Rhythms of Everyday life

Abstract

The Netherlands is facing a rapid demographic shift in which growing numbers of older adults are expected to live independently for longer, while much of the existing housing stock remains ill-suited for ageing in place. This challenge is particularly visible in post-war suburban neighbourhoods such as Houtwijk in The Hague, where many long-term residents now live in multi-storey family homes that no longer support their changing physical and social needs. This graduation project investigates how housing typologies and spatial configurations can support healthy and independent ageing within the existing fabric of Houtwijk. Drawing on literature studies, fieldwork, interviews, workshops, and case study analysis, the research explores how architecture can stimulate movement, social encounter, and daily well-being across the scales of the dwelling, the housing cluster, and the direct living environment. The project introduces the concept of activation architecture: an approach in which movement and informal encounter are embedded within everyday spatial routines through shared circulation spaces, galleries, ramps, visual connections, and collective threshold zones. The design outcome proposes a site-specific housing typology that combines independent dwellings with layered collective spaces, demonstrating how architecture itself can foster healthy ageing, social resilience, and independent living.