香港垂直居所的适老设计指引

全球各地面对急剧的人口老龄化现象,均积极地提出及进行相应的适老居住环境改善计划,目的是提供一个安全畅达的生活环境,让老人能独立及自主地、在原住小区内安居颐年。过去二十多年,不同的国家包括英、美、加、澳、新等,已开始订立及实行有关的建筑法例或标准,一般以通用设计(Universal Design)为基础原则,同时建议较高水平的最佳实践(Best Practice),作为更具指导性的行业指引。与此同时,老人失智症(香港称为脑退化症)患病率的普遍性亦急剧上升。环境心理科学亦开始探讨相应的循证设计原则(Evidence Based Design), 如脑退化设计(Design for Dementia),以缓解患者生活上的障碍、稳定甚至有助改善证状。故此,适老环境设计有必要在现有的知识基础上,有系统地融汇循证设计原则,并配合香港本身地区性的特质,即高密度垂直城市的居住模式,整合为一整体的人境全息设计指引,积极应对香港面临的城市及人口“双老化”严峻挑占(“双老化”Double Ageing是指人口与建筑物同时老化,两者的双重效应能构成严重的社会问题[1]。) 。

Guide for Vertical Building Design for the Elderly in Hong Kong

Around the world, countries are hosting rapidly accelerating aging populations, with many establishing and implementing building guidelines to ensure successful aging-in-place as a response. Universal design has been adopted as a general approach, with the endorsement of UNCRPD and WHO. Best practices have also been proposed in some nations to set an even higher standard to guide the industry. At the same time, the prevalence of dementia is increasing. Following the emergence of Evidence/Research-Based Design and Salutogenic Design, design for the elderly no longer comprises discrete considerations of mobility or sensory deficits, but incorporates a continuum of physical, mental, cognitive and psychosocial factors in one holistic approach. Such an approach will benefit people of all ages. For a vertical city like Hong Kong, it can be adapted to suit high rise living and mass ground movement of the densely distributed city network. (Double Aging refers to the phenomenon of simultaneous occurrence of an aging population and aging building stock, having profound impacts on society and urban living.)