Commercial Construction & Renovation helps our subscribers design, build and maintain better commercial facilities by delivering content to meet the information needs of today's high-level executives.
Issue link: https://ccr-mag.epubxp.com/i/715479
The Silver Tsumani How aging boomers are changing how we think and build Several years ago, in a speech outlining six dis- ruptive demographic trends that would require change, Dr. James Johnson's prognostications laid the ground- work for the myriad transformations today's brands are having to deal with across all segments. What Dr. Johnson, director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said was that our communities and businesses were going to change dramatically. "Agility, flexibility, accommodation is the order of the day," Dr. Johnson told members of the National Association of Conve- nience Stores (NACS) members. "If you try one-size-fits-all, it's going to be my way or the highway, you're going to be on the high- way all by yourself." While some businesses have been able to succeed a little longer using older, stricter work models for their employees and patrons, changing demographics in the workforce and consumer world are demanding a new way of doing things. That brings us to No. 4 on Dr. Johnson's list, a topic that is near and dear to the commercial construction industry – the "Silver Tsunami is about to hit." Depending on what study you read, the older population – persons 65 years or older – numbered 46.2 million in 2014 (the latest year for which data is available). This aging group represents 14.5 percent of the U.S. population, about one in every seven Americans. By 2040, people 65-plus are expected to grow to 21.7 percent of the population, and nearly 98 million by 2060, according to the Administration on Aging (AoA). Those are important numbers today, especially when you look at companies in the retail, restaurant and hospitality sectors working to comply to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). "While many property owners have experienced first-hand how an ADA lawsuit can have a det- rimental impact on a company's finances and reputation, others still are unclear on what exactly the ADA Standards are and why they must be followed," says Brad Gaskins, AIA, CASP, NCARB, principal and COO for The McIntosh Group. 131 MCINTOSHTRANSFORMS.COM JULY/AUGUST 2016 ISSUE 3 COMMERCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS