澳大利亚人的寿命越来越长，并且在退休后还能享受到健康的生活，所以我们是不是应该创造一些住宅来支持和帮助这个不断增长的人口群体？在本特建筑事务所，我们的热情之一就是为居家养老而设计。通过富有同情心的设计策略，我们可以使人们在他们的晚年生活中独立生活在他们喜欢的、感觉舒适的家中。随着我们人口的老龄化，以就地养老和无障碍设计原则来设计住宅，将意味着住宅不必进行改造以帮助解决行动问题，也不需要大量的维护，更不会让年长的业主感到难以承受。

Australians are living longer and enjoying health and fitness long into their retirement, so isn’t it time we created homes to support and enable this growing demographic? One of our passions here at Bent Architecture is designing for ageing in place. With empathetic design strategies, we can enable people to live independently well into their senior years in a home they love and feel comfortable in. As our population ages, designing homes with ageing in place and accessible design principles in mind will mean homes won’t have to be retrofitted to help with mobility issues, require a lot of maintenance or feel overwhelming for elderly owners.

最近，我们有机会设计一个以就地养老为主导的住宅，这要感谢两位热爱设计和充满激情的客户，他们准备卖掉他们的家庭住宅，搬到离伊莱萨山村更近的地方。购买一个离镇上较小的街区，可以让John和Ann在一个更容易管理的院子里享受他们的余生，而且只需步行或开车到商店。他们梦想的最后一环是创造一个舒适、节能的家，在未来的日子里支持他们，甚至随着他们的年龄增长。

Recently we were given the opportunity to design a home with ageing in place at the forefront thanks to two design-loving and passionate clients who were ready to sell up their family home and move closer to Mt Eliza village. Purchasing a smaller block closer to town would allow John and Ann to enjoy the rest of their lives together with a more manageable yard and within just a short walk or drive to the shops. The final piece of their dream would be creating a comfortable, energy-efficient home that would support them for years to come, even as they aged.

告别他们的大花园和绿树成荫的前景对约翰和安来说是一个挑战，所以他们的新家设计被设想为一个被绿色植物包围的生活空间。通往花园的大窗户保留了自然和户外的感觉，让人很容易忘记这个家是在一个普通的郊区街道。生活区贯穿整个街区，并向北侧和后院开放，将大量的光线引入家中。用安的话说，”休息室的大窗户框住了一个长满草的林地花园，夕阳将当地的草和树沐浴在彩虹之中。住宅中心的庭院增强了被大自然包围的感觉，也是约翰和安从他们以前的房子里带来的一些蕨类植物的完美地点。

Saying goodbye to their large garden and leafy outlook would be a challenge for John and Ann, so the design of their new home is conceived as a living space surrounded by greenery. Large windows opening onto the garden retain that sense of nature and the outdoors and it’s easy to forget the home is in an average suburban street. The living areas run the length of the block and open to the north side and the backyard, bringing huge amounts of light into the home. In Ann’s words, the ‘large lounge room window frames a grassy woodland garden where the setting sun bathes indigenous grasses and trees in iridescence.’ A courtyard in the centre of the home enhances the feeling of being surrounded by nature and is a perfect spot for some of the ferns John and Ann brought from their previous house.

使他们的新家被花园包围的另一个关键是决定取消前面的栅栏，而将花园直接开到自然地带。这使住宅在街道上与众不同，使安和约翰能够享受他们对园艺和恢复当地植被的热情。结合住宅前面的宽大窗户，约翰和安在他们的创作中可以看到穿过草丛的林地的远景。一位邻居甚至将这对夫妇称为 “拥有美丽花园的约翰和安”。安解释说：”这个家和它的原生花园的制作是我们为城市环境带来灵魂的方式，并诠释了我们长期以来的生活方式。对我们来说，新家打破了传统居住地和自然世界之间的障碍。在我们年老的时候，这个房产提供了巨大的慰藉。

Another key to the sense that their new home is surrounded by garden was the decision to do away with a front fence and instead run the garden right out onto the nature strip. This sets the home apart in the street and allows Ann and John to enjoy their passion for gardening and restoring the indigenous vegetation to the site. Combined with generous windows in the front of the home, long vistas through the grassy woodland surround John and Ann in their creation. A neighbour even refers to the couple as ‘John and Ann with the beautiful garden.’ ‘The crafting of this home and its indigenous garden was our way of bringing soul to an urban setting and interpreting our long-established lifestyle’, Ann explains. ‘For us, the new home breaks down the barrier between traditional habitation and the natural world. In our older years, this property provides great solace.’

带锁的全高木质屏风保护了房子的一侧，同时仍然让光线和景色通过。安评论说，有了屏风，她实际上比有了前面的栅栏更有安全感，因为她知道房子的后面是无法从街上进入的。我们听到的关于缩减规模的常见抱怨之一是担心孩子和孙子来访时没有地方可以住。我们解决了这个问题，在楼上的屋檐下增加了一间卧室、浴室和生活空间。当安和约翰可以在一楼进行他们的生活而不需要处理楼梯时，客人可以在楼上享受他们自己的空间。屋顶上的天窗甚至可以捕捉到树梢的美丽景色，使之成为来访的家人和朋友的一个可爱的休闲场所。

A full-height timber screen with lockable door protects the side of the house, while still letting light and views through. Ann commented that she actually feels safer with the screen in place than she might with a front fence, knowing the rear of the house is inaccessible from the street. One of the common complaints we hear about downsizing is the fear that there won’t be anywhere for children and grandchildren to stay when they visit. We solved this problem with an additional bedroom, bathroom and living space tucked upstairs under the roofline of the home. While Ann and John can go about their lives on the ground floor without the need to tackle stairs, guests can enjoy their own space upstairs. Skylights in the roof form even capture beautiful views of the treetops making this a lovely retreat for visiting family and friends.

在无障碍方面，即使有行动支持，从车棚到后院也没有台阶或水平变化。所有的门都有足够的宽度供轮椅进出，对于外部的门，我们取消了沉重的滑动门，取而代之的是双扇法式门，创造了同样宽的开口，但更容易打开和关闭。同样，一楼的浴室作为一楼卧室的套间，又长又宽，便于使用。该住宅的设计是低维护和最小的麻烦。外部采用环保砖替代材料Timbercrete建造，看起来很像街上的任何其他砖面房屋，但碳足迹却小得多。在内部，抛光的混凝土地板易于清洁，消除了绊脚石的危险，并创造了可怕的热质量，以减少房屋的能源需求。

For accessibility, even with mobility supports, there are no steps or level changes from the carport through to the backyard. All doors are wide enough for wheelchair access and for the external doors we’ve done away with heavy sliding doors and instead, double french doors create equally wide openings but are much easier to open and close. Similarly, the ground floor bathroom acts as an ensuite to both the ground floor bedrooms and is long and wide for easy accessibility. The home is designed to be low maintenance and minimal fuss. Built with an eco-friendly brick alternative, Timbercrete externally, it appears much like any other brick veneer home on the street, but with a much smaller carbon footprint. Inside, polished concrete floors are easy to clean and eliminate trip hazards as well as creating terrific thermal mass to reduce the home’s energy needs.

当然，该住宅被设计成面向太阳，以获得被动的加热和冷却的好处，但也有主动的系统在发挥作用，这意味着约翰和安对室内温度全年都感到舒适。水力加热隐藏在楼板中，为家里提供了一个稳定的温度。只要打开房屋对面的一些门，就能吹来凉风，所有房间都有吊扇支持。这些系统都是由屋顶太阳能电池板和电池储能提供的，这意味着约翰和安是净能源生产者，并将他们对化石燃料的依赖降到最低。后面甚至还有一个藏在地下的43,000升的水箱，可以满足他们的家庭和花园的需要。

Of course, the home is designed to face the sun for passive heating and cooling benefits, but there are active systems at play too which has meant John and Ann have felt comfortable with the indoor temperature year-round. Hydronic heating is hidden in the floor slab to provide a constant stable temperature in the home. Simply opening some doors on opposite sides of the home invites a cooling breeze which is supported by ceiling fans in all rooms. These systems are all powered by rooftop solar panels and battery storage meaning John and Ann are net energy producers and have minimised their reliance on fossil fuels. There’s even a 43,000-litre water tank hidden underground out the back which sustains their household and garden needs.

正如约翰所说，他 “从未想过自己会住在这样一个美丽的家里”。我们很自豪能够帮助约翰和安创造一个他们可以在余生享受的家。一个不仅仅是美丽的，而且支持他们随着年龄增长而不断变化的需求的家。一个他们可以放松并感到舒适和自信的家。一个正如他们所说的，他们可以享受 “通过大窗户看到天空：月亮和星星 “的家。

As John says, he ‘never thought he would live in such a beautiful home.’ We’re proud to help John and Ann create a home they can enjoy for the rest of their lives. A home that is not just beautiful, but supportive of their changing needs as they age. A home they can relax and feel comfortable and confident in. A home where, as they say, they can enjoy ‘sky views through large windows: the moon and stars.’

Architects : Bent Architecture
Area : 184 m²
Year : 2020
Photographs :Tatjana Plitt
Structural Engineer : MTO Engineers P/L
Design Team : Paul Porjazoski, Rob Chittleborough, Merran Porjazoski, Michael Germano, Tilde Sheppard
Builder : Bede Debenham
Landscape Design : Ann Scholes
Architects : Bent Architecture
Styling : Pip+Coop
City : Mount Eliza
Country : Australia