This research project, conducted by Gwendoline Schaff, questions “ageing well” at home in Wallonia and proposes (a) to identify the expectations and well-being factors of the elderly regarding their housing, (b) to identify the spatial and architectural qualities making it possible to create or strengthen a “homey” feeling for these seniors, and (c) to provide architects with tools to help them promote well-being when working on living environments dedicated to seniors.

To provide answers to these questions, four main phases are developed: (1) a theoretical reading of the current situation of ageing at home; (2) a situated understanding of the Walloon context via focus groups with experts in ageing and / or housing; (3) the testing of a methodological device with architectural students and the identification of the first architectural translations of « aging well at home »; (4) case studies and in situ observations with ageing people in order to understand their daily life-habits and the spatial arrangements created within their homes; with practicing designers, to understand the professional realities related to the implementation of housing projects for seniors.