Architectural interior design for aging societies: Integrating smart technology with healing environments

Abstract

In this study, the researchers offer an interior design framework of incorporating principles of smart technology and the healing environment to improve quality of life of aging populations. The framework is aimed at enhancing the safety, comfort, emotional stability and general acceptance of the living conditions. The proposed design was evaluated by carrying out a structured survey with 60 respondents in an independent and assisted living setting. The mean scores of safeties = 3.348, comfort = 3.194, healing = 3.584, smart technology = 3.11 and acceptance = 3.0175 showed moderate to positive perceptions of the design elements. One-sample t-tests established that the response in all domains was significantly greater than baseline test value of 3 (p < 0.001), and the effect size analysis indicated that the effect is moderate to large especially in the healing (Cohens d = 1.319). The regression analysis showed that smart technology (0.531, p < 0.001) and healing environment features (0.359, p < 0.001) had a significant impact on predicting safety perception. The analysis of reliability showed a good internal consistency of the survey sections with Cronbach alpha of greater than 0.73. These findings indicate that the framework has managed to integrate functional technology with biophilic and restorative design features thus offering a supportive, safe and emotionally nurturing environment. The framework provides an effective tool of designing aging-friendly interiors that are balanced in terms of physical, cognitive, and emotional needs that are likely to improve the well-being and quality of life among the aging populations.