About a decade ago, when the first baby boomers were entering their sixties, demographers and economists became concerned about the shifts in human population. They began to warn us that there would be a considerable number of people retiring in the coming decade and these aging boomers would be a profound disruptive force in several areas.
One in five Americans is projected to be 65 and over by 2030. There is a strong indication that in less than ten years, the number of Americans age 65+ will nearly be double that of today.
What Does The Aging Population Mean for Interior Design?
With the senior population increasing, designers and architects need to examine various adaptable living solutions to support the health and well-being of such a large segment. There is a great opportunity and need for commercial interior designers to offer solutions that will improve the quality of life for seniors and serve their requirements.
Adaptive Living Taskforce
In August 2020, the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) established the Adaptive Living Task Force (ALTF) to study the effects of the COVID-19 crisis on the design of commercial and home environments. In 2022, ASID nominated design professionals from across North America to its primary Committee on Adaptive Living in support of this work. The initial objective of this committee was to rethink the design of commercial multi-living environments. The committee also explores courses of action that promote adaptive design solutions, identify best practices, and consider future innovations.
The Challenges Senior Living Designers Face
The committee noted that the pandemic exposed weaknesses and flaws in the design of typical senior living environments, such as senior independent living and assisted living communities. Significant areas of concern are design issues that can increase the risk of illness spreading and social isolation.
How Can Multifamily Designers Make Improvements To Combat Design Weaknesses In Senior Living environments?
For wellness integration, some ideas the committee recommends are:
- Access to outdoor spaces to connect residents with their surroundings for physical contact with nature.
- Provide biophilic design elements in resident homes and common areas for a visual connection with nature.
- Integrate easy access to the outdoors —blur the boundaries between indoors and out.
- Café space that offers outdoor as well indoor seating indoors creates options for residents and guests to gather, eat, and connect.
How Can Crossville Support Interior Designers in Addressing Design Challenges for Senior Living Environments?
Designing for Health and Wellness with Crossville Tile for Surfaces in Every Space
We tout porcelain and ceramic tile’s health and wellness benefits often and for good reasons. It is one of the healthiest (if not the healthiest) floor and wall surfaces on the market. Ceramic and porcelain tile is easier to clean than other materials; it’s impermeable (making it inhospitable to the growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria), sanitary when cleaned with a mild bleach and water solution, and has zero VOCs (volatile organic compounds), thus contributing to good air quality. Those qualities alone make ceramic and porcelain tile a logical choice for wall and floor surfacing when deterring the spread of infection is a priority.
Crossville’s high-performing, low-maintenance porcelain tile flooring and wall tiles are suitable for every space in a commercial multifamily environment. They are durable and cost-effective choices for common areas, including outdoor applications. Our safe and sanitary floor tiles are the perfect slip-resistant choice for resident kitchens and bathroom floors, shower walls, entryways, hallways, and more.
Outdoor Spaces Are No Longer Amenities in Senior Living Design
Now that outdoor spaces have become increasingly important features for senior living communities and integrated facilities (facilities that offer different levels of senior living such as independent living, assisted living, extended care, and memory care communities) and are no longer just an amenity, surfacing suitable for the outdoors is playing a more significant role in multifamily senior living environments. Outdoor surfacing must be highly durable to withstand the elements, it must be slip-resistant and safe to walk on wet or dry, and it must be aesthetically pleasing. Crossville porcelain tile is engineered to hit all those marks and then some. While many Crossville tile collections are suitable for outdoor use in many environments, the exterior paver options in our Owen Stone, Stone Fiction, and Portugal porcelain outdoor tile collections are durable enough to withstand the elements and provide the performance needed where enhanced traction is desired. And because our exterior tiles have matching interior tile options, designers can seamlessly integrate the flooring for designs to blur the boundaries between the indoors and outside.
Stone Fiction Porcelain Tile (available in interior and exterior tile options)
Portugal Porcelain Tile (available in interior and exterior tile options)
Owen Stone Porcelain Stone (available in interior and exterior tile options)
Slip-Resistant Flooring in Interiors
While slip resistance in outdoor flooring is obviously paramount, senior living interiors are really no different, especially in areas that can get wet and are prone to spills, such as kitchens and baths. Between 30-50% of falls in the 65 + population are caused by environmental obstacles, such as poor lighting, slippery floors, and uneven surfaces. There are many reasons seniors are at higher risk for falling: declining vision, mobility issues, medication, and dementia-related disorders are just a few. When it comes to flooring, slip resistance is one of the most important safety and design factors when specifying flooring in senior living environments. All Crossville floor tiles afford good slip resistance and are considered safe in many applications, but senior living environments differ from traditional multifamily. For this at-risk population, our exterior finish tiles will provide even more slip resistance in those interior areas (especially wet areas) where extra traction would be beneficial.
Owen Stone Porcelain Stone (available in interior and exterior tile options)
SpeakEasy Wood-Look Porcelain Tile (floor)
More to Come
This blog is the first of a three-part series on commercial tile in the senior living, multi-living commercial environment. Stay tuned!
