Social-psychological Acceptability of Biophilic Design Solutions in the Context of Sustainable Ageing

Abstract

Life expectancy is rising in both developed and developing countries, thus the number of elderly people is growing all over the world. This socio-demographic trend presents new challenges for the design of the living environment. The concept of universal design is increasingly applied to improve environmental accessibility. Meanwhile, the psychological well-being of the elderly in the living environment is still not receiving sufficient attention. The article analyses the potential of applying biophilic design principles to the design for the elderly people in urban and rural environments. The pilot sociological survey of Lithuanian elderly people and their close people living in urban and rural locations aims to determine the psychological acceptability of biophilic design solutions.