Lapinjärvitalo Service housing for seniors - a detached house typology to grow old in

Abstract

This thesis was completed as an assignment provided by Aalto University and ordered by Lapinjärvi municipality and The Housing Finance and Development Center. The assignment was ‘to design a new type of modular house/housing for elderly in a detached house-like typology’. As the social health- and elderly care system in Finland is facing comprehensive changes in the near future Lapinjärvi municipality wants to prepare for the changes. Institutional elderly care is to be reduced and elderly are expected to live at home for as long as humanely possible. For a small municipality like Lapinjärvi, where 2700 inhabitants are spread out over an area of 330 square kilometers, home care gets painfully expensive. By building attractive homes closer to the town centre the municipality wishes to include the ageing population as part of the community in the town centre rather than the outskirts at a younger age. These homes are designed for accommodating life, enabling inhabitants in later life to live at home for longer.

What is needed is a normal home that is, in detail, planned and suited for the last part of life - the home has to be attractive to anyone but be transformable to the needs of the elderly. Furthermore the budget has to be realistic - a house in the countryside in municipality like Lapinjärvi can be worth roughly 100.000 €, these homes should be just as affordable.

This thesis focuses on understanding the variety of needs that may or may not arise during the process of ageing. The human oriented design process is developed by studying literature, research and undertaking hands on experience. These needs inform the possibility and inspire a high quality housing.

The result is a research of flexible modular housing units that adapt to the changes of ageing. A case study showing placements and surroundings of the Lapinjärvihouse in Lapinjärvi is included in the research.