Miguel Roman (Courtesy of Smith Group)
The growing population of middle-income seniors is currently facing a critical housing dilemma in America. These individuals earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet they lack the financial resources to afford traditional senior living communities.
In a 2022 study titled “The Forgotten Middle,” researchers from the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago highlight that there will be 16 million middle-income seniors in 2033. The study projects that three- of this group will not have adequate funds to afford most privately operated living communities. Given the growth of this key demographic, there’s an urgent need for a new care model that can balance profit with accessibility and affordability.
How can designers and developers reimagine the role of architecture in senior living to create inclusive, affordable, and community-focused spaces for seniors?
Reducing costs for middle-income older adults in senior living communities hinges on two critical factors: care models tailored to minimize operational costs over time and innovative architectural designs that cut construction expenses while maximizing resident capacity.
Care models for senior living: Hayward Senior Commons and Broadview at Purchase College
Senior living communities located within dense urban environments exemplify a care model that reduces operational costs by leveraging existing infrastructure and nearby services. The organization, Christian Church Homes, developed Hayward Senior Commons in the San Francisco Bay Area demonstrates this tactic. Designed by SmithGroup, this project transformed a long-vacant, blighted site into housing for 80 low-income seniors while improving neighborhood safety and vitality.
Located one block from the downtown Hayward train station, the building offers residents easy access to regional transit as well as nearby grocery stores, restaurants, retail, and service providers. The building includes 9 fully mobility-accessible units and 71 adaptable units, allowing residents with varying abilities to age in place with minimal staff intervention. Shared spaces—including a lounge, laundry room, gardening area, and outdoor roof deck—cultivate daily social interaction and a strong sense of community. Siting the building in a centralized location further reduces the need for on-site amenities and transportation services, minimizing staff operations and fostering independence.
University-based retirement communities represent another care model that can effectively reduce living costs. Although affiliated with academic institutions, these communities typically do not require residents to have prior association with the university. A key factor in their affordability is the ability to lease land directly from universities instead of purchasing it outright.
One example is in Purchase, NY. Broadview at Purchase College capitalizes on existing campus resources like fitness centers, art studios, performance halls, and green spaces to minimize the need for costly on-site amenities. At the heart of the campus is the Learning Commons, which houses most of these amenities and fosters a mix of resident and student life.
Furthermore, communities like Broadview formalize intergenerational engagement through volunteer and mentorship opportunities, promoting community connection while reducing staffing demands and operational expenses.
Design and construction decisions to drive meaningful change
While the operational care model chosen by a senior living facility is crucial, the design and construction of the building itself hold equal importance. This is where designers have the most opportunity to drive meaningful change, influencing not only the cost of living but also the quality of life for residents.
Key early design decisions may include retrofitting vacant or underutilized properties, crafting an energy-efficient building shape tailored to the site, and incorporating prefabricated or recycled materials. However, perhaps even more impactful are the long-term architectural strategies that can reduce operational costs throughout the building’s lifespan.
Two density-driven housing models, though not yet popularized in senior living, address affordability head-on while offering diverse approaches to care.
Compact living with micro units: Carmel Place
One approach is the implementation of micro units—compact, efficiently designed living spaces that enable developers to maximize the number of units and tenants in a building. Carmel Place, a micro-unit apartment complex in New York, exemplifies key space-saving solutions such as built-in storage, multifunctional furniture, and shared common areas. As with most micro-units, the apartments at Carmel Place range from 260 to 360 square feet, all while being able to accommodate the practical needs of its residents.
Furthermore, the Housing Innovation Lab, in partnership with the Urban and Environmental Planning program at Tufts University, researched and evaluated 17 projects in Boston that tested the ideas of micro units and compact living. They concluded that the project “did increase the supply of income-restricted housing units in the city, which has positive impacts on affordability.” Applying these concepts to senior living facilities could not only reduce the per-unit cost of living, but also promote resident autonomy and independence.
Collective living: Phoenix Commons
Another architectural solution is the adoption of a co-living model, which allows for a shared living arrangement. Residents have private bedrooms while sharing resources such as bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, and lounges with other residents. Residents are brought together through shared activities such as cooking, dining, working, and fitness, turning everyday routines and leisure time into opportunities for connection. Communities like the Phoenix Commons, a 41-unit, multistory 55+ community in Oakland, Calif., are beginning to take on this model.
With co-living arrangements, buildings can focus less on redundant amenities and more on increasing the density of living units. As an added benefit, this model can foster and encourage mutual aid – decreasing reliance on staff while building community. The National Poll on Healthy Aging concluded that approximately one in three seniors experience social isolation and a lack of companionship. Given the increasing prevalence of loneliness among older adults, co-living arrangements offer social support while dispersing shared costs among tenants.
Creating new community-driven models
Ultimately, current senior living models lack affordability and do not meet the needs of a rapidly growing key demographic. As designers, it is imperative that we develop senior living communities that are accessible to all populations—and soon.
By reducing operating and construction costs and introducing new design solutions, we can create new, community-driven models that improve affordability for middle-income seniors while enhancing their quality of life.
Miguel Roman is an architectural designer at SmithGroup (Boston, Massachusetts) and can be reached at [email protected].
