Aging Gracefully

The growing elderly population and high housing demand in New Zealand underscore the pressing need for residential environments that go beyond commercial functionality to address human needs with sensitivity. Retirement villages have become a prevalent choice for elderly living, yet their rapid commercialization often neglects holistic considerations of emotional and psychological well-being. Motivated by the researcher’s personal experience of growing up in a multi-generational family and firsthand insights into the aging process, this study explores the challenges faced by elderly residents in retirement villages and integrates the concept - “third quality” of space—intangible, non-physical qualities related to emotional and psychological wellbeing of the elderly extending beyond what can be quantified, measured, or perceived into the design. It further examines how multi-generational interactions can enhance these third qualities, fostering more supportive and fulfilling living environments.

Using a participatory design methodology, the study engaged elderly residents from a mid-scale retirement village in Waikanae,Wellington. The concept of the third quality was explored and tested through workshops, offering design responses to address identified challenges. These workshops evaluated the relevance and effectiveness of integrating third quality elements into the retirement village design, ensuring that the proposed solutions were directly informed by the experiences and needs of the residents.

The participatory design workshops demonstrated practical ways to integrate the third quality into the specific village context, showcasing the method’s applicability to real-world design challenges. The research also highlighted variability in individual preferences regarding third quality, emphasizing the necessity for customizable and flexible design frameworks that adapt to diverse socio-economic and personal contexts. Furthermore, the findings underscored the value of a core design enriched through participatory processes, allowing for scalability and personalization. Multi-generational interactions were identified as significant contributors to emotional and psychological well-being but required careful integration into designated spaces rather than being applied uniformly across the village.