Micro-Retired Village

Long-term housing requires components with an ability to adapt in line with changes in a person's lifespan, especially for those in their later years. Faced with a boom in the elderly population of Auckland, more retirement villages may be in demand, however many elderly residents prefer to ‘age in place’. Because of a senior’s decreasing physical ability, living conditions become stricter than those of younger residents. In order to realise ‘age in place’, the residential house must meet senior-specific living standards by adding relevant infrastructures. If an existing block can be transformed into an elderly-friendly community for local seniors, demand for retirement villages could be reduced and residents’ wishes respected.

This research aims to highlight the benefits of block-scale retirement villages, potentially in modular form in all residential blocks in Auckland, in order to cater for a growing elderly population. The modular should have a high resilience ability to adapt to the typical requirements generated for various age levels. All the development phases of the villages should be introduced step by step according to resident, market and community demands during different periods, with the capacity to be designed, increased or condensed according to individual requirements, without extra design.