Aging and Caring Architecture: A Theoretical Approach from the Ethics of Care

González-Fernández, Irene ; Pérez-Moreno, Lucía C. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Rethinking architecture is an urgent task for creating caring, democratic, and sustainable environments for older adults. In Spain, architectural design has historically been disconnected from the complex dimensions of care, leaving a critical gap in the discipline’s engagement with the implementation of community-based, person-centered care typologies. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the term caring architecture has rapidly proliferated in Spanish architectural discourse, in which care has become central to political debate and spatial strategies. In this context, this article develops a theoretical framework for transitioning from institutional architecture toward a caring architecture for older people. The study is based on a theory-oriented systematic literature review and critical analysis of key theoretical approaches that intersect architecture, urbanism, and the ethics of care. Through bibliometric, conceptual, and thematic analyses of eight selected publications, three dimensions of care ethics are identified: interdependence, economics of care, and eco-dependence. The research shows that these dimensions of care resonate closely with the democratic quintuple helix model and the sociocultural, economic, and environmental pillars of holistic sustainability. The alignment between care, democracy, and sustainability underpins the proposed conceptual framework of caring, democratic, and sustainable architecture for older people. This theoretical paradigm enables transitioning from institutional settings to built environments that promote well-being, community connectedness, and respect for both people and the planet.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.3390/architecture6010015

Año: 2026

Publicado en: Architecture 6, 1 (2026), 15 [27 pp.]
ISSN:

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/DGA/T37-23R

Tipo y forma: Artículo (Versión definitiva)

Área (Departamento): Área Composición Arquitectónic (Dpto. Arquitectura)