DESIGN
Insights Into Village Design
Retirement village design is changing through sustainability, trends, and the incoming baby boomer generation. Warren and Mahoney architect Mat Brown discusses the shifts in village design.
MAT BROWN Architect, Warren and Mahoney
10
Village Business
rbanisation is seeing an increased appetite for opening villages and having them more accessible to the community around them. Developers are taking positive steps towards providing spaces within the village the community can use. For example, Queenstown Country Club has a commercial centre built as an amenity space for the village. It has a café, childcare centre, retail, and is
the hub for the rest of the community. “There’s potential for retirement villages to be a catalyst for the communities around them,” said Brown. “Retirees can meet with friends and family, neighbours or even strangers. And it’s about wellness – ensuring people in these villages remain active and engaged, not locked away in apartments. “The idea of wellness has real traction in a village like that where there’s a café or restaurant on-site,” he continued. Covid-19’s effects have not rippled into village design as such, Brown has observed.
