Health Creation as a holistic approach towards health – This new perspective on people's health aims to overcome the purely physical view of health and emphasize the importance of mental and social health. In this respect, the elderly and the socio-economically disadvantaged have been identified as target groups that require increased accessibility and awareness in the areas of health and social inclusion.
This led to the main question of this research: How can the principles of Health Creation be embedded into architecture that supports (elderly) people in remaining both physically and mentally active as well as socially integrated?
To answer this question, fieldwork investigations, conversations with experts in the field of healthcare as well as people from the target group, literature studies, documentaries, and case studies were involved.
These investigations showed that the existing health environment in the form of hospitals and general practitioners is not suitable for making people aware of their health. By integrating health-creating methods into a community setting, the institutional character can be eliminated, overcoming psychological barriers and positioning itself as an antithesis to the existing health environment. Elements of human-centered architecture, intergenerational interactions, nearby care, and the Blue Zones have proven to be pioneering approaches and can be implemented to generate a health-creating environment!