Design for Aging

The Design for Aging Committee March meeting was delighted to have Paula Span from the New York Times. We had a wonderful time hearing Paula’s insights on aging in a place like NYC. Many ideas, concepts and projects came up during the discussion:

• Village to Village Network: “Villages are community-based, nonprofit, grassroots organizations formed through a cadre of caring neighbors who want to change the paradigm of aging. …The Village Movement originated in Boston with Beacon Hill Village, leading the way for a more economically efficient model for aging.” 
• The Green House Project: “A Green House home is a small-scale, self-contained, and self-sufficient community providing nursing home and assisted living care – with elders at the center of every decision.”
• Gotham Point and The Suffolk: Examples of projects that have recently been built which provide affordable senior housing within multi generational housing complexes.
• New York Foundation for Senior Citizens: NYFSC will be joining our May 22 meeting to talk about their programs including a Home Sharing Program which Paula referenced in “We Need Each Other”:  Seniors Are Drawn to New Housing Arrangements.”

Here is the recording of the meeting. Check out more Paula’s great articles such as “Senior Housing That Seniors Actually Like“, “When the Neighbors Are All Older, Too“, and “‘Aging in Place, or Stuck in Place?’“.

Coming-up:

• May 19: Pratt Students will be presenting their work from their “Design for Aging and Beyond” course (taught by our very own Yutaka). Watch out for the AIA announcement.
• May 22: Barbara Baer from the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens would be presenting the Home Sharing and Respite Care Program.

Good reads and more:

• Helping Communities Meet the Needs of Older Residents — and Their Caregivers: Interesting background info of age-friendly ADU.
• Creating Age-Friendly Developments: A practical guide for ensuring homes and communities support ageing in place, put together for developers, planners, etc. in Greater Manchester, UK which has been a beacon of light for considering what it is like to be older in this area and how to improve lives of older residents

On February 27, the AIANY Design for Aging Committee joined an interactive tour and discussion about “What About Age?“, an exhibition on the impact of ageism in contemporary society. Dr. Stacey Gordon, the exhibition director and Program Director of Next Phase Adult Caregiving and Retirement at Work Life, provided an insightful overview of the product’s creation, the message behind each panel, and how we can see reflections of ourselves within the exhibit. In the post-tour discussion, she encouraged attendees to reflect on their feelings about their current age. Committee members had the chance to reassess their own views on aging, hear perspectives from peers of different ages, and reconsider how aging-focused design can support both physical and mental well-being.

Coming-up:

• March 27: Paula Span (journalist from the New York Times who focuses her writing on aging) will join our meeting.
• May 22: Barbara Baer from the New York Foundation for Senior Citizens would be presenting the Home Sharing and Respite Care Program.

Good reads and more:

• Rightsizing in Place (AVA Housing): a key insights video exploring an Irish NGO with an innovative scheme—helping older homeowners to renovate their single family home so they can age in place, while creating and managing a new affordable rental unit.
• Reimagining Senior Housing: a webinar exploring key questions as how do investors and developers identify solid opportunities? Which deals are most attractive to lenders? And which types of properties offer the greatest ROI potential? Register here.
• The New Senior Health Care Consumer: Optum Healthcare, the consulting division of United Healthcare, recently released a white paper on the growing healthcare needs of seniors. Item 1 could greatly benefit from input and participation from professionals in the AEC field.
• In memory of Jerry: it is with deep sadness that we share the passing of Nathan Jerry Maltz, one of the founding co-chairs of the Design for Aging Committee. We are considering dedicating one of our upcoming programs in his honor. As Christine so beautifully put it, “Jerry was a unique and endlessly curious New Yorker who embodied the best of the city.” He will be greatly missed.

The Design for Aging Committee November meeting was delighted to have Kate Leitch from Citizens Housing & Planning Council (CHPC) who presented CHPC’s work related to ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units). Check out their publications here! And a complete recording of the presentation and discussion can be found here.

We also talked about potential Field Trips. Ted Porter is working with his contact at Marvel to organize a tour of Stonewall House Senior Residences. This would likely happen in the early part of 2025. We agreed that a Friday afternoon trip would be best for most of us. Christine Hunter is working with MAP to organize a tour of Rheingold Senior Residences. Both projects are in Brooklyn so we could potentially combine the two in one day. We will continue to discuss the logistics and update the group once details are firmed up.

Finally, we discussed the NYCHA project that is being revived with DFA funds. We are forming a sub-committee to expand on the study done a few years ago with NYCHA’s Amsterdam Houses. A kick-off meeting is scheduled for 1/30 at 6pm at the Center for Architecture.

Coming up:

• December End of Year Potluck: We will meet on 12/12 (5–6:30pm) in person at the Center for Architecture. Feel free to bring food and/or drinks to share!
• January: David Gissen will join our meeting that month. David is the author of The Architecture of Disability and is a professor of Architecture and Urban History at The New School.
• February: Paula Span (a journalist from the New York Times who focuses her writing on aging) will join our meeting that month. Read one of her latest articles here: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/07/realestate/senior-move-managers-relocation.html

On November 20, the AIANY Design for Aging and AIANY Committee on Residential Architecture were pleased to co-host a cocktail party and conversational workshop at PID Floors Showroom to allow dog-loving designers, puppy-care professionals, and emotionally supportive canine companions to share knowledge and experience gained from successfully creating dog-friendly spaces.

Elaine Santos, Principal, Elaine Santos Design, Christopher Gardner, Principal, TUNA Architecture, and Colin Hunter, Canine Trainer, Dogtown had a conversation in a casual manner with each other. Elaine and Chris spoke to what they take into consideration when designing homes for their clients with dogs. Colin spoke to wellness strategies used by Dogtown for dogs of all types/breeds and ages. In addition to indoor, outdoor design considerations were also been discussed. Each told a story with regards to their professional relationship to designing for or caring for the needs of dogs.

The Design for Aging Committee October meeting was delighted to have Haym Gross, founding member of NYC 2030 District, a non-profit climate partnership focused on building energy and renewable energy, to speak to us about his work with Bridge St. Development Corporation, and Karp Strategies (as well as others) to preserve HUD 202 Senior Supportive Housing in Brooklyn (and beyond). Haym’s team is engaged in studying current conditions at a number of these properties and recommends improvements. Kendall Christiansen (member of the committee) is also involved and talked about his experience on the project as well.

A few resources that were brought up during the meeting include:

• Cadence OneFive: an online platform that can help building owners optimize and understand financial incentives for their building’s energy retrofit needs among other things.
• Heat/ Cool Smart Brooklyn: an example of a successful program administered by NYC 2030 District and sponsored by the Brooklyn Borough President and NYSERDA to help owners retrofit their buildings with envelope improvements and electrification of heat.

We also talked about ideas on how to use DFA committee funds that were recently confirmed by AIANY to be available. The group agreed to move forward with expanding on the study done a few years ago with NYCHA’s Amsterdam Houses. The project focused on ways to better accommodate seniors living in multi-generational communities. One idea is to come up with a prototype that is more applicable to the majority of NYCHA buildings. We will discuss this more at the November meeting to figure out the next steps, so ideas and participation are welcome from interested members as we try to define the project more! 

Coming up:

• Next meeting. We will meet on 11/21 from 5-6:30 pm and the meeting will be hybrid. Kate Leitch from Citizens Housing & Planning Council (CHPC) will be presenting the work the organization has been doing related to ADUs (Accessory Dwelling Units). CHPC is a non-profit research and education organization focused on housing and planning policy in NYC.
• December: We will meet on 12/19 in person at the Center for Architecture. The idea would be to have a Holiday potluck get-together!  We will discuss this at the November meeting.