Improving the Quality of Life for Older Adults in High-rise Residential Buildings in Urban Honolulu Through Responsive and Adaptive Design

Hawai‘i's housing crisis and high cost of living affect quality of life for its residents, particularly the older adult population. Consequently, many older adults end up living in unfit environments. As Hawai‘i's overall population grows and ages, these challenges escalate in size and complexity. Moreover, as the earth’s climate continues to change, the impacts of the built space intensify, putting this already vulnerable population at even greater risk. This research proposes an architectural design criterion for improving the quality of life of older adults that is based on combined design solutions explored through several case studies. These design solutions include adaptive design, which adjusts the living environment to the demographic, social, and cultural contexts; bioclimatic design, which focuses on comfort in response to changing climate conditions; and lastly, biophilic design, which embraces the relationship between humans and nature in architecture. The last portion of the research proposes an architectural design fora high-rise residence that employs the design criteria and includes adaptive and bioclimatic features. Indoor comfort was assessed using building simulation software to determine the effectiveness of the proposed design methods. The overall healthiness of the building was evaluated using five elements derived from Blue Zone communities, as defined by Dan Beuttner, which were translated into environmental characteristics that measure the overall design of the architecture in relation to human health. The ultimate goal of this research is to enhance the quality of life for older adults in a residential high-rise typology, the architectural prototype will serve as inspiration for an alternative option of dwelling for Hawai‘i's older adult population that addresses the evolution of life and specifically supports the residents’ well-being