Toward age free design: Architecture as a lifelong partner. A study of architecture through the experiences of the elderly

This study derives its inception from a credo of architecture as a lifelong partner. It reflects a symbiotic bond, the person-in-world dwelling with architecture as a constant companion that shelters, supports, and enhances human life. The establishment of a meaningful relationship between architecture and humankind may be possible if investigations are made that will yield data that could be translated into a more sensitive and humane way of thinking and designing so that architecture/building will enhance life and support a benign quality of dwelling that is satisfying and complete not only for what we are but what we become.;The basic question is, can architecture be a partner for life while supporting the spheres of dwelling at fixed points in a person's life cycle?;The focus of this study is the elderly at large, moving in and out of architectural spaces, meeting everyday needs and accomplishing various tasks. The settings to be explored are those used by independent people in a normal day's procedure. They are a private residence, a supermarket, a shopping mall, a professional office and an airport. The point of view is from that of an old person aging in place in the midst of society interacting with architecture while carrying on life's progression. The medium for disclosure is the informant who by words or by action communicates the substance of "elderlyness" through interaction with architectural settings relevant to everyday life.;The Empathic Model technique applied the principles and methods of the phenomenological tradition of Human Science. Knowledge generated by the immediate living reality created by this technique gave a vantage point of individual human experience that brought an expanded outlook to field observations and a more responsive attitude toward informants.;This phenomenological study in terms of the relationships between the environment and elderly informants has yielded themes such as place making, environmental experiences through sensory perception, and adaptations of changing functional abilities to environmental demands.