By: Michael A. Thomas, FASID, CAPS
Every design pro knows about sustainable design these days. But with the expanding population of 76 million baby boomers, designing a “sustainable life” at home may just be the next big “sustainable design” trend.
Research by several groups indicates that large numbers of boomers are concerned about mobility, healthcare costs and dependence on families, as well as access to government services. But surveys also highlight the concerns boomers have about how and where they will live in order to “sustain” their own personal independence. The result? The demand for more options in age-appropriate housing will only increase.
Since the best place to spend retirement years would be in a home of one’s own choosing, it makes sense to create spaces that combine both safe, secure and barrier-free concepts with green, eco-friendly choices for the ultimate boomer interior. By making a few simple choices such as high efficiency appliances, solar-supportive power sources, low-maintenance fabrics and furnishings, and interior finishes that support good indoor air quality, boomers will be able to live in their own healthy places for a much longer period of time.
Some of the most basic ideas that combine both sustainable and age-friendly solutions include: abundant lighting using LED and compact florescent light sources, hard surface flooring like cork and wood from sustainably managed forests, cabinets finished with low or no volatile organic compounds, and water, heat and cooling systems with Hepa-type filtrations.
Other concepts include showers with temperature and water flow settings, taller toilet seats with dual flush controls, smart-control thermostats with large readable displays, auto-controlled window treatments that screen out the sun’s glare and harmful rays and solid surface quartz countertops that inhibit the growth of bacteria.
“Sustainable living” is the next wave and design professionals should not ignore it. Opportunities for a new trend in business await those who will think “beyond green.” And even better, the impact that designers can make on the quality of life for our boomer clients will be invaluable.
A former national president of ASID, Michael A. Thomas, FASID, CAPS, is principal of The Design Collective Group in Palm Springs, Calif. He is the author of Residential Design For Aging In Place and can be reached at mat@psdesignoffice.com.
Photo By: Nothing Negative
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2 Comments
Amazing that you use a photo with a high top table and have a low stool in the middle of the floor for an article about housing that works as we age. Should have checked that out.
Hi Janet,
Thanks for noting the varying heights in this kitchen. A note from the designer: As with all client projects, there are stories that cannot be told through just a single photo. The design of this guest house kitchen and the adjoining rooms were initially to meet the needs of a large multi-generational family. But it would, at some point, become the home for the client’s mother, an individuals facing the debilitating challenges of multiple sclerosis. That is why there are differing counter heights, from 29″ at the sink to the traditional 36″ to a 42″ bar height.
During the design and construction, the client’s mom transitioned from walking to crutches, to the need for a walker and then to a wheelchair. While needs have changed, this space continues to adapt to those circumstances. And as the client recently expressed, “Mom has been able to fully sustain herself in the casita, cooking, cleaning, and entertaining her grandchildren with little oversight because the interior is so supportive. But for me, the real comfort is that my husband and I are less than 200 feet away should she need one of us.” That is what sustainable living is about…. encouraging personal independence while maintaining everyone’s quality of life.