New Aging Conference

The University of Pennsylvania School of Design and Matthias Hollwich announce the New Aging Conference to be held at the University of Pennsylvania on October 1st and 2nd, 2010. The conference is the first of its kind, a call to action for designers to work directly with researchers, scientists, care providers, insurers and politicians to conceive new solutions for the world’s aging population to live their lives more harmoniously in suitable environments. “The increasing average age of the U.S. population has brought an urgent necessity to creatively and pragmatically address architecture’s relationship to the aging population,” said Matthias Hollwich, Principal at HollwichKushner. “In the end the question is quite simple – how do you want to live when you are old?” As of 2008, there were approximately 16 thousand certified nursing homes in the United States with 1.4 million residents. Meanwhile the population over the age of 85 will increase from 5.8 million in 2010 to 8.7 million by 2030 and to 19 million in 2050 with 112 million over the age of 60. Currently, 30% of the U.S. population spends an average of 835 days in a nursing home, yet these facilities could be construed as little more than warehouses for the elderly. The New Aging Conference brings together visionary and pragmatic leaders to propose a new direction for designing environments for the elderly. Leading designers like Juergen Mayer H. and Charles Renfro will highlight and expound upon cutting-edge design solutions while experts such as Joseph Coughlin from MIT’s AgeLab and Dr. Gregory Stock of Signum Biosciences will discuss the latest advances in aging trends, technology and care. A limited number of tickets are available to the public and press. Visit www.new-aging.com for additional information.