Smart Technologies Adopted in HKHS Senior Citizen Residences Scheme - Ageing in Place with High Quality

Being a “housing laboratory”, the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) keeps inspiring the industry by means of different types of housing, architectural design and management system. Senior Citizen Residences Scheme is one of HKHS’s popular projects. Blissful Place, the third project of the scheme at Lee Kung Street, Hung Hom has been completed and the earliest intake of flats is expected around mid-2023. Ir Thomas HO, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), Mr. LIU Lifeng, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Urban Development from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and Mr Kevin MCGEOUGH, Head of Strategy and Place-making, Ebbsfleet New Town Programme, United Kingdom are invited to join the visit. All of them appreciated the high level of livability, physical and mental care provided by this project.

Attentive Design with “Integrated Care Link System”

Accessibility is necessary for Senior Citizen Residences, so the interior design of Blissful Place featured a number of senior-friendly facilities. Other than peepholes at 2 height levels, low door curb, toilets equipped with sliding doors, non-slip tiles and grab rails, flameless cooking and fire alarm light for individual flats, Blissful Place included new features such as adaptive kitchen cabinet, window with crank handle and thematic colour design for each residential floor for easy identification. The project is also equipped with a brand new “Integrated Care Link System”, a gerontechnology application to provide 24-hour urgent support at home. Tenants can also receive timely emergency support within the whole property with their portable devices with positioning function to ensure their safety even they are outside their own apartment. Mr. Kevin MCGEOUGH feels that staying in Blissful Place is like staying in a high-quality hotel for vacation, as there are great lighting, good ventilation and spatial design while highly accessible. He thinks Blissful place is a role model for elderly residence but there is no similar cases available in the United Kingdom yet.

Social Networking in Sky Garden and Clubhouse

One of the key features of Blissful Place is its sky garden with more than 10,000 sq. ft. of greenery area. Seniors can try out gardening in the Blissful Yard and have friendly matches in Chess Zone. The Golden Bliss Clubhouse of approximately 5,500 sq. ft. offers a wide variety of fun-filled activities such as table tennis, fitness and Mahjong. Residents can expand their social network and support each other. Seniors could also stay active and enjoy life!

All-rounded Service

Blissful Place also provides medical and rehabilitation services, including medical consultation, occupational therapy and physiotherapy to accommodate “Hygge Living”. Seniors could receive care in the Residential Care Home for the elderly if their health condition worsens and could return to their own apartment when recovered. The team also provides escorting services for hospital visits, surrogate shopping for daily necessities, basic apartment inspection and repair.

“Heart-ware” to Strengthen Social Solidarity

Blissful Place belongs to “Senior Citizen Residences Scheme” which adopts a “lease-for-life” model. Except from a lump sum fee for entry contribution, tenants do not need to pay rental during their stay, the project is tailor-made for middle class senior citizens aged over 60, offering 312 flats in the 29-storey building. There are 24 residential floors with 13 flats on each floor, while the other five floors house a sky garden, a clubhouse and a residential care home for the elderly. Ir Thomas HO mentioned that as much as hardware is important for a successful project, “Heart-ware” must not be ignored where we have to contribute to the society through volunteering services and innovative ideas. From project design to the housing types, Hong Kong Housing Society has set up a good role model to show diversity and inclusion in their projects, to strengthen social solidarity and build a better Hong Kong.