Impact of Designed Exterior-built Environment on Enhancing the Well-being and Quality of Life of the Elders; A Case of Wellness Sanctuaries in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Twenty first century resulted with the rapid urbanization and the population ageing as major key phenomena related to the elderly living in cities. The concept of the elderly home was born as a result of the significance of the modern concepts and variations occurred on the lifestyles of the younger population. The crucial need of identifying the responsiveness of the exterior environments of the wellness sanctuaries with related to the enhancing process of the well-being and the quality of life of the elders in the present scenario. The research focuses on identifying the effectiveness of the well designed exterior environments of the elderly homes to the process of maximizing their well-being in the final chapter of their lives. The architectural attributes regarding the exterior façade and the exterior landscape will be taken to consideration with reviewing the deep study on literature to flow up the study. Approach will be taken from the three case studies with the observations, structured questionnaire and semi structured interviews. The study analysed case studies to identify neglected attributes in elders' living spaces and suggest improvements. Elders' perspectives highlighted the need for consideration of exterior environments. The study highlighted the relationship between humans and nature, and confirmed the importance of architecture in solving these issues. This study will support future decision-making in designing for elders, as Sri Lanka ranks first in South Asian population aging.