Going green is good, but could architects be doing more for two segments of our population?
In a recent opinion piece in The New York Times, geriatrician Louise Aronson advocated for a new type of building, one designed with an aging population in mind, which, she suggests, might be dubbed “silver” architecture. The idea came to her after taking her father to a top-notch, “green” medical center that was surprisingly unaccommodating for older patients. Sure, sustainability is important, but a building needs to do more than perform efficiently and attract millennials.
To meet the challenges of an aging population, she proposes the development of LEED-like standards and awards for a “silver” architecture. Such an architecture would be well-lit, quiet, accessible and safe. It would be spacious enough to accommodate walkers and wheelchairs and provide room for a caregiver. These aren’t new ideas, but they aren’t as widely adapted as they could be, especially considering that over 50 million Americans are over the age of 65 - and that number is growing quickly. “Some might say that buildings can’t cater to every group with special needs,” says Aronson. “But silver architecture and design aren’t about indulging a special interest group. They’re about maximizing quality of life and independence for a life stage most of us will reach.” She makes a good point.
It being Veterans Day, this article got me thinking about architect Michael Graves, who recently designed a pair of houses for returning soldiers that follow through on many of Aronson’s suggested parameters for silver design. First though, a brief digression. The idea of a “silver” architecture actually has some precedent in architectural history, although the term was used in a very different way. In the 1970s, some West Coast architects formed a loosely affiliated group known as the “Silvers” in response to the growing prominence of two East Coast groups, the “Whites” and the “Grays.” These color-coded collectives functioned almost like architectural political parties, each with their own platform: the Whites advocated a Modernist-based formal approach to architecture, the Grays argued for a historical approach, and the Silvers preferred a more pragmatic and polished design. Many of the Whites, Grays, and Silvers, went on to become some of the best known and most prolific architects of our time, although today, "white," "gray," and "silver" best describe their hair colors more than their ideological differences. While these architects have built many hospitals and healthcare projects, they focus more on high-end commercial and cultural designs. However, one of the White architects, Michael Graves, who went on to become more of Gray in the 1980s and 1990s, recently began practicing what might be termed a “Silver” architecture as described by Aronson in The New York Times.
The Michael Graves Design Group has worked with Stryker Medical to design a new transport chair, the Prime TC, that’s more ergonomic, more versatile, more maneuverable, and more intuitive than common wheelchairs. Graves-Stryker partnership has also produced a line of hospital room furniture that easier to use, easier to learn, and, like the Prime TC, easier on the eyes than existing models. But their largest project is the Wounded Warrior Home.
In 2010, Michael Graves & Associates were commissioned by Clark Realty Capital (CRC) to create two prototype single-family homes designed specifically for wounded soldiers who continue to serve and live at Fort Belvoir army base in Virginia. The real estate company, which develops all the housing on the fort, previously tried renovating existing houses to make them more accessible, the resulting modifications were expensive and ineffectual. When they decided to start from scratch, they reached out to Graves, who was personally involved in the process from the very beginning, showing up at every meeting and sketching every design himself.