| Summary: | This paper supplies an overview of present eldercare and architecture for the dependant ageing in the Nordic countries. Sweden is used as an example to detail the past and the present evolution of care and the spatial framework for this purpose. This description has mainly relevance to similar processes that are taking place in Norway and Denmark. In the Nordic countries, eldercare is part of the local authorities’ responsibilities towards the ageing population. The Nordic welfare model promotes the concept of home as the ideal place in which to grow old with or without age-related problems. From the outside, the model could be seen as a homogeneous welfare model for older people that supplies either home care services to allow for a prolonged ageing in place or an individually adjusted care and caring in sheltered housing for the dependent and frail senior Yet, eldercare in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden displays both dissimilarities and similarities. Based on available but rough statistics from the Nordic Council, the ideal balance between these possible outcomes seems to be achieved in Norway. Denmark and Iceland assume an extreme position on this Nordic continuum of eldercare, since they rely on either extensive home care services and sheltered housing or both. In contrast, Finland and Sweden constitute the other extreme with a smaller proportion of both home care services and eldercare for the dependant ageing within the sheltered housing. In the Nordic countries, the recurrent use of the architecture competition provides a window for understanding the evolution of appropriate space for the dependant during the 20th century. In this five country region, the architecture competition system is similar as to organisational form and use among commissioners. During the assessment process, the most adequate architectural solution is promoted by use of five fundamental criteria: 1) ingenuity (the degree of innovation of the submitted architectural design); 2) functionality and usability; 3) ...
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