Residencia para el Envejecimiento Activo en Floridablanca, Santander

Abstract

Problem: The municipality of Floridablanca, Santander, is facing an accelerated process of population aging, accompanied by transformations in household structures and residential models in middle–upper socioeconomic strata, where individualized housing configurations that promote social isolation of the autonomous elderly predominate. The existing housing supply is polarized between private housing and institutional care models, revealing a typological gap that articulates autonomy and community. Objective: To design a residence for active aging in Floridablanca, Santander, conceived as a mixed-use model integrating housing, facilities, and commerce, responding to contextual dynamics and population aging through a spatial proposal that promotes autonomy, well-being, and social interaction, both in its relationship withthe city and in the construction of community within the project. Method: The research was developed through a methodology structured in four phases: the review of architectural references, the definition of design criteria for active aging, and the technical and constructive consolidation of the proposal. Results: The project, evaluated using the COSI method (Montaner, Muxí & Falagán, 2019), demonstrates improvements in habitability and efficiency, highlighting a 17.9% increase in public space, 16.3% per inhabitant, and 74.4% in active frontages. It integrates accessible typologies, de-hierarchized spaces, constructive optimization, and efficient building systems, along with passive strategies and renewable energy, consolidating a proposal that translates theoretical criteria into measurable outcomes in inclusion, and spatial quality.