Gone are the days when being “old” equated with being in frail health, heavily dependent on medical care and financially hard up.
Today the media portray senior citizens as being in the prime of life. Elderly people enjoy a high life expectancy and are highly mobile. They are avid consumers, and have the purchasing power to back it up. Nevertheless, life in advanced years, e.g. from 70 onward, has its own special framework. The competition entitled “lebens(t)räume 2009” puts a spotlight on this framework, inviting students of design, architecture or interior design as well as young designers up until 2 years after graduation.

Contestants

Students in the field of design, architecture and interior design are invited to compete, along with young designers who are still relatively new at their profession after graduating within the last two years. Group projects are also eligible to compete.

Participation is free of charge.

Challenge

Contestants are invited to submit their visions and solutions for buildings, rooms and products and services, developed in line with the principles of universal design and assisted living. In the category of universal design these draft projects should be designed for use by the largest number of people possible, with all their varying capabilities and qualifications. The watchword here is design for everyone, as opposed to merely “design for the elderly”. In the category assisted living, the draft projects should be conceived of classical helping aids, interior designs and buildings for people with varying capabilities and qualifications.

This years competition is devoted to the topic of “life.live.work.”.

How will the demographic development of the coming years and decades change working and living realms. Which ideas and solutions do you as a young designer or architect have in regards to this development? With more elderly and less young people in all jobs and working situations as well as more humans in home or hospital care new concepts, environments and products have to be found. How will the workplace of the future be set up and look like? What kinds of products and environments are necessary? How can complex problems that usually have to be solved in working situations be equally well managed by young and old? What kind of buildings, rooms and products will the health care sector need in the future?
These are just some questions in regards to the topic “working realms” of universal design and assisted living. Find more or answer these! We look forward to receiving a large quantity of exiting and trailblazing solutions in form of buildings, rooms or products.

Registration deadline: December 15, 2008

www.ifdesign.de