There’s a house that’s designed to prolong your life located in Long Island, New York called the Bioscleave House. It was designed by architects Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins, a husband and wife duo and also co-founders of the Reversible Destiny Foundation, an organization dedicated to the use of architecture to extend the human lifespan. They’ve written three books together, including Reversible Destiny, Architectural Body, and Making Dying Illegal. They’ve designed and built residences and parks, including the Reversible Destiny Lofts, Bioscleave House, and the Site of Reversible Destiny.
The house is designed to make people use their bodies in unexpected ways to maintain equilibrium. Gins says that it will stimulate their immune systems. The house is painted in many different bright colors and over 40 colors on the inside. It’s flooring makes a person un-sure-footed and can cause hurling into the sunken kitchen at the center of the house. There are multiple levels meant to induce the sensation of being in two spaces at once; windows in different and unexpected heights; light switches and outlets placed oddly about the house; and an open flow of traffic, unhindered by interior doors which means no privacy. The purpose is to keep the occupants on guard. Arakawa and Gins believe that comfort is a precursor to death; the house is meant to make its occupants always feel uneasy about their surroundings, and thereby keep them young.
Eric Striffler New York Times
“Most people, in choosing a new home, look for comfort: a serene atmosphere, smooth walls and floors, a logical layout. Nonsense! People, particularly old people, shouldn’t relax and sit back to help them decline. They should be in an environment that stimulates their senses and invigorates their lives.” – Arakawa
Eric Striffler New York Times
Masatako Nakano
Masatako Nakano
The Reversible Destiny Lofts-Mitaka (In Memory of Helen Keller), are a residential complex of vibrantly colored stacked pods built in a Tokyo suburb in 2005. The apartments rent for 250,000 yen or US $2435 per month.
Watch the video of the Bioscleave House.