RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The so-called silver economy, formed by those aged 60 years or more, corresponds to 16% of the Brazilian population. They are about 34 million people who move R$1.6 trillion (around US$300 billion) per year, according to estimates, which represents 20% of the country’s consumption power.
However, it is not a consumer group to which companies usually give due attention (and the projections foresee the growth of this public).
But this is not the case with the real estate developer PlazzaCorp and the construction company Matushita, which have joined forces to build a building concerned with the aging of its residents. The Matture Home Life is being built in the Vila Mariana region, in São Paulo, near the Santa Cruz subway station.
In short, the building, with 50% of the units already sold, was designed to grow old in the place without difficulties or regrets. In other words, the launch dispenses with the sad end in a retirement home, to which many people submit themselves in search of more comfortable and safer facilities for the elderly, among other reasons.
FROM ART TO PHYSICAL THERAPY
In the development, activities such as water aerobics, art therapy, and functional gymnastics are already included in the condominium fee.
The building also offers physical therapy to spare residents from having to go to a private clinic and has a concierge on standby to solve all the needs of the condominium dwellers (from ticket purchases to bill payments).
The elevators, another differential, can accommodate stretchers for any emergency needs. Iron bars in the bathrooms to avoid falling risks? They were already foreseen by the project, among other amenities of this type. Therefore, it is not necessary to adjust doors to allow the passage of wheelchairs or other such changes.
LIVING SPACES
To encourage conviviality and get around loneliness, a specific area was created, including a health area – in which it is also possible to practice pilates -, a beauty salon, a room for various activities, ideal for meetings with friends, a laundry room with a sewing area, and a pet area.
There is also a swimming pool for hydrotherapy, gourmet space, gym, bicycle parking, and spice garden.
The project also foresees a coworking space with a restaurant and parking lot, all with independent access, so as not to jeopardize the security of the residents. The revenue obtained with this outsourced area will help pay Matture Home Life’s bills.
Budgeted at R$81 million, the development has apartments whose square meter cost is about R$15,000. The cheapest ones, with 52 square meters, are being sold for nearly R$780,000. The most expensive ones, twice the size, cost about R$1.5 million.
“This experience brought me a new look at the needs of families,” says engineer Julio Matushita, founder of Matushita Engenharia e Construções, with more than 30 years in the market to Exame newspaper. “Putting this innovative enterprise into practice gives us the certainty that we are on the right track.”
It should be noted that the enterprise, whose delivery date was not disclosed, is not restricted to the elderly. It is only aimed at those who want to acquire an apartment that they will not feel obliged to move out of as the years go by (those who have bought a property with stairs or no elevator know what we are talking about).
The launch is also attractive for people who need special monitoring, such as a pregnant woman whose husband lives away from home.
Source: Exame