Analysing the Socially Enhancing Elements of Space in Four Senior Cohousing Sites

The research was conducted by observing four senior cohousing communities in Denmark through three different methods of investigation. The first was architectural observation, including gathering floor plans, situation maps and conducting photoanalysis on site. The second was engaging the residents in a user diary exercise where they were asked to draw their path trajectories throughout the week, to mark and describe what social interactions they experienced within their community. They were also asked to sketch and write down how they use their private units on a blank template of their floor plan. The third method was to hold a focus group that allowed the cross-referencing of the data gathered from the previous two approaches and determine what observations were correct, partially inaccurate or needed additional explanation. They were also asked about how they have chosen to adapt the spaces to their own needs and what they are looking to change or upgrade in the future. The follow-up analysis combines the use of photos, drawings, diagrams, textual analysis and reflection. Through using the method of drawing and re-drawing some of the sites in different styles and perspectives, the abstract architectural elements can become easier to identify. What emerged through the analysis of the socially enhancing elements documented on-site, is the complexity of their influence not only on the users, but on each other. It is not only the separate architectural elements, working independently in space, but their interaction, that is the deciding factor in making a space socially reinforcing or not.