What goes into a home designed for ageing in place

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With Singapore's population ageing rapidly, homes are being built or renovated to support residents as their mobility, care and social needs change over time.

For homeowners who intend to remain in their own homes as they grow older, age-friendly features are incorporated into HDB flats, condos and landed properties from the outset or planned early as part of renovations.

At the estate level, ageing-in-place design focuses on barrier-free access, intuitive wayfinding and well-connected communal spaces that encourage residents to stay active and socially engaged.

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Achieving smooth and seamless pedestrian circulation is a key priority at the development level, notes ADDP Architects.

The firm integrates barrier-free access throughout developments with lifts, accessible ramps, and by minimising level differences, allows residents to move comfortably between pedestrian entrances, residential floors, common facilities and basement car parks.

Designing spaces for connection

A people-centric approach is also central to planning communal spaces, an ADDP spokesperson says.

Shared facilities — such as outdoor pavilions, gyms, function halls and community rooms — in ADDP’s projects are designed to be fully accessible so elderly residents and wheelchair users can participate in social, recreational and community activities.

In particular, three-generation (3G or 3Gen) fitness corners can cater to users of different ages and abilities. Such amenities incorporate children’s playgrounds, adult fitness and elderly fitness stations, usually placed near each other where possible.

“These spaces encourage residents to stay active while promoting interaction across generations, supporting both physical wellbeing and social connectedness,” the ADDP spokesperson says.

Rather than constraining design, senior-friendly considerations can become the springboard, for some, of a project’s most distinctive features.

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Mark Denis Ong, group director at P&T’s Singapore studio, reckons that designing to address a site’s unique characteristics — such as connections to key amenities in the area or the topography — while resolving considerations such as barrier-free design can often create the development’s signature features.

“In many of our projects, a number of their most distinctive characteristics, whether a vibrant pedestrian thoroughfare, a dramatic sky terrace or viewing platform, a sculptural clubhouse or a unique landscape space, were actually created partly due to the seemingly unrelated considerations,” he continues.

Easy navigation with colours, icons

Meanwhile, Immortal, the branding and wayfinding team at Ong&Ong, has devised dementia-friendly wayfinding solutions for Khatib Central, Chong Pang City, and housing blocks along Ang Mo Kio Avenues 1 and 10 — residential estates with a growing demographic of elderly residents.

The objective was to create a system that helps seniors and those with dementia to navigate around their neighbourhood safely and independently, guided by research on user needs.

Residential blocks at Khatib Central and Chong Pang City were sectioned into zones, and each was assigned a colour that was painted on the facade. Block numbers are also prominently displayed in large fonts, making them easily legible from a distance.

Other features of the wayfinding project include super-sized graphic walls and pillar signage with directional elements, universal icons, and stencilled symbols of pineapples, tropical fish and rubber trees, chosen for their close association with the area’s heritage.

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"These simple yet distinctive visual cues serve as visual anchors for clear identification," says an Ong&Ong spokesperson.

Flexible homes that adapt over time

Within individual homes, unit layouts will ideally be designed for flexibility and multigenerational use. This is so that they can evolve and serve different needs as the occupants go through varying life stages and living arrangements.

P&T’s Ong frames ageing-in-place as a lifelong design principle.

"Ageing-in-place is as applicable for the home of a newly-wed couple in their late 20s or 30s, as it is for a couple in their retirement years," he says.

A number of P&T’s private residential projects feature flexible layouts with room alignments that allow for the seamless flow of space, with minimal wall kinks. Walls can be knocked down to expand spaces, and can also be built or rebuilt to create new spaces.

This is similar to HDB’s recent open-concept “white flat” layout, which features a contiguous living and bedroom space without partitions and beams.

The aim is to give homeowners an open canvas to easily design, adapt and configure their living spaces.

There has also been an increase in condo unit layouts with study rooms or “flexi” areas that can be used in a variety of ways. “They can be part of a larger living or kitchen space, a store room, a home office, or a room for a caregiver when the need comes,” Ong says.

For example, at The Continuum condo in District 15, unit configurations include a study space, as well as hackable or adaptable non-load-bearing walls that let owners open up or modify room boundaries. P&T was the architect for the 816-unit project, which launched in 2023.

ADDP applies similar thinking to flexible planning. A room next to the master bedroom can initially function as a nursery or children’s room, and later be adapted into a caregiver’s room or a bedroom for an elderly family member.

The goal is to create homes and developments that support residents throughout every stage of life, integrating universal design considerations from the outset.

In ADDP’s view, combining flexible layouts with inclusive design principles will enable a home to adapt naturally to changing family structures, lifestyles and mobility needs without requiring major alterations, even if residents may not require accessibility features immediately.

Meanwhile, designing to suit three-generation households — for the elderly to live with their adult children and grandchildren — also facilitates ageing in place, says Ong of P&T.

In the private residential sector, such multigenerational unit designs may come in the form of large-format layouts that include a junior master bedroom with an attached bathroom, he notes. At times, these junior master bedrooms are positioned at the opposite end of the unit from the master bedroom.

Purpose-built for smart, accessible living

Jadescape, a 1,206-unit condo in District 20 designed by Ong&Ong, was the first development to include what the developer dubs “Gold Standard” units — residences customised and fitted out specifically for active senior living.

Smart features in these units include the Smart IP Camera, for real-time monitoring of elderly parents by children and caregivers, and the Smart Sleep Sensor, which analyses residents’ health by monitoring sleep patterns.

The entire unit is also accessible, with gentle sloping ramps at the entrance and balcony instead of steps.

Kitchen cabinets are set at comfortable heights with pull-down hydraulic racks. Grab bars are mounted in the bathroom; together with slip-resistant floor tiles, they provide safety even in wet environments.

Tailoring interiors to the individual

Interior designers translate a resident’s daily needs into finishes, furniture and lighting choices.

Oak Spring, a senior-focused interior design (ID) firm, begins each project by understanding how the resident lives, moves and manages their day, as well as their health condition and support needs. It works closely with occupational therapy partners from day one.

“Every senior ages differently,” says Edwin Phua, director, business development at Oak Spring. “Someone managing Parkinson’s has very different spatial and safety needs from someone recovering post-stroke, or living with early-stage dementia.”

An occupational therapist first assesses the resident’s physical abilities, mobility, daily routines and future care needs.

The Oak Spring design team then translates those clinical recommendations into living spaces that are "practical, elegant and functional without losing the warmth of a home", Phua says.

Common interventions include wider circulation for wheelchairs or walkers, step-free transitions between rooms, reinforced walls for future grab bar installation, lever-type handles and taps, and layered lighting to improve visibility.

"We're careful not to let these features read as clinical," Phua notes.

Spatial planning and lighting

To help seniors navigate their environments safely, D'Perception Ritz turns to curvilinear forms and clear spatial planning.

Often, this provides a sense of security to explore spaces without disorientation and encourages interaction through designed touch-points or social interactions, says Chee Su Eing, managing director of D’Perception Ritz.

The ID practice's work spans luxury residences, developer showflats, eldercare facilities, offices, retail stores and more.

"We approach almost every design with the practicality of ageing in place in mind, since everyone will age," she adds.

She also names lighting efficacy as an important factor, given that an elderly person typically requires a higher lux level than a younger person to feel comfortable.

Good spatial planning optimises natural lighting and stimulates its effects in environments where it is lacking, Chee notes.

Future-proofing landed homes

In most landed properties, stairs are a daily fact of life — driving much of the demand for home lifts.

Immerse Lifts, which specialises in lift installation, has recently received more enquiries aimed at making landed homes more senior-friendly, with platform lifts being more popular due to the lower cost of installation.

For homeowners not yet ready to install a lift but who want to leave the option open, Immerse Lifts recommends setting aside an airwell of about 1.6m by 1.6m of clear space, which its spokesperson says will be a “good size” to fit a platform lift later.

He also observes many homeowners wanting a lift large enough to fit both a wheelchair user and a helper at the same time, which adds to the space and cost involved.

Separately, Ong&Ong has seen more landed property clients requesting help to retrofit a first-storey bathroom for barrier-free access.

Making everyday living easier and safer

Fittings and appliances make up the smaller-scale decisions in readying a home for occupants to age in place.

Swiss brand V-Zug, which creates high-end kitchen and laundry appliances, suggests homeowners look out for intuitive operation, safety by design, long-lasting quality and durability, and reliable after-sales support when choosing appliances for long-term use.

For example, this could mean clear displays, simple controls and ergonomic interfaces. Induction cooking also reduces burn risk, while sensors and automation help make appliances easy to use.

An important consideration for homeowners is planning appliance renovation during renovation.

“Installing ovens at a comfortable working height or raising a dishwasher or washing machine on a plinth can significantly reduce bending and make everyday use easier,” a V-Zug spokesperson says.

The company’s products are also compatible with assistive technologies, and many appliances can be connected to its home app for convenience and remote monitoring.

Built for every generation

Planning for ageing in place early can help homeowners avoid more extensive and disruptive modifications later.

Ong of P&T also highlights that the needs of seniors and younger residents tend to overlap rather than compete.

“The old and the young have more in common than we think. Many of the features we provide to be sensitive to the elderly’s needs can similarly cater to the needs of the young, or those taking care of the young,” he says.

Ramps, for instance, are just as necessary for seniors and wheelchair users as it is for a parent pushing a stroller or an able-bodied person with a trolley filled with groceries.

Beyond individual homes, Ong believes age-friendly communities should also encourage interaction across generations.

In a number of P&T’s HDB projects, the firm tries to position childcare facilities close to elderly-focused amenities, such as active ageing centres, where possible to encourage intergenerational bonding.