Age-old design

London – The Amazin Apartment installation envisages how the connected home of the future will cater for the growing ageing population.

• The installation is part of the New Old exhibition at the Design Museum
• It was designed by Future Facility, a branch of design studio Industrial Facility, which examines the impact of networked technologies on the world

The Amazin Apartment imagines a future in which Mega-systems such as Amazon and Google provide a variety of Internet of Things (IoT)-connected home appliances geared towards older consumers.

Products in the apartment are designed to make older, less tech-savvy consumers’ interactions with technology more seamless. In exchange for their personal data, residents receive access to a range of easy-to-use branded appliances, which are maintained by the owner brand.

‘As we age, we become less likely to navigate the conditions that shops and manufacturers require of youthful consumers,’ say Sam Hecht and Kim Colin, co-founders of Industrial Facility. ‘This puts the ageing population in an unfortunate position – abandoned at the exact moment when they need better products, increased assistance and servicing.’