Introduction:
As population aging intensifies, elderly care has become an urgent issue facing society. The aging trend is increasingly apparent, and rapid urbanization has not adequately prepared cities to accommodate the growing elderly population. How can we design living and recuperation spaces in city centers that better suit the elderly, address their physical limitations, and enhance their quality of life? This challenge holds significant social importance.
JERDE embraces a strong sense of social responsibility to pioneer new living environments and has been dedicated to creating livable spaces. Confronted with these societal changes, we have undertaken practical initiatives to address the needs of elderly care.
As architects, we have explored how the concept of “placemaking” can be applied to integrate a comprehensive elderly care and rehabilitation community within urban complexes, especially in land-scarce areas. By combining existing medical resources, we aim to create a modern, integrated elderly care community.
Main Text:
1. Project Overview
The Xingcheng MALL+THE CLASS 500 Retirement Apartment is a unique project located in the heart of Seoul, South Korea. It is situated between the New Xingcheng residential area and Jianguo University, just 2 kilometers from City Forest Park, on a highly commercial plot.
▲ General layout plan
The developer’s goal was to establish a retirement and rehabilitation community here, while also preserving the plot’s commercial and social value. A key challenge was maximizing the limited land to enhance economic opportunities, while fulfilling the requirements of a retirement and recuperation community.
Traditional nursing homes often evoke images of cold, hospital-like environments with minimal recreational spaces. A major challenge was overcoming the divide between elderly care facilities and their users, creating a more comfortable and engaging lifestyle for residents. JERDE approached this by embracing “placemaking” and carefully addressing the specific needs of modern elderly care users. We broke away from conventional elderly care design to craft a comfortable, contemporary living community.
2. The Concept of a “Vertical Micro City Community”
Our first step was to analyze the project’s surroundings. The site lies on a rectangular plot adjacent to four super high-rise residential buildings in Xinxing City, just one street away from Jianguo University. The base shape is an “L,” ideal for a multifunctional commercial complex. Students and white-collar workers in the area represent stable, high-spending groups, promising significant economic benefits.
JERDE’s design breaks the project into multiple functional architectural units, including two towers and several podiums, connected through dynamic forms such as carving, cantilevering, and folding. The elderly care and recuperation apartments are located atop the two towers. A star-rated hotel bridges the apartments and podium, serving as a buffer to reduce noise from entertainment and commercial spaces below.
The podium’s ground floor is divided into two sections aligned with the plot’s commercial zoning: the first half houses a commercial complex featuring retail centers, department stores, restaurants, cinemas, and specialty shops, catering to current commercial demands and future strategies, providing leisure and entertainment for students and professionals. The second half serves as a service area with banks, clinics, medical centers, and banquet halls, offering convenience to residents and hotel guests. Additionally, a fitness center and an underground golf course provide vibrant recreational facilities.
High-end elderly care apartments, hotels, fully equipped service facilities, and entertainment venues, combined with natural landscapes such as Jiangjing and Seoul Forest Park, as well as artificial water and plant features within the complex, create a “vertical micro city community.” This community centers on composite elderly care apartments and integrates retail, services, and dining. The design encourages foot traffic and invites visitors to explore diverse offerings within Xingcheng.
3. Building a Complete Community System Focused on Elderly Care, Recuperation, Entertainment, and Living
All components of the “Vertical Micro City Community” are designed to align with the elderly lifestyle, addressing their needs and ensuring that public spaces feel like natural extensions of their homes. This approach fosters a strong sense of belonging and community, aiming to significantly enhance the quality of life for both residents and the surrounding neighborhood.
An essential part of the project’s planning is the design of standard residential units. This involves not only efficiency but also special attention to lighting, orientation, and spatial arrangement tailored specifically for elderly residents.
The two towers feature two different layouts: one includes a living room, bedroom, open kitchen, dressing room, and separate bathroom. Bedrooms are equipped with detachable track twin beds to accommodate elderly couples needing separate sleeping arrangements. The other layout builds on this by introducing care rooms designed for residents requiring additional support.
Interiors are thoughtfully designed with warm, simple tones and dark brown wooden flooring, which helps elderly individuals with cognitive impairments feel more secure. Furniture is selected with rounded edges, and sharp corners are chamfered in BIM to enhance safety. The design also anticipates future accessibility needs by eliminating indoor level differences and using foldable sliding doors to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility aids.
The towers’ ground floors and podium feature social and entertainment amenities, including restaurants, game halls, libraries, banquet halls, service centers, rehabilitation and medical facilities, and fitness centers. A corridor connects the two towers across the bottom four floors, fostering a vibrant living community that encourages social interaction and expands urban public space for elderly residents.
Introducing shopping and retail complexes alongside retirement apartments and rehabilitation centers forms a comprehensive community system for elderly living, care, entertainment, and socializing. The presence of younger consumers in the commercial areas fosters interactions between residents and younger generations, invigorating the social vitality of elderly residents.
4. Integrating Medical and Elderly Care Resources
A key highlight of the project is the seamless integration of medical resources with the vertical elderly care community. In partnership with Jianguo University Hospital’s Health Service Center, elderly residents receive comprehensive annual health checkups. A professional health management team develops personalized rehabilitation and treatment plans based on each individual’s health status.
Additionally, a home-style intelligent mobile health monitoring system enables real-time tracking of daily activities and health indicators such as weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar. This system facilitates early detection and proactive management of health conditions, helping maintain and improve physical, cognitive, and psychological well-being.
The highest quality nursing services are also provided. Qualified nursing staff from Jianguo University Hospital offer 24/7 medical care and emergency support, including one-on-one care for residents with limited mobility. Nurses conduct regular visits and deliver prompt, effective first aid in emergencies.
5. Summary
Since its completion, the Xingcheng MALL+THE CLASS 500 Retirement Apartment project has attracted significant foot traffic to the mall, boosting the commercial value of the entire site. The retirement apartments reached full occupancy by 2013, demonstrating the success of JERDE’s integrated commercial and elderly care community design.
Annually, over one billion visitors experience JERDE-designed spaces worldwide, reflecting our pioneering “placemaking” philosophy. By thoroughly analyzing the urban context and project site, we strive to realize project goals while unlocking the site’s potential value. Our aim is to energize the area through strategic connections, creating engaging places where people enjoy living and visiting—embodying the spirit of “placemaking” that defines our work.
JERDE’s design process is rooted in collaborative “co-creation,” bringing together diverse cultural backgrounds and creativity. Our professional expertise enables us to deliver innovative solutions that positively impact tens of thousands of lives. We focus on cities, recognizing people as the core of urban culture. Understanding people’s expectations and how they engage with their city shapes our design philosophy.
We have developed a design model for high-rise elderly apartments combined with commercial podiums, tailored to the needs of modern elderly care and optimized urban land use. Advanced medical technologies and facilities enrich the residents’ experience. This innovative concept has influenced elderly care and rehabilitation design practices throughout China.
▲ North elevation view
▲ West elevation view
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