65ymas.com · 02 may 2022 · Javier Anula
Senior living’ is housing designed for people over 65 with personal independence.
Senior living’ is a residential concept that is already resonating in our borders. The truth is that many real estate experts are already saying that these new models are a trend that is here to stay.
Traditionally, in cases of need, traditional residences have been used, but now there are alternatives known as ‘senior living houses’, residential complexes with all kinds of care and services included, where the independence and quality of life of their residents are a priority and where the spaces and service staff are made available to their needs, so that they can maintain their lifestyle without giving up their privacy and daily routines.
The ‘senior living’, homes and houses designed for people over 65, will increase by more than 10%, to over 30%, in the next 30 years, according to the report ‘El sector sociosanitario en España. New trends’, recently published by EAE Business School.
Main initiatives in Spain
The same study also devotes a section to the main ‘senior living house’ initiatives in operation in Spain. In this regard, the following should be highlighted:
COLIVING
This model consists of a place where not only a workspace is shared, but also a place to live, normally for short or temporary stays, promoting both a shared economy and the integration of a community of senior entrepreneurs or freelancers.
In this case, senior living-coliving is a set of communal dwellings that have been built by a developer that is focused on the senior market.
The most outstanding Coliving is the one created by the firm DoveVivo (Calle San Lorenzo). Here, digital nomads, professionals, freelancers and even couples are some of the groups we can find. A target group looking for modern and comfortable spaces with flexible contracts and services included.
This residence, which takes shape in an elegant house-palace designed by the architect Manuel Brady in 1807, already hosts Spanish and international colivers. The space has 44 rooms and studios with a total surface area of 1,600 m2. The firm also has other spaces in Madrid and plans to open more.
COHOUSING
The senior living-cohousing model is based on the cooperative of those who live together in a given space. In other words, it is a buy-to-own format.
It is a collaborative housing in which a group of people live. These residents share common areas, but each has their own individual space. The boundaries between the common and the individual are adapted to the needs of this group.
Among the most outstanding ‘senior living cohouses’ we find the Trabensol Cooperative (Torremocha del Jaramamam, Madrid). Also noteworthy is the Entrepatios Cooperative (Madrid), which has built the most innovative cohousing in Europe: a bioclimatic building, which has zero CO₂ production and whose residents live as a community. Thus, it becomes the first cohousing with right of use and ecological in the Community of Madrid.
On the other hand, the Residencial Puerto de la Luz (Málaga) is another example of cohousing to follow. In this residential there are 60 flats of 50 square metres and it has terraces of more than 12 square metres. It is focused on the elderly and is a cooperative.
We should also mention the pioneers in this field. This is the case of Residencial Santa Clara (Malaga). This is the first Cohousing in Spain. This co-operative in Malaga is one of the most important benchmarks in our country. We must also highlight the innovation of Axuntase (Caraviés, Asturias), which will be the first transgenerational cohousing in Europe.
Finally, Las Arcadias del Encinar (Madrid): a complex that will open its doors in the first months of 2023 and which sounds very promising. It is a series of luxury flats with all kinds of services for people over 65 who want to live with all the attention, security and comfort possible, but without losing their independence and lifestyle.
