Architecture that encourages physical activity in old age

Architecture is designed to meet accessibility standards, enabling people to remain in their homes for longer. At the same time, regular physical activity keeps people healthy. So how exactly can architecture encourage physical activity?

Situation

One challenge facing the Swiss housing market is the need to adapt to an increasingly ageing population. The reality here is that older people’s housing needs are just as diverse as those of younger people, and they want to live independently for as long as possible in a suitable environment. Society is undergoing various developments that contribute to a sedentary lifestyle, such as the digitalisation and technologisation of our living environment, increased prosperity and the rapid expansion of services of all kinds. However, it is a proven fact that physical activity not only has a preventive effect in the development of physical and cognitive impairments, but also helps to maintain independence in old age.

Course of action

The research project stems directly from teaching on the bachelor’s degree programme in architecture and employs a design-research methodology. The design workshop on architecture to promote physical activity was developed and held for the first time as an interdisciplinary, inter-school initiative during the autumn semester of 2024/25. To raise students’ awareness, staff from the Centre of Excellence for Participatory Healthcare (PART) and the Physiotherapy Division were joined by five older people acting as citizen scientists, who contributed their expertise to the discussion of the designs from the perspective of potential users. A typical 1950s housing development in Bern was selected for the design brief. The brief given to the students was to densify the existing buildings with modest additions – e.g. adding an extension or replacing the pitched roof with an additional storey – and thereby enrich the neighbourhood with different housing types. The students’ designs explore the potential of architecture to promote physical activity and investigate the extent to which architecture can actively improve the quality of life for older people.

Result

In the project on architecture that promotes physical activity for seniors, we asked ourselves what role the design of homes and residential environments can play in enabling older people to grow old in their own homes for as long as possible (Ageing in Place). After all, this is precisely how the vast majority of people want to live in old age. However, this is an option only as long as that they can maintain their mobility and independence. The project revealed that increased physical activity not only has a direct positive impact on health, but also makes it easier for people to meet and interact socially. These are crucial factors to promote people’s individual wellbeing. Lack of exercise and loneliness are by no means limited to older people, but are increasingly affecting children, young people and those in middle age as well, in part due to the rise in people working from home, for instance. An important insight in this respect is that we need to rethink accessibility – not to fundamentally call it into question, but to design accessibility in such a way that it supports people in line with their individual capabilities without overwhelming them. Not taking the stairs, for instance, can accelerate the decline in mobility. Another crucial aspect of architecture that promotes physical activity is that the incentives should be positive and motivating, and that physical activity should be integrated entirely naturally into everyday life.

Contact

Henriette Lutz

• Externe Fachkraft
• Show e-mail

• See profile