CASA CARE: Co-Designing Adaptive Housing Models to Support Autonomous Living for People with Mild Cognitive and Motor Disabilities

Abstract

CASA CARE is a research-based pilot project aimed at developing an inclusive and adaptive transitional housing model for young adults with mild cognitive and motor disabilities within the Italian “After Us” framework. The project integrates co-design and Human-Centered Design methodologies to generate a scalable and transferable model of autonomy-oriented living environments. Through iterative workshops involving users, caregivers, social and healthcare professionals, designers, and local companies, the project identified needs, constraints, and opportunity areas that informed the architectural, interior, and technological development of the residence. The resulting spatial system combines modular furniture, adaptive layouts, assistive technologies, acoustic and lighting comfort strategies, and flexible domestic configurations to support progressive autonomy over a structured two-year pathway. The residence includes five independent studio units and shared collective areas designed as learning environments, where autonomy is practiced and monitored. The project foregrounds inclusion not only as accessibility compliance, but as an experiential and participatory process in which users act as co-authors of the spatial system. CASA CARE contributes to the discourse on inclusive housing by proposing a replicable co-designed model that bridges architecture, interior design, assistive technology, and social innovation.

Keywords: Co-design, Inclusive Housing, Autonomy, Disability, Human-centered Design, Transitional Living

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1008027