Want to stay forever young? Designed to keep their occupants physically and mentally fit as well as disease-free, the best examples of wellness residential architecture boast everything from interiors configured to challenge body and mind, state-of-the-art air and water filtration to zen-like green spaces that minimise life-shortening stress. Join us for a dip in the fountain of eternal youth as we discover the world's ultimate longevity-boosting homes. Click or scroll for more...

Wellness residential architecture might be having a moment during the coronavirus pandemic but the principle is nothing new. Early examples include 19th and early 20th-century 'cure cottages' for tuberculosis sufferers and this iconic Lovell Health House in Los Angeles, which was completed in 1929. Designed by Richard Neutra for health guru Dr Philip Lovell, the modernist masterpiece rocks a number of longevity-promoting features.

In fact, this iconic structure actually drew inspiration from those homes designed to accommodate TB patients. Like the 'cure cottages', the Lovell Health House has sleeping porches emanating from each bedroom to enable occupants to slumber in the open air. As well as fresh air, Lovell viewed natural light as medicinal, so the home was fitted with a plethora of floor-to-ceiling windows.

Optimised for a vegan, raw-food diet, the kitchen was packed with gadgetry that was super-innovative at the time including a water filter, vegetable washer and electric dishwasher for optimum hygiene. To encourage exercise, the property includes a swimming pool, outdoor gym, playground and basketball court.

The house is also awash with terraces for sunbathing. Lovell thought tanning could promote longevity and while judicious UV exposure does, of course, boost vitamin D levels, we now know that overdoing it in the sun can cause skin cancer. The house was home to the Topper family for many years but when the matriarch Betty Lou Topper died in August 2019, the family decided to sell up and are looking for a custodian who will take care of this amazing house. 

Constructed in 2005, the nine-unit Reversible Destiny Lofts development in Mitaka, Japan is the brainchild of New York-based avant-garde architects Shusaku Arakawa and Madeline Gins. The husband-and-wife team believed people should live in buildings that eschew comfort for constant physical and mental stimulation. In doing so, they could increase their lifespan indefinitely.

The couple founded the Reversible Destiny Foundation in 1987 in order to make their vision a reality and the loft development, which is dedicated to deaf-blind author and educator Helen Keller, is their first residential work. The 'undying residence' is composed of a multi-hued collection of stacked cubes and spheres featuring Day-Glo interiors that challenge body and mind.

A riot of asymmetry, undulating surfaces and disorientating elevations, the interiors are designed to keep occupants cognitively stimulated and constantly on their toes, providing a never-ending mental and physical workout. The apartment block's bedrooms, which are separated from the main living areas by shoji screens, are the only spaces with both conventional level floors and straight walls.

Filmmaker Nobu Yamaoka resided in one of the units between 2006 and 2010 and credits the apartment with helping him lose weight, gain more energy and cure his hayfever. Another of the units is available to rent via Airbnb and was featured in the US TV show Girls as character Shoshanna Shapiro's Tokyo pad.

The Bioscleave House aka the Lifespan Extending Villa is the first Reversible Destiny Foundation project constructed in the US. Completed in 2008, the death-defying home is located in East Hampton, New York. It was nearly a decade in the making and cost almost $2 million (£1.6m) to build.

Like the loft apartment project in Japan, the Bioscleave House resembles a fairground fun house. The interiors are designed to stimulate body and mind with bright colour – the house features 52 different hues in total – uneven floors, multi-textured floors and abundant asymmetry, which  Arakawa and Gins believed would strengthen the occupants' immunity and lengthen their lifespan.

Even the light switches and windows are designed to throw the occupants off balance and challenge them both mentally and physically. Apart from several strategically placed poles that can be grabbed onto to help the home's inhabitants negotiate the interior spaces, nothing about the house promotes ease of movement or lazy comfort.

No doubt due to its weirdness and lack of comfort, the home is proving impossible to shift. It first went on the market in 2011 priced at $4 million (£3.2m). The asking price was slashed to $1.3 million (£1m) and the property was mysteriously taken off the market in February 2021. The fact extreme longevity eluded the home's designers probably isn't helping. Arakawa died in 2010 at the age of 73, while Gins was a relatively young 72 when she passed away in 2014.

Ever wanted to escape the strains of modern living with your very own cabin in the woods? Finland's leading log home manufacturer, Kontio, which derives its name from the Finnish word for bear, produces 2,000 timber houses per year at the world's largest log home factory in Pudasjärv. The firm uses all-natural Arctic pine heartwood, which is responsibly sourced and according to the blurb on the website, has a number of health-promoting attributes.

Bolstered by clever airtight design that prevents condensation, the company's wooden houses offer superior indoor air quality, help prevent the growth of harmful microbes such as fungi and bacteria and minimise the risk of allergies. Easy on the eye, Kontio's log homes come in a range of styles, from traditional to modern.

In addition to their hypoallergenic properties, these calming log houses reportedly help lower blood pressure and the heart rates of their occupants. This in turn reduces stress, which can have a devastating effect on human health, contributing to a litany of chronic and acute life-shortening diseases.

The houses are also said to improve the quality of their occupants' sleep. Regular poor sleep heightens the risk of serious medical conditions including heart disease, obesity and diabetes, and can shorten life expectancy warns the UK's National Health Service, meaning Kontio's log homes could most definitely help you live longer. 

Biophilic design is all about bringing the outdoors in. It emphasises natural light, abundant plants and nature views to strengthen our link with the natural world and boost wellbeing. Not just a trendy design concept, the ethos is backed up by science: a recent review article has demonstrated its benefits for human health. Cue the Cam Thanh A&A Villa, which is located in historic Hoi An City, Vietnam.

The handiwork of VRA Design, the blissful 4,843-square-foot villa, which was completed earlier this year, has been lauded by design experts for very good reason. The house is inspired by the shape of the leaves and trunks of the palm trees that surround it and while contemporary in its appearance, nods to the region's traditional homes.

As is the case with these traditional homes, compact gardens divide the elongated house into three short sections, which maximise natural light in certain areas and shade in others, as well as ventilation throughout, helping to reduce the occupants' reliance on air conditioning, which can impact negatively on health.

Lush plants grow inside the house and extend out to the exterior spaces. Each window provides soothing views of nature, while natural motifs and materials adorn the rooms; think flower-shaped light fixtures and palm patterns etched into dark timber doors. All these features combine to increase wellbeing and promote longevity.

A collaboration between wellness-focused building consultancy Ekkist and RIBA award-winning architects Studio McLeod, Ori House is the UK's first self-build home designed to enhance health. Built to adhere to the so-called WELL Building Standard, the four-bedroom house is crafted from all-natural, non-toxic materials such as clay, Douglas fir, oak and stone.

A sophisticated air filtration system delivers wonderfully fresh air to every part of the house, while cutting-edge water filtration technology ensures each tap in the home pumps out pure H20 free from any damaging chemicals and contaminants. 

Like the Cam Thanh villa, the home embraces biophilic design, bringing the outdoors in for optimal wellness. The home is designed to maximise natural light and features a lighting system synced to the occupants' body clocks, which helps regulate their circadian rhythm, making for better sleep and general health and wellbeing. 

The home features a 'quiet room' for stress-busting, life-lengthening meditation and can be adapted for intergenerational living. The design is based on passive house principles, so it's exceedingly energy efficient to boot. Price-wise, the basic model starts from $630,000 (£500k), but the home's blueprint can be snapped up for a bargain $8,200 (£6.5k) plus VAT.

Haus is a futuristic 3D-printed house designed by Nevada-based company haus.me that offers all sorts of life-prolonging features. Totally self-sufficient, the abode, which features patented composite polymer insulation, can be installed anywhere in the world and uses solar energy for heating, cooling and electricity, saving its occupants a fortune on energy bills. 

The off-grid house wows with an air-to-water generator linked to a leading-edge H20 purification system, as well as a bioactive sewage system, and best of all, is kitted out with advanced HEPA air purification technology that filters out an incredible 99.9% of viruses and bacteria, including the infamous Covid-19.

Adding to its lifespan-lengthening prowess, Haus is, according to the manufacturer, 100% zombie-proof and can withstand pretty much anything Mother Earth can throw at it including catastrophic hurricanes and earthquakes. The house comes in three models ranging from a dinky 400-square-foot studio with a kitchen and bathroom to a spacious three-bedroom duplex. 

Each model is installed turnkey-ready complete with built-in furniture, app-controlled smart systems and high-tech appliances. The studio starts from $199,999 (£159k), the basic 800-square-foot two-bedroom model costs $379,999 (£302k), while the expansive 1,600-square-foot duplex is priced from a cool $1 million (£794k).

The Muse Residences in Sunny Isles, Florida are the world's first ultra-luxury apartments specifically created with wellbeing and preventative health in mind. A collaboration between New York's Property Markets Group, design firm Delos and New Age wellness pioneer Deepak Chopra, the high-end condos focus on the core wellness principals of optimum air, water, light and sleep.

Each of the swish Chopra-designed apartments is equipped with the most powerful air and water filtration systems money can buy, eliminating harmful pathogens and providing an uber-healthy indoor environment.

Each residence is also decked out with a circadian lighting system, which was developed in conjunction with top universities and medical institutions. The system employs innovative lighting technology that adjusts in tune with the occupants' body clocks, promoting healing sleep and boosting energy levels, mood and mental alertness during the daytime.

What's more, the residences are decorated with paint colours hand-picked by Chopra to elevate the mood of the occupants. Needless to say, these condos don't come cheap. Buyers can expect to pay in the region of $5 million (£4m) to get their hands on one. But what price is good health and increased longevity?

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