Research into new modes of dwelling for an ageing population will go on display at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design

Photo opportunity: 8pm on Thursday, 4th April at Upper Level Gallery, Matthew Building

3-4-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — The exhibition celebrates the recent work of FLEX, the Flexible Dwellings for Extended Living research project and will be on show at the Upper Foyer Gallery at DJCAD’s Matthew Building from 4th to 12th April.

The FLEX initiative is a collaboration between academics and practitioners from DJCAD, the University of Northumbria and Newcastle-based Northern Architecture. It has been exploring the future of elderly dwelling with input from professionals, organisations and laypersons in order to gain new perspectives on future modes of living.

Andy Milligan, Course Director of Interior Environmental Design and FLEX co-investigator at DJCAD, said that as concerns over the UK’s ageing population becomes an ever more pressing issue, the project offers fresh insight into how best to plan for our future.

“We have been investigating new modes of dwelling that question how future generations of older people retain dignity and strengthen their role in the wider community,” he said.

“A key FLEX ingredient has been dialogue and collaboration with organisations representing older people, to examine how housing, care and architecture provide critical visions for the future from many sides. FLEX also devised creative engagement workshops with laypersons to open up debate with community elders and future elderly generations to unearth the perspective of the wider community.”

The project is a one-year exploratory study funded by the Arts & Humanities Research Council’s Connected Communities: Culture & Design programme. A final public exhibition will be held in Newcastle in late April

The penultimate exhibition of ideas formulated through the FLEX initiative will open at DJCAD on Thursday, 4th April and remain open until Thursday, 11th April.

More information about FLEX is available at www.flexhousing.wordpress.com.

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