2022 Spring Issue - 92

that only four of 10 older adult residents have internet
access, and 15 percent lack a phone.
In the early days of the pandemic-and still today,
for many-older adults were unable to leverage social
platforms to connect with their children, grandchildren,
and friends or post photos, share ideas, or even
send emails and texts. They also could not conduct
basic online activities such as health care appointments
and banking transactions. Referred to as the
" double pandemic, " this isolation also led to greater
stress, and mental and physical health consequences
for senior residents, the Harvard report said.
To help address these issues, digital wellness
Ditigal health
care became the
norm as medical
practitioners
adopted digital
technologies such
as video visits to
screen, diagnose,
and treat ailments
and carry out triage.
Yet many patients
do not have access
because of a lack of
connectivity.
apps have become an invaluable resource for affordable
housing residents, including seniors. To help
residents of all ages remain physically, mentally, and
emotionally healthy during unpredictable coronavirus
shutdowns, Avanath Capital Management contracted
with an on-demand fitness provider to provide
residents with content on well-being that could be
accessed free when gyms were closed, says Wesley
Wilson, a partner and chief financial officer at Avanath.
The firm, which acquires, owns, renovates, and
operates affordable, workforce, and value-oriented
apartment communities, recently created Activate, an
innovative residents-only program for seniors through
which it works with local hospitals to provide free
wellness checks at its communities.
By offering both affordable housing and in-home
care technologies such as assisted devices, mobile
apps, and medical alert systems-with services from
caregivers who embrace the importance of combining
technology with the human touch-these augmented
housing solutions can be an attractive option for
older adults on fixed incomes who value aging in
place, at home.
Deploying Smart Construction at Scale
Studies estimate that the United States has a shortage
of 4 million to 5 million housing units, and
more than 10 million additional U.S. households are
expected to form over the next decade, according to
an October 2021 report by investment management
firm Pretium. Deploying technology at scale has been
cited as one way to address the country's housing
shortfall because it addresses two key challenges-
the cost and availability of both building materials
and labor.
For instance, modular homes, which are built in
a factory rather than at a home site, may offer a way
to build more efficiently and affordably. The benefits
can include increased construction speeds, greater
consistency, improved quality control, less waste, and
a heightened focus on safety, all of which can result
in cost savings.
Some builders are experimenting with technologies
like 3-D printing and robotics to bring automation
to the construction site. Recent startup Diamond
Age is leveraging these two technologies to address
the labor shortage by deploying a building automation
system that will offset 55 percent of the labor
requirements for building a home.
That venture, led by Diamond Age cofounder and
chief executive officer Jack Oslan, uses a suite of 26
robotic tools shared among a cohort of robotic platforms
at the job site to maximize the use of capital
expenditures. Integrated mechatronics and robotics
save considerable time-reducing the construction
period from months to weeks. Technology platforms
like Diamond Age have the potential to reduce operating
expenses for builders-from labor costs, which
change over time, to fluctuating prices for raw materials,
as well as the cost of converting to an all-electric
construction platform.
The housing crisis will require communities to
embrace emerging technologies, including robotics,
as a way to accelerate construction and improve
housing affordability, and thus provide greater
access to housing opportunities for the currently
disenfranchised or underserved. Oslan is committed
to Diamond Age's mission. " We need to build highquality
affordable single-family homes for the next
generation striving for the American dream, " he says,
" and the only way we can solve this problem is with
automation. "
92
URBAN LAND
SPRING 2022
SHUTTERSTOCK
2022 Spring Issue

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of 2022 Spring Issue
