Integrative Ways of Residing: Health and Quality of Residence Architectural Inventions for Dwelling, Ageing and Healthcaring AIDAH

Research Project, 2013 – 2019

The AIDAH research and innovation environment intends to unfold intra-, inter- and transdisciplinary research supporting implementation projects for a sustainable built environment that confront three major societal challenges:
(1) Increasing diversified articulated demands on the housing market call for alterability and adaptability in solutions for new resilient ways of residing. (2) An ageing society requires new residential ways of living that combine dignity and appropriate care enabling individuals to remain independent in residence as long as possible but that also provide sound working environments for personnel. (3) Profound changes in technical conditions for caring and medical treatment necessitate rethinking traditional healthcare situations and developing new situations ranging from advanced care in residence to intensive care units in hospital and patient hotels.

Sustainability issues at stake in patterns of residential behavior must be considered to have paramount importance in any strategy for a resilient urban future. The involved teams provide different and complementary perspectives focusing on the shared notion of quality of residence considered in architectural, spatial and experiential properties of built environments for housing and healthcare contexts. The applied conceptual and theoretical framework focuses on architectural and caring innovations for reconfigured spatial situations that enhance sustainable caring, improve health, well-being, new welfare and quality of life. Our research effort will particularly focus on identifying and characterizing strategies directed towards the integration of different ways of residing.

The intended scientific integration in conceptual and methodological terms—between architecture humanities research, sociology of residence and caring sciences—is intended to bridge gaps and initiate transgressive academic approaches exploring new modes of knowledge production. Objectives of these approaches include identifying and articulating new resilient qualities in designs, in caring processes and healing environments, thereby providing new operational knowledge developed in close collaboration with diverse actors and stakeholders in society. International research exchange will provide further valid strategic evidence-based design support for decision makers in planning, building and medical services. The interdisciplinary team of researchers from architectural design, social and caring sciences are based at the Centre for Healthcare Architecture, CVA, the recently established Centre for Residential Architecture, CBA and the CIB W069 Commission Residential Studies, all hosted by Chalmers with active team participation also in EU COST Action Intrepid.