Center for Studies in Architecture and Urbanism

CEAU

Center for Studies
in Architecture and Urbanism

Ageing in Place Integrated architectural proposals for active aging in Portugal
Institutional Call to Scientific Employment Stimulus

Start Year

2019 (Em curso)

Coordinator

Gisela Lameira

Supervisor

Rui J. G. Ramos

Proposing Institution

CEAU - FAUP

Research Units

CEAU

Abstract

The term "Ageing in place," a theme that has been debated for more than two decades, is closely related to broad concepts such as: "Active Ageing", "Age-Friendly Environments", "Design for All", "Accessibility" (AFE), "Independent Living Solutions", "Ambient Assisting Living" or "Housing Design". In Portugal, this challenge has become more pressing in recent years, namely concerning the need to build or adapt existing buildings to be made available for rent or direct sale, and the integration of an urban planning approach in the process (in the relation between private space and exterior space, design and functions of the public space). This perspective is further away from the commercialization of services in specialized structures and more focused on housing potential to allow an "ageing" at home and new ways of living.

The University of Porto integrated (since December 2018) the "European University Alliance in Global Health Challenges", a consortium with several foreign universities of reference, with a common goal of "building the European Universities of the Future" in the face of emergent challenges in the area of Health and, in this sense, it is fundamental to position the Faculty of Architecture in the debate of these issues, namely in the housing and urban components, through its R&D unit.

This Scientific Project Proposal focuses on a proactive strategy to approach the themes of "Ageing in place", placing the Architecture in a discussion that involves agents from diverse multidisciplinary areas (academic, municipal, governmental, NGOs) and stakeholders with diverse interests. This proposal aims to create a set of protocols/consortia with agents working in the specific areas of Health / Social Sciences / Planning, etc. This action will promote competitive cooperation networks that allow access to the necessary funding for issues related to architectural design and construction practices that can be studied in-depth, leveraging their implementation among stakeholders.

This project's scientific challenge lies in the definition of lines of action that position the role of Architecture as a coordinating agent for integrated strategies in Ageing Policies in the "Ageing in place" field.

Main activities

Protocols:
Escola Superior de Saúde Santa Maria
Porto4Ageing

Participation in funded research projects:
Climate adaptation for older people living in vulnerable urban areas. Designing a climate-responsive and community-based methodology [FCT - PTDC/GES-URB/2038/2021], no qual a FAUP é instituição participante e a FEUP proponente. (FAUP researcher, with Rui J. G. Ramos and Ana Silva Fernandes)

Research works in progress:
Housing Think Thank: knowledge integration on multifamily residential buildings (HoTT): the creation of a bibliographic database (endnote), with extensive registration of bibliographic references in the context of multi-family housing/aging in place; listing of buildings and their integration into a collaborative database (filemaker). (co-coordination with Rui J. G. Ramos)

Housing adaptation checklists within the scope of the protocol established with the Escola Superior de Saúde de Santa Maria / Portuguese neuromuscular Association / Projecto de investigação-acção ICAVI (Investigação Centro de Apoio Vida Independente). (co-coordination c/ Rui J. G. Ramos)

Scientific consulting:
“Horizontal Cooperation Contract between Contracting Entities for the Development of Participated Project Operations in Underprivileged Communities in the Promotion of New Public Housing Developments in Maia: 1st Law - Housing Access Support Program - Communities of Anta, Ardegães and Lagielas”, to be held between June 12, 2023 and December 11, 2025 (Entities: FAUP; Espaço Municipal (Câmara Municipal da Maia)

Training:
Erasmus + na Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB), Espanha, Course Habitatge i ciutat/ Housing & City. Projectes 3r curs

Recent publications:
Journal article:
Lameira, Gisela, Rui Jorge Garcia Ramos, Nuno Valentim, and Azar Mohammadpanah. 2023. "Good Architecture Matters: The Architect’s Perspective on Design for Ageing and Energy Efficiency." Buildings 13 (4). https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13041067

Lopes Dias, Tiago, Rui Jorge Garcia Ramos, and Gisela Lameira. 2023. "'Lost Space' Found: considering Functional Ambiguity as a Strategy for Housing Design." ZARCH (21): 170-183. http://dx.doi.org/10.26754/ojs_zarch/zarch.2023218931

Lameira, Gisela, Luciana Rocha, and Rui Jorge Garcia Ramos. 2022. "Affordable Futures Past: Rethinking Contemporary Housing Production in Portugal While Revisiting Former Logics." Urban Planning 7 (1): 223-240. https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v7i1.4770

Book chapter:
Ramos, Rui J. G., and Gisela Lameira. 2021. "Modelo de Vida Independente: abordagem a partir de modos alternativos de pensar a habitação e a vida doméstica." In in Modelo de Vida Independente. Porto (em revisão). https://hdl.handle.net/10216/129319

Abstrac in International Seminar:
Respigar a Habitação do Passado como Ato de Resistência” (c/ Rui J. G. Ramos e Tiago Lopes Dias), no âmbito do programa Mais do que Casas, Abril 2074 | 7 visões

Report:
Lameira. Gisela. 2020. AGEING IN PLACE. Propostas arquitectónicas integradas para o Envelhecimento activo em Portugal. https://hdl.handle.net/10216/132400

Keynotes:
Course Habitatge i ciutat/ Housing & City. Projectes 3r curs; Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Barcelona (ETSAB). Guest speaker (with Rui J. G. Ramos; Tiago Lopes Dias), Keynote intituled "Contemporary domestic practices: Learning from… a century of housing / Prácticas domésticas contemporáneas: Aprendiendo de… un siglo de vivienda" , (2024/03/06)

Conference “ICAVI 2023 – Independent Living Models: Results and Reflections”, Panel 2 – ICAVI: research results. Guest speaker, keynote intituled “LIVING IN PLACE: challenges to the possibility of living at our homes independently” (with Rui J. G. Ramos), (2023/06/15)

Workshop The Question of housing in the NEBgS. International Laboratory @FAUP, Blended Intensive Program (BIP, NEB goes South). Guest speaker, keynote intituled “HOMES FOR ALL, NOT JUST ADAPTED”: Ageing and Living in place: Contemporary issues in housing design”, (2023/07/18)

Courses given:
INOVPED Health, Wellbeing and Architecture (coordination Ana Neiva and Teresa Leão). Class intituled “Healthy ageing, Ageing in Place and Challenges of Residential Architecture”, (2021/2022; 2022/2023)

Doctoral Program in Architecture (PDA/FAUP), Unidade Curricular TEORIA 2 (responsible Rui J. G. Ramos). Class intituled “Ageing and Living in Place: Challenges and Design Integration on Multi-family residential buildings”, (2022/2023)

Scholarship supervision:
MSc Azar Mohammadpanah enquanto bolseira do trabalho de investigação Housing Think Thank: knowledge integration on multifamily residential buildings (HoTT), (coo advisory with Rui J. G. Ramos), (2022/02/01 – 2022/10/31)

PhD Ana Jorge Martins enquanto bolseira do projecto de investigação financiado Climate adaptation for older people living in vulnerable urban areas. Designing a climate-responsive and community-based methodology, FCT - PTDC/GES-URB/2038/2021, (coo advisory with Rui J. G. Ramos and Ana Silva Fernandes), (2023/07/01 – actual)