countertop adjacent to the cooking appliance or refrigerator either to open or close a door, or to access needed tools or ingredients. The recommended minimum landing area size varies by appliance, but generally a minimum area of 15 by 16 inches is needed adjacent to one side of an oven or refrigerator. On cooktops or range tops, one is needed on each side, although one can be reduced to 12 by 16 inches. Further, a landing area 9 inches deep behind a cooktop is recommended on an island or when it is otherwise not located against a wall.

In addition to horizontal layouts, the heights of kitchen features need to be considered as well. Work areas should not assume that people will only be standing but rather provide the ability to sit on a chair or stool (or roll up a wheelchair) to work. That means different heights of countertops or work surfaces are needed. Appliance heights are part of this consideration, too. Cooktops can be built into countertops of any height to allow easier access. Dishwashers can be raised up from the floor to make loading and unloading easier. Controls for any appliance can be located in front for easy access rather than requiring reaching over the top of the appliance.

Storage areas should be looked at in terms of reaching heights, too. Upper wall cabinets are being used less frequently since they are difficult to reach by many average-height standing adults and even more so by anyone sitting, as in a wheelchair. Hence, a trend has been observed that these cabinets are being replaced with lower-height, open-front shelves that provide ready access and display of things like dishes, glassware, etc. This is not only more convenient, but it works with the easy, low-maintenance lifestyles of younger homeowners, too. Similarly, instead of lower cabinets with doors concealing fixed shelves that may be difficult to reach down into, drawers are emerging as a preferred option. It is clearly easier for anyone to pull out a drawer to view and access the contents, but it can be particularly better for anyone who has trouble bending or kneeling down.

Building on the concepts above, AARP has some specific recommended strategies for kitchens in the interest of making them usable for people of all ages:

• Provide different-height kitchen countertops to create options for use by a child, a tall person, and someone who prefers to sit rather than stand while preparing a meal. These can be fixed-in-place countertops or they can be adjustable such that they can be raised up on adjustable legs or collapsed and lowered down when appropriate. Specifically, different surfaces that are different heights ranging from 29 to 36 inches or an adjustable surface that can raise and lower within that range to suit a person’s needs are ideal. This presumes that a chair, whether with wheels or not, or a stool can be placed appropriately with leg room under the work surface, not with a base cabinet in the way.
• Provide storage in locations that don’t require lifting things overhead. In order to increase usable storage, include pullout drawers, trays, and other accessories that allow better organization.

Specify stoves, dishwashers, and refrigerators that minimize or eliminate hazards, such as reaching over a hot burner to adjust the controls. Further, consider electric induction heating, which heats up pots and pans but not the cooktop, creating an inherently safer situation to begin with. It also tends to be more energy efficient and more responsive to temperature adjustments than even a gas-fired cooktop or range.

• Evaluate appliance locations for usability by people with varying abilities, and locate the appliances to minimize lifting or bending. For instance, placing a microwave oven above the range may prove to be less accessible compared to building it into a wall cabinet at a lower, more accessible height.
• Consider installing a second sink near the cooking area and include a pullout spray faucet. Doing so is handy for filling a pot with water for boiling—and then emptying that pot without having to carry it across the kitchen.

These and other ideas go a long way toward creating kitchens that can be accessible, efficient, and well designed in all respects to suit all users.

Coordinated Laundry Design

Another part of any housing situation that can get used as often as daily is the laundry area. Too many times, though, this is relegated to a place to simply stick appliances without thinking of the accessibility and usability aspects of a truly functional and easy-to-use laundry area. The space required for laundry areas can be controlled, in part, by using front-loading washers and dryers that are fully accessible in the front. Providing ample access into the laundry room or area will allow not only for maneuvering but for other tasks, such as clothes sorting, folding, ironing, etc. Further, actually creating a defined space for the laundry that is designed to be functional in its own right or integrated into another room goes a long way toward the livability of the housing where it is located. It’s also worth noting that the laundry room has become a much more important space in the home, often expanding in size to accomplish many other tasks or integrated into other uses, such as a mudroom, den, or dressing area. The universal design implication here is that the whole room has to be accessible and usable by all.

There are some specific things to keep in mind about the actual washer and dryer appliances, too. Keeping the controls on the front makes it universally easier for anyone to use and operate. Raising these appliances up from the floor will help avoid issues with bending and loading while allowing the opportunity for people to sit rather than stand if needed. Some manufacturers make this easy by providing a base or platform for the washer or dryer to rest on. They may also provide a drawer in the platform to hold dispensers of detergent so lifting heavy laundry detergent bottles is simplified.

In order to provide options for laundry room location, some dryers are now truly ventless, meaning that they don’t need to be located near an outside wall. They operate based on advanced filtering and ventless technology, allowing them to be located just about anywhere. Placing the washer and dryer closer to bedrooms where clothes are stored means that laundry isn’t carried around the house or up and down stairs, making it more comfortable and easier to use for everyone. Overall, laundry areas can function well for all people and provide efficient operation.

Conclusion

The trend of housing design suited to changing lifestyles is clearly receiving a good bit of attention. Young, middle-aged, and older generations of Americans are recognizing the advantages of living in housing and a neighborhood that is attractive, comfortable, and functional for multiple stages of life. Further, universal design principles allow living spaces to be used and enjoyed by many without looking like they are only designed for people with physical disabilities. This is evidenced throughout a building but quite strikingly in the design of kitchen and laundry areas. The variety of standards and resources available allow design professionals to confidently create integrated design solutions that can respond to the differences in the people who will use them, differences that can occur in any one person’s life, or differences over the life of the building. Allowing for this efficiency and flexibility allows people to stay in their homes longer and live a truly more sustainable lifestyle.

End Notes

¹Thompson, Derek. “Millennials: The Mobile and the Stuck.” The Atlantic. 24 August 2016. Web. 7 November 2016. www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2016/08/millennials-the-mobile-and-the-stuck/497255/.

²Lawrence, Ali. “What Millennials Want in a Home.” Millennial Magazine. 30 March 2017. Web. 7 November 2016. millennialmagazine.com/what-millennials-want-in-a-home/.

³“The AARP HomeFit Guide.” AARP Livable Communities. AARP. Web. 7 November 2016. www.aarp.org/livable-communities/info-2014/aarp-home-fit-guide-aging-in-place.html.

⁴Hollwich, Matthias, Bruce Mau Design. New Aging: Live Smarter Now to Live Better Forever. New York: Penguin, 2016. Print. http://new-aging.com/.

⁵Chapin, Ross. Pocket Neighborhoods: Creating Small Scale Community in a Large Scale World. Taunton Press. 2011. Web. 7 November 2016. www.pocket-neighborhoods.net.

Peter J. Arsenault, FAIA, NCARB, LEED AP, practices architecture, consults on green and sustainable design, writes on technical topics, and presents nationwide on all of the above. www.linkedin.com/in/pjaarch

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