The round table, held within the framework of the Arch of Moscow, was entirely devoted to the problems of the aging population in the UK and Russia. The number of older people in Europe is growing rapidly. According to preliminary forecasts, in the next 25 years, there will be 3.5 million more of them in the UK alone. This entails both additional costs to ensure the quality of life of the disabled elderly population and the need to develop new approaches to design. Design and construction must respond to the growing needs of the elderly population. How to respond to new challenges by means of architecture? What new typologies of homes that provide a comfortable environment for an aging community to develop? What design approaches already exist and are actively used?
In the first part of the discussion, the participants discussed the latest trends, plans, strategies and perspectives in architectural solutions for the elderly. John Nordon, Design Director for Pegasus UK, presented a network of homes and communities for seniors and people with disabilities in the UK. Theodora Bowring of the Department of Architecture at the University of Cambridge drew attention to the problems of the limitations and inappropriateness of urban design for the elderly population.
Part I
Part II
The panellists also tried to identify common features, cultural and socio-economic similarities and differences in the approaches of Russia and the UK to designing for the elderly population. In this part of the round table, the architect and professor of Moscow Architectural Institute Andrey Nekrasov joined the discussion.
