This presentation gives a broad overview of the conditions of elder care and its built framework in the Nordic countries by use of the situation in Sweden. In Sweden, a recent governmental initiative promotes the use of architecture competitions in order to renew housing for the ageing society. In the Nordic countries, elder care is part of the local authorities’ responsibilities towards the older citizens. The procurement process of municipal elder care services and buildings intended for eldercare is subjected to an open competition among private and public entrepreneurs. Currently, statistics concerning the procurement of elder care services is inconclusive, but annually some 25 architecture competitions are organized in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

The recurrent use of architecture competitions supplies a window to understand the evolution of the individual space for the frail ageing in Sweden. Despite being four countries with different languages and culture, the architecture competition system displays several similarities as to organizational form and use among commissioners. During the jury’s assessment process, the most adequate architectural solution is promoted by use of four fundamental criteria: ingenuity, sustainability, economy, and compliance with competition task. In a cyclic process that have preceded socio-political reforms, prototypes of appropriate architecture for the frail ageing have been defined by use of three national architecture competitions. Based on the submitted competition entries, the individual space has gone from being no more than the size of an individual bed into becoming a condensed flat with kitchen, bathroom and space for personal and social life of all in all 30 to 40 m2.  The architectural development has conceptualized the individual’s universal right to a home and a societal assistance and care in the case of an age-related dependency.

Based on available but rough statistics, Denmark seems to have the ideal balance between home care services and eldercare for the frail ageing, and, in addition, it reaches the largest proportion of older people in the five Nordic countries. Iceland and Norway position themselves at an extreme with a reliance on both extensive home care and special housing for frail older people. In contrast, Finland and Sweden constitute the other extreme with a limited access to both home care services and residential care homes for the frail ageing. The Nordic countries are preparing for the ageing society. In Norway, new guidelines for the built environment have recently been published, while the Danish approach emphasizes the existential perspective. Sweden is searching for a renewal of housing for older people in general, both in ordinary housing and in residential care homes. Finland and Iceland attempt to integrate the sauna tradition in the special housing for the frail ageing. The fundament of the Nordic welfare model is to promote the concept of home as the ideal place to grow old with or without age-related problems.