THE BELGIAN RESIDENTIAL CARE LANDSCAPE: A STUDY OF ARCHITECTURAL CARE CONCEPTS THROUGH THE LENS OF SUBJECTIVE WELL-BEING

Abstract

Subjective well-being (SWB) is an emerging research topic in the field of design sciences in general and in the field of (interior) architecture in particular. However, research that focuses on the question of how (interior) architecture can positively contribute to SWB still is in its infancy. Taking into account the increasingly greying of our population, design for SWB in the field of residential care design seems very valuable. Therefore, this paper gives a first SWB-exploration of the Belgian intramural residential care landscape. The two most common intramural care concepts in Belgium will be analyzed through the lens of Desmet and Pohlmeyer’s (2013) Positive Design Framework by looking at the first author’s ethnographic research data which resulted from volunteer work. The results give insight in which of the existing concepts has the most SWB-potential while taking into account elderly persons’ changing demands relating to positive experiences in living environments.