SMART HOMES FEATURING SILVER ARCHITECTURE
SMART HOMES FEATURING SILVER ARCHITECTURE

Author(s): Ivana Šandrk Nukić
Subject(s): Economy, Architecture, Health and medicine and law, Demography and human biology, Gerontology, Socio-Economic Research
Published by: Sveučilište Josipa Jurja Strossmayera u Osijeku, Ekonomski fakultet u Osijeku
Keywords: silver economy; silver architecture; aging society; smart homes; age-friendly housing;
Summary/Abstract: Silver economy is a broad concept incorporating many different fields of investigation. All of them arise from the needs of the aging world population and the concurrent need to comply with economic sustainability, but otherwise have very specific characteristics and implications. Recent academic findings suggest that in the context of architecture, not enough attention is paid to the user perspective, concerning the increasingly older population. At the same time, architectural quality and long-term performance of housing objects are becoming more and more dependent on the needs of the elderly, who rightfully expect to grow old in a caring environment, including adjusted living premises. By applying scientific analysis, synthesis, and comparison of data from relevant secondary sources, this paper aims to investigate key trends regarding architecture as part of the silver economy. In addition to that, the intention has been to generate recommendations that would enable having a quality, active living even within the aging society. Findings suggest that the silver economy in architecture is conceptually elaborated but still rather a marginal scheme in real life. However, a multidisciplinary approach in terms of integrating architectural and space efforts with smart technology conveniences emerges as the direction of future research as well as practice. Limitations of this study are primarily financial concerns and prerequisites that have not been appreciated enough while evaluating the need for silver architecture investments.

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