Retrofitting Modern Architecture to Age in Place in Lisbon, Portugal

Alvalade district was designed in 1945 and built from 1947 to late 1970s. It followed a clear street hierarchy, with different buildings (from low to high rise) organized along a balanced distribution of public facilities of different sizes and scopes, framed by landscaped public spaces. A modern concept of city life was intended from the start. But time went by and today it can be considered a NORC: its initial population aged in place. The modernist habitat is now mostly inhabited by older people who are no longer the stylish MOD inhabitants of the 1950’s, but rather aged retirees, dependent on the social welfare system, whose daily lives are soothed by the overall quality of the apartment layouts, urban space, and facilities network. This is the main issue we will address: good housing design in an urban area with plenty of public facilities makes it easier to age in place and avoid costly institutionalization, thus becoming an asset in terms of welfare policies. Furthermore, the well-designed buildings and apartments, reveal the flexibility and space generosity to be adapted into age-friendly spaces, as we will demonstrate. The initial modernist layouts are redesigned by us with minimal interventions, through applied research based on best practices, literature, and evidence-based principles to adapt them into ageing in place.