Architecture applies emerging technologies to the construction of buildings and cities. In the specific case of environmental adjustments for people with some type of functional or cognitive diversity, Active or Ambient and Assisted Living (AAL) is an European programme to improve elderly people’s quality of life of and allow them to live as long as possible in their own homes.

The research that is carried out in this field consists of the use of intelligent assistance systems that are embedded in different environments and applied to different illnesses or situations of dependence, allowing communication between the system and the user so the device can interact invisibly and anticipatorily with the dependent person. In this way, assisted spaces can be created that, on an exo-brain basis, provide people with physical, sensory or cognitive functional diversity with a healthier, safer and more comfortable life while granting them greater personal autonomy.

The researchers in this field are providing a series of architectural solutions to address the specific environmental needs of those with cognitive illnesses. With our research, we aim for the implementation of these technologies in construction planning phases for buildings and cities.