d+a | Issue 115 • Apr/May 2020

/ RESIDENTIAL / 70 Both Japan’s public and private sectors have been working hard to anticipate the inevitable arrival of the silver age. Some call it a crisis, some call it a challenge, while others prefer to see it as an opportunity to reimagine life for the better. Half Century More (HCM) is of the latter kind. The company began looking into redefining senior living facilities in the early 1990s. Today, it is Japan’s leading developer and operator of senior living communities known for facilities in which to age gracefully, comfortably and luxuriously. HCM Chairman Tomio Kanazawa’s research on senior living some 30 years ago took him to Sun City, Arizona, United States. Built in 1960, Sun City is a 38km 2 retirement community with a median age of 75 years. When it was launched, it offered five home models, a shopping mall, a recreation centre and a golf course – a breakaway from the forlorn nursing home stereotype. It attracted 10 times more of the crowd it had expected, and over the years, it became a seminal example of a retirement community. SUN CITY KOBE TOWER LOCATION Kobe, Japan / COMPLETION 2017 / SITE AREA 3 acres / GROSS FLOOR AREA 500,000ft 2 / ARCHITECT Richard Beard Architects / ARCHITECT OF RECORD ASAI Architectural Office / DEVELOPER Half Century More / CONTRACTOR Kajima Corporation / PROJECT MANAGER MDA / MEP Kenchiku Setsubi Sekkei Kenkyushu / LIGHTING CONSULTANT Auerbach Glasow / LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT SWA Group / INTERIOR DESIGN BAMO / WOODWORK Tori Kenko Co. / DRAPERY WORKSHOP Ionia / ART CONSULTANT Art Advisory Services / AWARDS 2018 AIA Design for Aging, Honor Award; 2017 IIDA Healthcare, Honor Award; 2017 Senior Housing News Award, CCRC Category Winner and International Category Winner 2