HABITAT: From co-creation to impact in residential care architecture

Healing Environments (HE) is a concept in which elements such as connection with nature and the outdoors, the use of color, small-scale living arrangements, integration of various materials (wood, textiles…), and furniture play a leading role. HE in long term care facilities can have a positive impact by creating a suitable living environment for older adults and a pleasant working environment for staff. Through a combination of these elements, HE can contribute to improved physical functioning, increased physical activity, better quality of life, and enhanced mental health for residents, both with and without dementia. For staff, this can lead to greater job satisfaction and reduced workload.

However, due to increasing regulation and performance pressure in both the construction and elderly care sectors, well-being is often overshadowed by the need to comply with regulations. As a result, residential care centers (RCCs) are frequently designed in a functional, clinical, or impersonal manner, with insufficient attention to experience, user-friendliness, and autonomy of residents and (care) staff—and especially without their participation in the design process. This leads to a mismatch between the environment and the needs of both residents and staff. Today’s older adults have high expectations for their living environment, and an attractively built and furnished RCC has a strong appeal to (care) staff.

It is therefore essential that (interior) architects, project developers, construction companies, and the care sector speak the same language in order to realize integrated future visions.

Knowledge about HE and how it can truly take shape within an organization is available, but fragmented and difficult to access for both the construction sector and RCCs.

HABITAT aims to develop an integrated design approach that brings together (interior) architecture and care.