Enjoying old age within your own four walls

Landesregierung Niederösterreich - Abteilung F2 Wohnungsförderung/Wohnbauforschung

Sonnenplatz Großschönau GmbH

Studio Calas

Marktgemeinde Schweiggers

The content and objectives of this research project are based on four pillars:

1. age-appropriate, barrier-free conversion of existing owner-occupied houses and apartments
2. accompanying thermal refurbishment of these properties
3. accompanying heating replacement based on EE
4. case study “Center development Schweiggers”, age-appropriate, dense living including interlinking of the results regarding age-appropriate living between dense living and owner-occupied homes.

In this research project, we wanted to comprehensively analyze the “age-appropriate renovation” of owner-occupied homes in Lower Austria, raise awareness and get things moving, thus making a significant contribution to reducing the need for care, increasing the quality of life in old age and stimulating the regional construction industry. The main target groups are homeowners in the transition to the third stage of life, housing developers, care services, building and social representatives of Lower Austrian municipalities and tradespeople.

Intended results:

The aim was to create transferable models for “enjoyment of old age in the third stage of life” in owner-occupied homes as well as exemplary models for dense living. These include the creation of checklists, including measures for age-appropriate living, divided into trades and with sample offers for each field of action. Based on this, a model floor plan for a single-storey and a two-storey house were created. Affected tradespeople and service providers were motivated, and transferable recommendations were developed and disseminated. A short video was used to summarize the results in such a way that they can be quickly absorbed by the target groups concerned and motivate them to take action. As part of BIOEM Großschönau, structured interviews were used to test how the target groups concerned can be motivated. Furthermore, we estimated the investment amount for average residential properties of the residents in the affected age cohort 60+ in Lower Austria or of e.g. 15% of this entire group and differentiate as follows:

• Costs and benefits for age-appropriate refurbishment only
• Costs and benefits including thermal refurbishment and heating replacement.

In view of the rapid demographic development, we developed economically cost-reducing recommendations for decision-makers. Using the “Schweiggers center development” case study, an applied and implementation-oriented development concept for dense, innovative forms of housing for age-appropriate living with dignity, including interlinking with public functions in inner-city locations, was drawn up. Furthermore, the case study of Schweiggers was used to examine what is necessary to bring people from qualitatively difficult circumstances into age-appropriate communal living close to the town center.