Aging In Place

OTTAWA — Developers and real estate professionals frequently cite baby boomers entering retirement as evidence the demand for condominium units will continue to grow. This large empty nester demographic, often afflicted with the travel bug but facing the inevitable consequences of aging, are seeking a more manageable urban apartment lifestyle.

Or so the argument goes.

The problem, however, is the evidence doesn’t support this assumed wisdom. Studies by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. as well as countless other research indicate baby boomers overwhelmingly want to age in place. They simply prefer to stay put in their existing homes, gardens and neighbourhoods.

This may seem a rather peculiar observation to begin a review of a very striking Modernist custom house designed for a youthful professional couple and their two boys not yet 10. But a home that supports both the evolving needs of a family as it matures and the couple’s desire to remain comfortably in their home well into their later years was exactly what Robert Stacey and Jolanda Turley sought.

“We wanted to never want a different house again … this was going to be our last house, and it had to be designed in such a way that Jolanda and I could get old in it and the kids could grow up in it with comfort,” says Stacey.

With this starting point, they carefully plotted out exactly what else they wanted in a new house. The list included staying in the Hintonburg community they love but away from the negatives of the century-old home they inhabited: poor energy efficiency, choppy rooms and heavy on repairs.

They also wanted an environmentally sustainable house with open, flowing space that eschewed little-used rooms such as a formal dining room. Bedrooms could be relatively small but communal spaces would be larger and awash with lots of natural light.

To round out the home’s core priorities, the couple had different, but not conflicting, wants. Stacey wanted a modern design as he “detests” faux-traditional styles.

“My view is that a house ought to reflect its time and place,” he argues.

Turley did not disagree, but placed her emphasis on flow and utility.

“We wanted a modern-looking (but cosy) green home, with all the necessary space partitioned in such a way as to balance privacy with sociability and to minimize the buildup of mess and clutter we experienced in our last house,” says Stacey.

It had to fit on a skinny 30- by 130-foot lot on Bayswater Avenue with rear lane access, but they realized they had “no idea how these spaces would be arranged,” says Stacey.

After interviewing a raft of architects and designers and one false start, they chose designer and Carleton architecture professor Paul Kariouk. They liked the way he spent considerable time with them exploring exactly what they wanted. And they were impressed with both the beauty and variety of expression in his work. Their house, they felt, could be both modern yet unique.