Living In Mutual Symbiosis

Singapore’s aging population is expanding rapidly, with many retirees struggling to manage ongoing mortgage payments and insufficient income, adversely affecting their quality of life. Beyond financial strain, the elderly face challenges with health, mobility, and memory, exacerbating their daily difficulties. Current housing policies fail to adequately address these economic and emotional needs. This project proposes a community-driven, intergenerational housing model that reduces the financial burden on the elderly while improving their well-being.

By integrating a shared ownership economic framework with innovative spatial design, the model offers flexible financial options and fosters communal engagement.Set in a high-aging community near Pasir Ris Town Park in Singapore, the project spans 32 hectares and combines urban landscapes with architecture to create interconnected living environments. Residential areas are seamlessly integrated with public green spaces to meet elderly residents’ daily needs. A communal property shareholding system allows residents to hold shares corresponding to their living units. Retirees can mortgage their property to the community in exchange for pensions issued as shares or engage in community work to accumulate shares. Once sufficient shares are collected, residents can reclaim full ownership of their homes, providing a sustainable financial pathway.

Shared spaces, intergenerational collaboration, and community services further promote accessibility and mutual benefits. Vacated housing is repurposed into care centers, commercial facilities, or health services, ensuring resource adaptability. Regular interactions between younger and older residents foster a balanced sharing of resources and financial flows.Inspired by ecological succession, the community self-regulates through dynamic adjustments. As elderly residents relocate or housing becomes available, new functions are introduced to sustain the multigenerational environment. Piloted in Pasir Ris, this model addresses Singapore’s aging challenges by offering an adaptable, sustainable, and innovative senior living solution.

Site and Regional Operations

Singapore’s aging population is growing rapidly, and many retirees continue to face mortgage payments and insufficient income sources, significantly impacting their quality of life.

Fifth Nature Timeline

The design mimics ecological succession, where residents and community resources self-regulate through interactions, fostering adaptability and sustainable development. As elderly residents pass away, move in with family, or emigrate, housing becomes available, the community collectively decides how to repurpose these spaces, introducing new functional modules such as care centers, commercial facilities, and health services.

Increments Plan

The design envisions a new housing model that seamlessly integrates urban landscapes and architecture, creating a cohesive living environment where indoor and outdoor spaces intertwine.

Through this system, residents hold shares corresponding to their living units, enabling dynamic rights transfers within the community. Retirees may choose to mortgage their property to the community in exchange for pensions issued as shares or participate in community work to accumulate shares. Once enough shares are accumulated, residents can reclaim full ownership of their property, providing a sustainable pathway to financial stability.

Perspective of the future community

Through shared living and working spaces, intergenerational collaboration, and community services that support accessibility for the elderly, vacated housing units are repurposed to foster mutual benefits. These economic strategies foster regular interactions between the elderly and younger residents, creating a dynamic balance of resource sharing and financial flow within the community.