I think we can all agree that we would prefer to live our later years in comfort and independent as opposed to living in a fluorescent light filled, smelly nursing home where every minute of the day is structured and the food sucks. It makes me super sad to think that is my father’s existence now. I wish I had the money and resources to have him live in a place that suits his tastes where he can live with dignity and respect while getting the help that he needs.
Architect Matthias Hollwich has spent the last few years thinking these issues and has researched, written and talked about ways we need to rethink how we age and recreate how we live. He argues that there are simple habits that we all need to take well before we are ‘considered old.’ Our living environment needs to be an adaptable space that can accommodate our lives at any stage. Skyler is one of his projects that addresses these needs. It is a building that serves multi-generations so that can all live as one community and that there would be services based on our stage in life.
We are at the critical juncture now in our history where over 10,000 people are turning 65 every day and we are living longer than ever before. Families are smaller and more complicated so it is not a given that a family member will or can take care of us as we age. We need to think of new paradigms. Luckily for us, people like Matthias are doing just that.
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Matthias Hollwich, AIA, has established himself at the forefront of a new generation of groundbreaking international architects. Matthias believes the key to successful architecture lies in finding new and exciting ways to create dialogue and relationships between people and buildings. He was recently honored in Fast Company’s ranking of the world’s top 10 most innovative architects and in Business Insider’s list of top business visionaries. Matthias has spoken regularly at events such as TED and PICNIC and has taught architecture as a visiting Professor at the University of Pennsylvania. His work is regularly published in leading media outlets such as the New York Times, Wallpaper* and the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of New Aging (Penguin Books, 2016), and co-author of Architecture Can! (November 2018).
