Ørestad, Danmark

If this is what senior housing looks like in Denmark, we may need to consider moving north sometime in the future. This fanciful housing complex by the Copenhagen architectural practice JJW Arkitekter is comprised of apartments for 114 residents, workspace for the community’s staff, and a range of ground floor ‘shops’ which provide residents with services, including a cafe, hairdresser, and dentist.

A striking use of color and an emphasis on both private and communal outdoor spaces—rooftop garden, terraces, patios—give the complex youthful vigor. Most visually compelling are the trapezoidal private balconies which protrude out from the apartments, allowing residents to—quite literally—step out of their comfort zones and into a world beyond their walls.

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Images: Åke E:son Lindman