Hospital without walls. Designing residential architecture for future seniors

Abstract This article presents a new approach to residential space of the seniors who in the nearest future will represent 20% of our society and refers to a concept conceived in the United States, called hospital without walls . A revolutionary at the time idea of transferring certain elements of diagnostics or therapy into the space of a house or apartment has a chance to become an efficient solution for the seniors to enjoy ageing in place. Increased demand for medical services urgently requires a redefinition of the current health care system and the transfer of certain functions to the residential space that has to respond to a wide range of health care needs of the future seniors. Innovative technologies and widely accessible tools can effectively support the process. The fact that the future seniors will have other skills and competencies than those that the seniors have today, especially as it comes to the use of digital devices, cannot be disregarded. The future seniors will also have different needs as regards their housing space. Thus, healing architecture deriving from the hospital without walls concept stands a chance to prove an efficient housing model.