Queen Victoria Gardens

A diverse, inquisitive panel of experts across design, anthropology and education asks how design can reimagine home for our ageing population

Between now and 2050, Australia’s elderly population is predicted to more than double, with the population over 85 set to quadruple. As we age, our requisites of the home evolve. While our need for belonging, comfort and connection is continuous, as our physical needs change, the site of our most fundamental necessities becomes more concentrated. 

How can we ensure that the home is not something that exacerbates, impairs, overwhelms or endangers, while still enabling our older people the autonomy and dignity of risk that isn’t always available in institutional models of care? How can good design help our older people stay for as long as possible with the greatest quality of life? What do our current urban models say about our cultural attitudes towards ageing? 

These are the questions that will be tackled by an expert panel featuring architect Ana Sá, landscape architect and horticultural consultant Tim Mitchell, design anthropologist Miguel Gomez Hernandez, and independent living resident Maggie Moran, guided by moderator Emily Wong (Landscape Architecture Australia) through a free flow of ideas and audience Q&A. 

This definition of ‘home’ blends physical, emotional, aesthetic, and social elements into a cohesive whole. They will be considering the role that design can play – from garden design to smart technology, to architecture and spatial design – in shaping the home as we age.  

It’s set to be a curious, wide-ranging social and architectural critique that looks to a future where design can help radically improve the wellbeing of our older people. Which, after all, is something we all want to be able to look forward to. 

Collaborators  

Moderator: Emily Wong
Panellists: Ana Sá, Tim Mitchell, Miguel Gomez Hernandez, Maggie Moran

Emily Wong is the editor of Landscape Architecture Australia magazine. Over the past decade, she has worked as a sessional lecturer and tutor, contributed as a guest critic and guest lecturer and participated as a juror in design awards programs. Emily is a PhD candidate at RMIT University researching new strategies for design curation and a member of Naarm-based landscape architecture research collective Second Place. 

Ana Sá is a Woods Bagot principal with expertise in the multi-residential and lifestyle sectors. Ana is the design leader on the VMCH Studley Park residence. While working at Allford Hall Monaghan Morris in London, Ana designed the North London Hospice – a healthcare building designed to feel like a domestic residence. Ana’s projects have an emphasis on accessibility, safety, adaptability, and designing for dementia. Ana will draw on Woods Bagot’s portfolio of retirement residences designed for dignity and ageing in place, including VMCH and Adelaide’s U City. 

Timothy Mitchell is a registered landscape architect and horticultural consultant, with over 16 years of experience across various scales and sectors. Tim is also a collaborator on the Studley Park VMCH – a project that centres on its relationship to landscape and community. Drawing on research on the role of nature in the modern world, Tim is interested in the life-affirming potential of gardens and their ability to transform health, wellbeing, and confidence. These principles have been integral to the landscape design at Studley Park.  Tim is a firm advocate for the variety, agency and joy that a community garden brings to the aged-care space. Tim can also speak to the inextricable concepts of the home and garden. 

Miguel Gomez Hernandez is a design anthropologist pursuing his PhD at the Emerging Technologies Research Lab in Monash University. He is researching how older adults and the AgeTech industry envision future lives with smart-home technologies. Miguel has published eight journal and conference articles in the IT-health and anthropology domains. He also teaches courses on anthropology and design thinking. His academic background is an MSc in techno-anthropology in Denmark, and a Dual BA in sociology and political science in Spain and Finland. 

Maggie Moran has had a rich and varied career to date, with experience in the education sector as a librarian, tutor, tertiary supervisor, and literature and literacy lecturer. An art lover, Maggie has owned her own gallery and is also the Association Of Australian Decorative and Fine Arts Yarra (ADFAS Yarra) secretary. She is also a resident of a Bates Smart-designed independent living precinct, where she spearheads many of the resident-run cultural programs. Maggie is a member of The University of the Third Age (U3A), passionate about promoting education and curiosity for those in their third ‘age’ of life. Maggie is also a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother.