ARCH_500-600 Comprehensive Options Studio: ‘Shared Sites: Design for Intergenerational Aging’

As the global population of people aged 65 or older grows at an historically unprecedented rate, the demographic “age pyramid” will complete its metamorphosis into an “age pagoda” in the next 10 years. By 2030, one in five US residents will be 65 or older. By 2050, the National Institutes of Health estimates that nearly one in five of the world’s population—or approximately 1.6 billion people—will be 65 or older.

Ageism persists as the most normalized type of prejudice in society today, often leading to social marginalization of older adults and younger people. A 2018 Cigna and Ipsos poll shows that the two loneliest age groups are younger and older people, and a growing body of research shows how damaging age-related isolation is to mental and physical health.

This comprehensive studio explored the urgent need to radically rethinking of the role of design in response to the globally aging population and age segmentation. Students examined distinct spatial, social, and sensory needs of both older and younger adults, speculating on ways that design can promote a framework for active aging and making intergenerational connections.

Students worked in close partnership with the Harvey A. Friedman Center for Aging at Washington University in St. Louis and the Sau Po Centre for Aging at The University of Hong Kong. These partnerships provided a cross-cultural opportunity to help students understand issues related to aging and connected the discourse of the studio with interdisciplinary research and scholarship around aging.

Students investigated the concept of shared sites as a way of serving older adults and younger children in the same location. To explore how cultural norms and social dynamics impact the landscape of aging, students examined two locations to speculate on programs and possibilities for intergenerational exchange: St. Louis and Hong Kong. Three distinct exercises provided the framework for the studio:

1. A design vignette at the beginning of the semester focused on intergenerational interaction and sensory experiences in an intimate physical environment. Students identified one person they know over the age of 65 and one under the age of 18 and designed a space for the two people to share.
2. Following a review of the initial design exercise, students spent an intensive 10 days on direct readings, journal entries, experiential learning exercises, discussions, and lectures that focused on engaging students with scholars on aging from Washington University in St. Louis and Hong Kong University. This provided the groundwork for research posters that students produced to identify conceptual themes and programmatic interests for an intergenerational learning center.
3. Building upon their initial design exercise and research, students developed a proposal for an intergenerational learning center that brings older adults and youth together around social and educational activities. Students were challenged to think radically and unconventionally about ways to promote lifelong learning and intergenerational interaction through the avenue of intergenerational design.