The Brief
Design a new experience — no category, no constraints. Our team of five started where the data pointed: elderly adults are experiencing a social isolation epidemic. Loneliness accelerates Alzheimer's, raises inflammation, and shortens lives. Yet most existing senior communities are too expensive, too clinical, and feel like surrendering independence.
The Work
We designed En Root — a community tea house for elderly people built around ritual, gardening, and genuine connection. The name blends 縁 ('en', meaning connection and destiny in Japanese) with "root." The space centers on a courtyard where each elder tends their own garden plot, surrounded by an accessible botanical tea bar stocked with loose-leaf varieties to explore. Tea isn't just the product — it's the ritual that pulls strangers into the same room.