The Rise of Vertical Retirement Villages - Why the sky is the limit

The demand for urban retirement villages has prompted developers to re-think traditional models and take their designs to greater heights.

Retirement villages are becoming more sophisticated, offering five-star design features through to first-class recreational facilities to increasingly savvy - and spirited - retirees looking for a lifestyle option with wow factor. Now there's a new trend emerging adding yet another alternative to the mix: the ‘vertical village.'

We explore the reasons behind the rise of the vertical village and where it fits into the retirement living landscape.

Retirement means different things to different people. For some, it's a chance to put their feet up and enjoy life at a leisurely pace. For others, it's an opportunity to try new things, meet new people and fill their schedules with social activities now they have more free time on their hands. For most people, living in a like-minded community like a retirement village provides the ideal environment to live independently and forge meaningful friendships with others at the same time.

In recent years, attitudes towards retirement villages have flipped - gone is the stigma they're dark, depressing outposts located in outer suburbs. These days, village homes have gone upmarket and upwards... literally. The trend towards vertical villages is gaining momentum throughout the world and demand for them appears to be on the rise - pardon the pun - for newer retirees in Australia who are prepared to compromise on space in return for luxury apartments in desirable locations.

It's not surprising retirees who have lived in an urban environment all their lives - close to amenities such as medical facilities, entertainment precincts and most importantly, their family and friends - would prefer to stay connected to their local communities when contemplating their retirement living options.

It presents a challenge for both for-profit and not-for-profit organisations looking to keep pace with demand to provide attractive, well-designed vertical villages at competitive prices while making it economically viable for them to do so. When it comes to building a ‘broadacre' village, for the most part developers know what works and what doesn't. When creating a vertical village there are still many unknowns, which makes it both exciting and possibly quite daunting for those who are prepared to take the plunge.  

 Why go vertical?

There are primarily two forces at work. The first is demand. There are almost three million Australians now over the age of 65 and as the baby boomers move into this age group, the retirement villages sector is expected to treble within 10 years. This means there are going to be a lot of people looking for suitable retirement living situations. For this group of Australians who are healthier and wealthier than perhaps previous generations, the convenience of an apartment is a major drawcard. "The big factor is definitely convenience," says Linda Hooper, national marketing manager at Living Choice, one of Australia's biggest private retirement village developers. "I think the newer kind of retiree in the market is attuned to apartment living while the older retiree is used to their little patch of garden."

According to David Rod, director at Lifestyle Manor, a medium-rise luxury development located in the heart of Sydney's exclusive beachside suburb of Bondi, there is increasing demand for quality retirement villages in inner metropolitan areas as people realise the benefits of remaining connected to their local communities.

"We deliberately chose to do a vertical village as space was at a premium and we took the view that people in the eastern suburbs are not going to want to move to the North or South Coast - this is their turf and they want to stay here near Bondi Beach, their local doctor, shops and most importantly their family," says David. "The face of retirement is going to change; it's going to become more urbanised as people look to move no more than five to seven kilometres from where they live."

The second factor influencing the rise of the vertical villages is economic. "If you're building in the lower socioeconomic areas, I wouldn't be building a vertical village," says Ian Tregoning, co-director of Living Choice. "Vertical sites would generally be in areas where the land is expensive and, of course, for the project to be cost-effective you would need to go up."

The Benevolent Society, a not-for-profit organisation, is in the final stages of finetuning concept plans for its proposed eight-storey Ocean Street project in Bondi. The reason for going vertical, says senior project manager Sarah Fogg, is that the number of apartments that can be built on the site will facilitate the Society's goal of being able to provide rental housing and apartments where the entry fee is below market rate. "Our aim is for the socio-economic makeup of residents to broadly reflect the demographics in the area," says Sarah. ‘We're designing a multistorey apartment complex in the context of other housing in the area, in a part of Sydney where apartment living is not unusual."

A vertical village can also capitalise on the geographical position of a particular site. "If you want the village to be close to amenities like shopping centres and have water views, the cost of the land would be too high to justify building villas," says Ian Tregoning. "It's all about the location, really, and appealing to the demographic."

Importance of design

Like any building, a vertical village needs to be designed with its target demographic in mind. According to Alexandra Davis, business development manager of health and ageing at Paynter Dixon, it's important for the developers to adequately accommodate for the changing requirements of this age group. "Developers of independent living units certainly build lovely villages with community centres, gyms, pools and the like," says Alexandra. "The designers don't always consider the care the resident may require down the track which can be costly to refit or the resident may even have to move to more suitable accommodation. It is possible to design this in without it looking any different from a regular home or unit."

In her role, Alexandra provides all the care-related input into the design of projects to make sure they're practical and user-friendly. In her experience, a vertical village offers a fantastic alternative for retirees, but they need to be mindful of the constraints in floor space and how that may affect residents in the longer term. "One of the key issues with apartments in vertical villages is the size of the unit can sometimes be reduced and doesn't lend itself to assisted living," says Alexandra. "The vision by the company developing a vertical village should to take into account whether the ILU is going to lend itself to assisted living in the future, or is the person going to have to move when they need a greater level of care."

The Benevolent Society has drawn on Dutch organisation The Humanitas Foundation's Apartments for Life concept as it endeavours to meet its objective of 95 percent of Ocean Street residents being able to remain in their apartments to within a month of the end of life. "There is a lot of focus on design and accommodating for people's changing needs and health status over time," says Sarah. "In individual apartments, for example, concealed tracks will be built into the ceiling so hoists can be installed."

"In the complex, generally there will be a strong emphasis on integration with the local community. The ground floor will feature a café, meeting rooms, passive and active exercise facilities, possibly a shop, and space for visiting health professionals, for use by residents and older people in the area."

For all styles of vertical retirement living, the practical design specifications are extensive both inside and out. Some of the major considerations include the use of sensor lights
in communal hallways, accommodating elevators, large car spaces with storage, if achievable, and private balconies to minimise noise from neighbours. "I prefer having no hallways in an apartment and for the kitchen to be open in plan to give the impression of more space, and to be able to see to the other end when you walk in," says Ian Tregoning. "Our apartments are a very good size but most of the residents will move in to one after living in a house for many years."

The vertical village, along with individual apartments, also need to be aesthetically pleasing to gain the edge in the competitive marketplace. It's through its facilities that developers are able to make their village standout. "Everybody can build houses, the secret is the facilities," says David Rod.

Swimming pools, fitness centres and high-speed internet are among the facilities which are indeed indispensable in high quality developments. But developers are now taking it many steps further. Take the new 25-level Grande Pacific Broadwater project, due to be completed towards the end of 2008. The 171-apartment tower on Queensland's Gold Coast will be the first purpose-built, high-rise retirement village in the Southern Hemisphere. The aim is to offer affluent retirees ‘five-star hotel' standards and facilities including a la carte room service. There is understandably a high price tag to match - from $380,000 for a one bedroom apartment up to $1.7 million for a penthouse.  According to project manager Chris Stewart, it's been a challenge to get the design right but the hard work is paying off with retirees particularly attracted to its location and ground breaking facilities.

How has the market responded?

In a nutshell, the response has been extremely positive. Chris Stewart believes retirees have needed little convincing of the merits of a vertical village.  "We're getting interest from people who already live in high-rise apartments and are sick of the 30-year-old would-be rock musician making a racquet next door, people who are tired of noisy holiday-makers and transient renters, and those who live in apartment blocks where everyone leaves for work at 9am and there's no one around to talk to during the day," says Chris. "We're finding retirees are looking for a place to live where there are like-minded people who are over 65 that they can talk to."

Linda Hooper has similarly experienced encouraging feedback from residents and potential buyers about their medium-rise developments at Kawana Island and Twin Waters. "There is definitely a strong shift in the demand for apartment retirement living," says Linda. "We're in the enviable position where sales have caught up and even overtaken construction on the Sunshine Coast."

Lifestyle Manor's David Rod predicts there'll be more vertical villages in the urban landscape because the concept has been so successful. "I expect vertical villages will be popping up all over the place as land becomes more scarce."

Vertical village: Advantages

• Usually located in urban areas close to entertainment precincts, medical facilities, shopping centres and transport.
• There is less maintenance.
• Greater personal and property security because the complex will generally have just one entrance and exit point.
• Apartments are on just one level - there is no need to climb any stairs.

Vertical village: Disadvantages

• Many of them are tailored to the affluent, self-funded retiree, which is limiting to those who cannot afford it.
• The smaller size of apartments may not suit everyone.
• Residents will not have their own garden.
•  Living in close proximity to other residents.

Vertical village design do's

• Maximise natural light.
• Include sensor lights in communal corridors.
• Ensure there is more than one lift to access an area - if it breaks down, it is not acceptable to have residents walking up and downs stairs.
• Include a community area on each floor where residents can interact with their neighbours.
• Minimise the distance a resident needs to travel from their garages / car parks to the lift and from the lift to their unit.

Vertical village design don'ts

• Underestimate the level of space in a unit needed for residents who may require walking aids or wheelchairs - for instance, the master bedroom needs to be able to accommodate a wheelchair / walking aid on all sides of the bed.
• Have corridor kitchens - keep the kitchen separate for safety reasons.
• Overlook the need to keep the balcony as private and protected from the elements as possible - many residents will not be used to communal living.
• Forget the kitchen - all cupboards need to be able to be accessed from waist level.

 

 

Other stories in this section:

• "Try Before You Buy" - Spend a Week in a Village Before You Buy - Aevum
• Challenging Conversations Create Change - Is this the way you want to live?
• Top 15 Questions - Questions about the Retirement Villages Act
• What You Pay For and What You Don't in a Retirement Village
• Buying into a Village, Considering the Costs

View all stories in What You Need to Know »