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THE MATURING
LANDSCAPE
Terri Peters
SOCIALLY INCLUSIVE
DESIGN IN DENMARK
46
Designing and retrofitting buildings and cities for an ageing
population is an urgent global concern. The demand for
specialist healthcare facilities, assisted housing and other
age-related requirements continues to grow as baby boomers
enter their retirement years. According to the World Health
Organization (WHO), between 2000 and 2050 the proportion
of the world’s population over 60 years of age will double
from about 11 per cent to 22 per cent.1 This represents
a significant and unprecedented demographic shift. For
example, the ‘young-old’,2 aged 55 to 67, of course will not
have uniform needs and desires, but they will have some
specific requirements of their buildings and cities that they
will not have had earlier in life. These could be relating to
healthcare, urban mobility, and opportunities to remain,
or begin being, active to continue good health. Access to
fitness, leisure and community services, small-scale shopping
and local services, and appropriate transport all must be
considered from their point of view.
Due to the latest science, medicine and health
developments, we can assume that this generation will live
even longer than previous generations. They will also be in
better health as they age, with most preferring to ‘age in
place’ rather than move into separate institutions.3 This means
their existing buildings and cities must be adapted to continue
to work for them as they enter their retirement years. The
WHO also reports that by 2050 the number of people aged
80 and older will have quadrupled, meaning there will be
almost 400 million people aged 80 years or older making up
the ‘old-old’ age group (aged 74 to 84) and ‘oldest old’ (aged
85 plus).4 For the first time ever, the majority of middle-aged
adults will have living parents. These statistics will have a
huge impact on all aspects of society as consumer markets
for healthcare, assisted-living, leisure and other related
services will cater to this huge demographic group. Designers
must do more than just accommodate the changing needs of
these clients and users. They have an opportunity to design
and renovate buildings and cities that celebrate older age
and encourage diverse resident groups, and to help create
physical and social infrastructure that work together for
people of all ages and abilities.
Those retiring now have largely inherited institutions
designed in the building boom following the Second World
War. Modernism led to many ‘machines for healing’ –
hospitals, housing and clinics designed for old age that were
intentionally modular, industrially inspired and institutional.5
Authors Stephen Verderber and David Fine trace the origins
of the ‘nursing home’ institutions that became popular in this
post-war period and contextualise these in the broader history
of health architecture.6 Nursing homes are often described
as having dehumanising architecture and as unpleasant social
environments, and are now largely unpopular. The authors
compare international modern approaches and find that in the
majority of cases there is no attempt to re-create the home
the people were leaving when they moved to the institution. In
contrast to the European and North American examples the
authors reflect upon are the contemporary examples found
in Sweden, Finland and Denmark. They cite residentialist
environments such as the progressive Solgaven Nursing Home
in Farum, Denmark, completed in 1973 by Palle Svensons
Tegnestue, which they note influenced the designs in many
other countries and predated developments in the US by more
than 20 years.7
JJW Arkitekter, Ørestad Nursing Home,
Copenhagen, 2012
right and opposite: The facade features a series
of private balconies that seem to pop out of the
building for many of the 114 residents.
With a tradition of social inclusion and innovative
contemporary design, Denmark leads the way
internationally in its architectural provision for an
older population. Architect, author and researcher
Terri Peters highlights some pioneering housing
schemes in Denmark that use architecture to reduce
the stigma of old age in the creation of environments
that are overtly ‘homey’ or domestic – breaking away
from the sanitised environment of the ‘nursing home’
– and that employ nature and landscape to positive
effect, as a means of promoting healing and health.
47
Henning Larsen Architects, Sølund Retirement
Community, Copenhagen, 2012
Rendering showing the quality of spaces and light
for residents in private and semi-private rooms.
The courtyard of Henning Larsen’s
competition entry showing the scale of
the community and layers of terraces and
balconies.
48
Inclusive Design in Denmark
Denmark continues to lead the way with innovative approaches
for designing for an ageing population including those with
dementia.8 The Danish Architectural Policy argues that
designers have an ‘architectural duty’ to provide access for the
mobility-impaired so that all users can participate in all aspects
of society.9 An entire section of the policy argues that innovative
architecture must create healthy, accessible and sustainable
buildings. Initiatives include two funded PhD fellowships on the
topic of architecture and accessibility to gain knowledge in this
area, and the founding of a database of excellent examples of
integrated accessible design to be maintained by the Danish
Architecture Centre in order to ‘bring accessibility into the
architecture debate’.10
There has been a particular focus in recent Danish designs
for an ageing population on using architectural design to reduce
the stigma of old age and to promote social inclusion. Another
key concept has been in creating environments with domestic
spaces that remind the users of, and feel like, their own
homes, breaking down preconceptions of the ‘nursing home’
stereotype. Projects seek to integrate nature and landscape
into the building’s function – not as decorative or passive
elements, but as key programmatic aspects for healing and
health. Private balconies for fresh air, dual-aspect living spaces
that allow cross breeze and natural light, and communal green
spaces for gardening and walking are all used as strategies to
promote health and activity.
Sølund Retirement Community
An example of a project that promotes social inclusion is
by architects Henning Larsen who designed an entry for an
international competition for elderly housing and care in the
heart of Copenhagen. Their proposal for the Sølund Retirement
Community (2012) sought to rethink the brief and create a
facility that was both private and calm, and also integrated into
the community. Their unbuilt entry was awarded second place,
but became a valuable source of inspiration for the office’s
future projects due to its innovative design.
Located in some of the city’s prime real estate on
the Copenhagen Lakes, the design is a series of facilities
arranged as one long permeable building with three internal
courtyards. The building has a mix of uses including facilities
for rehabilitation and therapy, information and counselling,
small-scale grocery shopping, dining, gatherings and club
activities for use by residents and also elderly people from
the local community. The facilities also draw in the broader
community and aim to incorporate many ages and levels of
activity. For example, a children’s daycare centre is intended
to bring a mix of local people and create a more normal and
diverse community feeling in this part of the city rather than an
elderly-only zone.
above: The public entrance to the community.
right: Lake view showing the community’s relationship to
the Copenhagen Lakes and the pedestrian routes that
connect them together.
49
Another key idea was to increase visitors to the residents
by designing the community to feel welcoming towards them.
Buildings that are easy to access and navigate, interiors that
are bright and varied, and spaces that connect to nature and
landscaping create places where people want to live. One of
the main drivers of the design was how to decrease the feeling
of social isolation that so often comes with ageing and facilities
for ageing. To retain the best aspects of urban living, the
building highlights diversity of programme, relation to context,
and mixing with other members of the community. The aim was
to give residents a sense of connectedness and ‘home’ rather
than feeling like they had moved into an institution.
The architects have significant experience designing
buildings that successfully balance the challenges of being
private and secure, but are also outward looking and
welcoming. Many of the ideas developed for the unbuilt Sølund
project were integrated into the Herlev Hospital extension
that is currently under construction near Copenhagen. The
extension integrates diverse programmatic elements within
a challenging site that currently features a 1960s 120-metre
(390-foot) high tower block (Denmark’s tallest building) and
little relation to the surrounding site. Henning Larsen’s addition
provides much-needed density and integration with the
surrounding buildings and streets by creating a human-scale
community for patients, staff, visitors and local residents. A
series of low-rise buildings have three higher circular buildings
on top, with internal courtyards creating day-lit interiors and
views of the landscaped gardens. The transformed hospital
complex will now start to knit back into the community whilst
retaining its privacy and security.
Healthcare Center for Cancer Patients
NORD Architects’ new healthcare centre in Copenhagen is
another example of a building that employs architectural
strategies to break down barriers and think differently about
designing for health and wellness. Walking by their Healthcare
Center for Cancer Patients (2012), it is difficult to guess what
the building is used for – perhaps art studios or live/work
facilities? Striking exterior and interior architectural elements,
such as the folded, faceted roof, make this building stand
out and be noticed. The architects aimed to de-stigmatise
those needing treatment and to increase patient comfort
using a building that is welcoming, recognisable and visually
interesting to send the message that good design matters,
and that care facilities like this one are deserving of high-quality,
statement architecture.
The large scale of the building is broken up using the folded
roof, and the sectional variation within creates diverse spaces
to suit patients’ moods: grand and day-lit for socialising, or
a low and cosy nook overlooking a sheltered courtyard for
reading. The street facade is clad in metal, with timber used
on the internal courtyard facades. The building was designed
not for ageing, but for wellness, with spaces to encourage
physical and emotional rejuvenation. The project was nominated
for the 2013 Mies van der Rohe European Union Prize for
Contemporary Architecture, and this young office has since
developed further designs for health and wellness.
NORD Architects, Healthcare Center for Cancer Patients, Copenhagen, 2011
The main space for reading and relaxing is designed as a large living room, with a
variety of furnishings and lighting to suit different uses.
Cut-out windows in the walls and skylights in the faceted
roofs let in daylight and offer views of the external greenery.
50
below: Inspired by the contemplative inner
courtyards of monastery buildings, the
facades here are clad in timber, giving a
softer quality than that of the metal-clad
public exterior.
left: The folded roof-forms of
the building break up its scale
to create its visual identity.
51
Ørestad Nursing Home
The striking Ørestad Nursing Home (2012) by JJW Architects
is a seniors housing facility in Copenhagen with windows
that seem to pop out of the main facade, giving individual
expression to each apartment. The housing is conceived as
a ‘village’, with eight buildings linked by a series of streets
and squares. It incorporates a mix of uses – for example, a
ground-floor hairdresser and small-scale shopping – to create
a community within a community in this newly developed
part of the city. In each building, private apartments feature
large windows, private balconies and interiors with plenty of
light. Bright, wide hallways connect the rooms to common
areas and communal dining and kitchen spaces with movable
walls to allow flexibility in layout, and floor-to-ceiling windows.
These spaces are welcoming and non-institutional. A focus on
the domestic scale means that in common areas seating is
grouped together around low pendant lights, and the furniture
is varied, more like a home. The kitchen and dining areas
each have their own large balconies, and high ceilings make
the building seem airy and uncluttered. The open-plan food
preparation facilities encourage residents to make their own
food, or watch it being made. As well as contemporary designs,
the interiors feature Danish furniture classics and artwork from
the 1950s and 1960s, referencing time periods aimed at
making the residents feel at home. The high-quality furniture and
furnishings give the dining and socialising areas the feeling of a
gallery space or very nice cafe, a lovely place to grow old.
The office has completed several housing-for-the-elderly
projects, including Fælledgården Nursing Home (2012), also in
Copenhagen, which was the transformation of an existing care
home institution into a residential-style elderly housing scheme
with individual apartments with balconies, generous communal
spaces and a landscaped shared courtyard.
JJW Arkitekter, Ørestad Nursing Home, Copenhagen, 2012
above: The building’s private courtyard creates pleasant views from above,
but is also an activity space for residents to enjoy gardening and walking.
top right: Shared living rooms are residential in scale and are furnished with
a mix of contemporary and mid-century designer classics.
bottom right: A kitchen and dining lounge allows
residents the freedom to fix a snack or meet
together for tea.
centre right: The bright and airy main-floor reception
lounge faces the courtyard and is arranged to
encourage those visiting residents to linger and relax.
Design for an ageing
population does not mean
specific and isolated facilities,
or initiatives tacked onto
existing designs, but rather
integrating quality and
inclusive design into daily
life and the urban fabric
that will last over time.
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Christians Have Care Center
The Christians Have Care Center (2010) by Arkitema was
designed with the idea that it should resemble some aspects
of the places residents lived in before they moved into this
modern nursing home. The architects focused on designing
a high quality of life for residents, in particular how they could
be included in natural activities such as walking, gardening
and exercise. All areas, from private rooms to staff areas
and communal gathering spaces, have views of the greenery
outside. Located in Copenhagen, the project features a three-
storey central building that forms a protective ‘wall’ against the
surrounding city. Well protected behind this are two three-
storey houses that provide bright and welcoming residential
environments. Open communal areas join the private resident
spaces, connecting to open-plan spaces with kitchen, dining
and sitting areas.
Notes
1. World Health Organization, ‘10 Facts on
Aging and the Life Course’:
www.who.int/features/factfiles/ageing/en/
index.html.
2. Transgenerational Design Matters
private advocacy organisation: www.
transgenerational.org.
3. National Aging in Place Council USA:
www.aginginplace.org.
4. Transgenerational Design Matters, op cit.
5. Stephen Verderber and David J Fine,
‘The Hospital as a Machine for Healing’,
Healthcare Architecture in an Age of Radical
Transformation, Yale University Press (New
Haven, CT and London), 2000.
6. Stephen Verderber and David J Fine,
‘Architectural Environments for the Aged
1965–2000’, in Healthcare Architecture in
an Age of Radical Transformation, op cit.
7. Ibid, p 228.
8. For an example of Denmark´s
innovative approach to designing for
those with dementia see: www.cbc.ca/
thesundayedition/shows/2012/11/14/
redefining-dementia-in-denmark/.
9. Ministry of Culture, Danish Architectural
Policy, May 2007:
www.dac.dk/en/dac-cities/architectural-
policy/architectural-policy-2007/.
10. Ibid, p 26.
Arkitema, Christians Have Care Center, Solrød, Denmark, 2010
top: The atmosphere is homely and congenial, with views of the green
surroundings everywhere.
bottom: Greenery and water features are key elements in the
landscaping, helping create calm natural environments for residents.
Text © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Images: pp 46-7, 52(cr) © JJW Arkitekter,
photos Lisa Als Klein; pp 48-9 © Henning Larsen Architects; pp 50-1 © NORD
Architects Copenhagen, photos Adam Mørk; p 52(tr,br&l) © JJW Arkitekter, photos
Anders Hviid; p 53 © Arkitema, photos Klaus Bang
Architectural Design for Healthy and Active Lifestyles
In all of the examples featured here, the architects have
adopted strategies that promote physical and emotional health
and wellbeing through architectural and landscape design.
These initiatives are being implemented in housing, retirement
communities, hospitals, clinics and community centres at
various scales. Design for an ageing population does not mean
specific and isolated facilities, or initiatives tacked onto existing
designs, but rather integrating quality and inclusive design into
daily life and the urban fabric that will last over time. 1
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