Mainstream housing remains one of the last areas to be subject to mandated universal design principles or access standards. Public infrastructure, such as commercial buildings, shopping centres and transport, is subject to at least some basic access requirements. Regardless of the evidence of social and economic benefits, mainstream housing developers remain resistant to change.
A conference paper from Ireland adds to the existing literature on why universally designed homes are good for everyone. The paper is a prelude to a larger study with a detailed cost benefit analysis.
There is a substantial body of evidence indicating that investment in universally designed homes can result in savings in other areas of expenditure.
Investment in universally designed homes is particularly cost effective when compared to age-specific housing and long term residential care. Reduction in injurious falls is a saving for the health budget as well as quality of life for the occupant.
The authors cite research by others on the economic value of universal design which indicate the benefits outweigh the costs. Consequently, policy interventions to encourage construction of accessible housing are justified. However, future research should include longitudinal studies to assess the full impact of benefits.
This paper examines the social value and economic benefits of Universal Design (UD) Homes. It focuses on assessing the potential financial savings arising in various areas of expenditure due to investment in UD Homes. Investment in the provision of UD Homes can result in improved quality of life and more cost-effective forms of investment.
UD Homes are particularly cost-effective in the context of age friendly housing. It has the potential to reduce the need for long-term residential care and to avoid injurious falls.
Note: This research underpins a forthcoming cost benefit analysis (CBA) under development by the Irish National Disability Authority (NDA). This paper and the associated CBA research have been informed by a comprehensive stakeholder consultation process. This includes persons with disabilities and older persons, Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPOs), Approved Housing Bodies, Irish Local Authority representatives, officials of housing and disability policy focussed Government departments and other public bodies, academics and industry representatives.
When economists, property developers, real estate agents and governments discuss housing issues, they are thinking of people in the workforce. Left behind are any discussions about people not of workforce age. According to Richard Duncan there is a worsening yet quiet crisis of housing for older adults. They are ageing in homes that put them at risk of injuries, reduced activity and social isolation.
“Without changes, our homes can impose restrictions on our lifestyle and hazards to our daily routines years before we might otherwise expect to see these kinds of activity constraints.”
Key issues
Duncan lists the key issues for what is considered traditional housing design. He discusses steps and stairs, hallways, bathrooms, lighting and kitchens. As people age in their current homes they live smaller lives and do fewer daily activities. Caregivers are at risk as well – lifting, pulling and manoeuvring. This is especially the case with older couples helping each other.
Lack of planning
We all know we are going to grow older, but we do not plan for it when it comes to housing. Older people often wait until a crisis occurs before they think about it. And even then they shun a grab bar or a ramp to help them when the time comes.
Our culture does not encourage people to plan ahead or to do much about their existing home. In the United States the home remodelling industry is doing quite well. But there is no real sign of the housing industry taking the lead on this issue except for segregated housing and retirement villages.
In Australia we have the help of the Livable Housing Design Standardwhich aims to bring the housing industry on board with universal design. However, not all states and territories have adopted the Standard due to industry resistance. Nevertheless it is good to see community housing and state housing projects implementing the Standard.
Move house or stay put?
Moving house sounds like the perfect solution until you look more closely. Seeking out a home with a better layout requires stamina even when there are suitable properties. When there are few, if any, options the task becomes harder. And this is at a time when physical, mental and cognitive abilities are already stretched. Then there are the logistics of moving. It’s no wonder people prefer to take a risk to stay put.
The title of Duncan’s article is, The Housing Dilemma for Older Adults: The Quiet Crisis. Homes that are safe and convenient for later life are good for any age – that’s universal design. We should be designing out this quiet crisis.
Healthy ageing requires community thinking
The North Carolina Medical Journal has a policy brief on opportunities and barriers to healthy ageing. The articles highlight how individuals caregivers and government can address the wellbeing of all in a cost efficient way.
Authors highlight challenges, behaviours, and community infrastructure for people to live healthier, longer and more productive lives. This is the case both in Australia and the United States.
The introductory section of the publication gives an overview of the different articles which include:
In most cases, designing homes with dementia in mind does not mean a special type of design. It’s not news that people prefer to live at home as they age. So, universal design for dementia-friendly dwellings helps people live at home for as long as possible.
Once basic accessibility features are considered, as they should be in all homes, it’s about the details. The research that underpins the guidelines for dementia friendly dwellings found four key design principles:
Integrated into the neighbourhood
Easy to approach, enter and move about in
Easy to understand, use and manage
Flexible, safe, cost effective and adaptable over time
The graphic below shows the elements in the design process that emerged from the research project.
The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design has a great set of guidelines for Dementia Friendly Dwellings. People with dementia and their families and carers are considered in the designs. The Guidelines are founded on the research mentioned above. The online content is in four sections:
Home location and approach
Entering and moving about the home
Spaces for living
Elements and technology systems
The introduction provides a brief overview of dementia which is caused by many different diseases. Floor plans are included as examples of spatial layout and circulation space. Typical universally designed dementia friendly features provide the details.
Dementia friendly home ideas
The Dementia Enabling Environments website has a page on home designideas. Some of them are simple and cost nothing, but might not be obvious to the casual observer. The Adapt a House page has a floor plan of five rooms: living room, kitchen/dining, bedroom, bathroom and laundry. There are plans for houses and apartments.
It’s interactive, so clicking on a room brings up more detail. For example, in the kitchen they suggest see-through doors on wall cabinets.
If replacing an appliance, match it closely to the existing one. In the bedroom colour contrasts are important for finding the bed and other furniture. Block-out blinds on the windows help differentiate between day and night, especially in the summertime. There is lots more information and resources on the website.
The Dementia Enabling Environments web tool was developed by Alzheimer’s WA. There are more resources on the Alzheimer’s Australia website on creating a dementia-friendly home.
Home adaptations
A group of researchers in the UK wanted to find out the role of home adaptations in supporting people with dementia. They wanted to know what works, what doesn’t, and what more needs to be done. There were four key questions in their literature review:
Which housing adaptations are being implemented and used on an everyday basis?
How are decisions made to implement and use housing adaptations?
What are the barriers and enablers to housing adaptation and use?
What is the impact of housing adaptations on everyday life?
Results of the review
The review found that the most common adaptations were about physical limitations. The emphasis was on preventing falls. Clinical trials found that home adaptations have the potential to minimise falls. Safety relies on predictability of the environment for people with dementia. Nevertheless, this is the one area that is most lacking for people living in the community.
Professionals and family members were good at coming up with ideas for adaptations. The study also found that carers were often inventive with novel solutions. However, some carers preferred their own trial and error methods when they thought professionals would not be helpful. A key issue here is that most useful information for families is online and not everyone has the ability to access this information.
“I’ll wait until the time comes” was evident in some of the literature. Some families were in favour of adaptations prior to need, whereas others wanted to wait until it was necessary. The type of housing also had an impact on this aspect.
Carers felt the adaptations made their caring tasks easier. They spent less time supervising and resulted in less burden and more sleep. The health and wellbeing of carers was the main gap in the literature.
Research from AHURI found that 70 per cent of households reported one or more major building problems in 2022. Policy for housing quality standards is fragmented across governments and ministers’ portfolios. And industry lobbyists are getting the way of improving the quality of our homes. The Livable Housing Design Standard is a case in point.
Policy for housing standards is weak and overly reliant on voluntary measures. We need a national strategy to improve housing standards.
Image: front cover of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) report.
The research report uses two case studies to show that change is possible, but takes persistent effort to overcome lobbyist resistance. They recommend that purchasers get a performance report at the point of sale or lease. The rental sector should also have minimum standards mandated.
Relative to other countries, housing standards are not only fragmented but in some cases ineffectual. Too many standards are voluntary. Without mandated standards we cannot expect improvements in decarbonisation or accessibility for our homes.
The report highlights the lack of national leadership, and a strong lobbyist influence in maintaining the status quo. Governance processes are less than transparent, and voluntary standards are ineffective.
Case studies: Healthy Housing, Livable Housing Design
The case studies focus on the Healthy Housing Standards in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the Livable Housing Design Standard in Australia. The Healthy Housing Standard was eventually watered down to just insulation and smoke alarms.
In Australia, the Australian Building Codes Board controls the National Construction Code. According to the researchers, compared to other rule-making agencies, “there is a lack of transparency in the ABCB”. Among other missing information on their website, there is no annual report of the Board.
The report charts the history of the Livable Housing Design Standard from the National Dialogue on Universal Housing Design to the final Standard. An interview with a property industry professional confirmed their stance on retaining the status quo. That is, they lobbied for no change to standards or regulation. Hence the whole process took 20 years and still the state governments are lagging behind in adopting the Standard. Industry has not given up on their position.
Review reveals weak governance processes
An independent review of the process taken to assess the economics of adopting the Livable Housing Design Standard outlined 8 recommendations. They were based on four guiding principles that the ABCB should follow: transparency, robustness, integrity and fairness.
AHURI researchers found the Livable Housing Design Standard provided important lessons for the ABCB. The processes were not fit for purpose for this Standard.
“When forced to take up the issue by the nation’s building ministers, the ABCB ran a very slow process. They were actively lobbied by the building sector to adopt a voluntary strategy despite the obvious failure of that approach.”
The report is lengthy and is really about “why is it so difficult to get changes to the building code when those changes would benefit so many?”
The section on the case studies concludes with the need for significant policy changes. Without them, we are unlikely to address the issues facing the environment and the move to net zero by 2050.
A report for FAAB Small Homes repeats much of what is found in Australia in relation to updating to housing design to suit the current and future population. Yet resistance by the housing industry to updating housing standards and codes remains. And older people are not seeking universal inclusive design in new homes either.
Although we, as individuals, know we are ageing, the concept of universal design and easier access to and throughout the home is not a selling point with consumers. In the report one builder-developer was surprised that older people were not interested.
“We didn’t get much out of it at all … it really surprised me, maybe clients don’t think they will ever be in that situation. … I bring it up with all my clients. But they’re, ‘oh, it’s not going to happen to me’.”
Jane Bringolf reported in 2011 the same issue of ‘selling’ universal inclusive features, even to older people. After all, ageing and disability is not an aspirational factor for one’s ‘dream home’. That is why we need regulation to suit the population into the future. The idea of getting old, even when people observe their parents, does not compute. Hence the market is not asking for it and housing industry stakeholders use this as a means of maintaining the status quo.
Designs 4 Livingis a magazine by Todd Brickhouse in the US with a focus on home designs for people with disability and older adults. The latest issue covers a wide variety of design solutions. They include home lighting, bathroom and kitchen trends, home workplaces and cognitive and sensory solutions.
Lighting the home
As we get older our vision degrades and in many instances and higher levels of illumination become more important. However, it’s important to avoid glare and “pooling” of light. Indirect light sources such as recessed lighting under and over cabinets is good. LED lighting uses less power and lasts much longer.
Different scenarios for different rooms in the home are presented in the article along with a useful list of terms used for lighting and illumination. There is a link to a free guidebook to lighting the whole house.
Bathroom trends
Making a bathroom safe and accessible is just the beginning – why not make it look stylish too. That’s the content of the article by Mike Foti. While white tiles are still popular, light wood grains have gained popularity and come as tiles and panels. Flooring can provide the necessary visual contrast to the walls and fittings. Shower and bathroom treatments that don’t involve grout are a bonus. The article has more with links to useful solutions.
Cognitive and sensory solutions
Shelly Rosenberg is an interior designer with ADHD and her article is framed around 8 human senses. We all learned the five senses at school but we need to add Vestibular, Proprioception and Interoception. She begins with vision and the quality of light and level of visual ‘busyness’.
Smell is about air quality, fragrance, memory and mood. Building materials and furnishings can give off toxic gasses. Controlling moisture temperature and using air filters and purifiers are some of the solutions. Rosenberg goes through all 8 senses
Gen X and Baby Boomer needs
This article explores the divergent needs of Generation X and Baby Boomers as they age. Marketing professionals like to label different age groups, but the old labels for older adults don’t gel with Gen X. Indeed, why should older people wear a label at all? And terms such as Silver Tsunami present older people as a burden. An interesting discussion.
The Summer edition 2024 ofDesigns 4 Living also has items on pets, and workplaces.
Policy makers have been talking about population ageing, ageing-in-place and age-friendly communities for several years. But has there been any progress? The focus is still on residential care homes and this is the policy blind spot. Most older Australians are living in their own homes. So how do policies support them? And what about renters?
Three housing researchers analysed 85 policy documents against the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines on age-friendly cities. They found these policies reflected outdated views of older age. That’s because the policy focus in on care and support services. This means less attention to housing, transport, walkability and cultural diversity.
Most older Australians aren’t in aged care – they are living in the community.
Policy blind spots mean they live in communities that aren’t age-friendly.
Being age-friendly for older people means age-friendly for all ages.
The research also reveals a failure to recognise the diversity and impact of the ageing process. In particular, is the lack of recognition of diverse cultural needs.
“There is almost a complete blindness to their impacts on ageing and other social determinants of health.” Regardless most older Australians want to live where they are.
In another study, researchers asked what motivates older homeowners and renters to age where they are or to relocate. It seems older renters are not given a fair choice. For homeowners, family ties matter.
Owners with children living nearby were more likely to want to stay. They might then have a reason to call on their housing wealth and become the “bank of mum and dad”. Renters, however, want the same choice but face the most disruption. Many had to move out of their neighbourhood to find a place to rent.
This is another area where policy change is needed and for many, social housing is the answer. However, social housing is in short supply.
There’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon with the new Livable Housing Design Standard. This mandated Standard in the National Construction Code provides for accessible features such as a level entry into the home. It will support many more people to age in place and reduce the need for costly home modifications.
While it will take many years for new accessible homes to make an impact, it does mean that rental housing will be included in mainstream housing stock. However, states and territories are showing reluctance to adopt this essential Standard in the face of industry lobbying. But none of us is getting any younger.
See CUDA’s short online course which provides all the technical detail for implementing the Livable Housing Design Standard.
This is not your average home. This one goes beyond even enhanced features in the Livable Housing Design Standard. However, it shows what is possible with creative design thinking. Depending on where you live, the key features will be embedded in all new homes under the Livable Housing Design Standard. And it’s good for home renovations too.
Contrary to the many myths, introducing universal design features into a home doesn’t compromise aesthetics.
The video below is from O’Shea and Sons Builders that showcases a high-end of the market home. The additional costs are in the automation, the elevator and some of the fixtures and fittings. However, the key features are possible in mainstream homes at little, if any, additional cost.
As Nick O’Shea says, “… an absolutely amazing home where functionality and style means absolute beauty”. A really great example of universal design in action dispelling the myth that accessibility and functionality are ugly.
Filming by Unveil Media
O’Shea Builders have built other accessible homes so this is not the first. The Independent Builders Network in Queensland has other members doing good work as well.Queensland was also the first stateto implement the new Livable Housing Design Standard.
Online learning – Livable Housing Design
CUDA has the licence from the Australian Building Codes Board to run their course on the Livable Housing Design Standard. The course is based on the Handbook and the Standard. This is a technical course for home-building professionals. Find out more about this online course. Only $35.00 inc GST.
It covers the various ways to create level entries, doors, circulation spaces, showers and toilets.
The Housing Adaptations Design Toolkit comes from Northern Ireland and is focused on government departments collaborating for good social housing outcomes. The aim is to integrate services to promote independent living. As such it has application to government funded home modification services in Australia an elsewhere.
Housing adaptations are a key element in supporting independent living. The other three are assistive technology, social care, and health and wellbeing.
The diagram shows the links between the four elements required for independent living.
The Department of Communities and the Department of Health collaborated in the development of the toolkit.
The toolkit covers housing adaptions that range from those not needing a referral to occupational therapy services to more complex projects. It has design formats that help service users to visualise the proposed adaptations. Electronic formats facilitate inter-agency communications for the recommended adaptations and specifications.
The toolkit has seven sections. They include design principles for different rooms, space standards for different users, and helpful specification templates. There are three categories of users: ambulant, independent wheelchair user, and dependent wheelchair user.
The development of the toolkit included collaboration with people with disability. It supports a standardised approach to design principles and space standards. The image shows the front cover of the toolkit.
The Housing Adaptations Design Toolkit is a guide for government funded adaptations. As such, the toolkit processes could help inform home modifications under Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme. This is a very comprehensive approach to bureaucratic processes and technical detail.
Specialist guide for wheelchair housing from UK
The third edition of the Habinteg Wheelchair Housing Design Guide has input from Centre for Accessible Environments and the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. It is good to see a separate housing design guide for wheelchair users. Not all wheelchair users need the same features. Their abilities vary from part time users of a manual chair to those who are fully dependent on a large powered chair.
When it comes to the concept of “accessible housing” designers tend to think only of wheelchair users when there are many other types of disability that need consideration. Wheelchair housing is not the same as universal design in housing. However, almost all wheelchair users should be able to visit a home designed to the Livable Housing Standard.
Sanctuary magazine has a Design Workshop section where people can apply to have their home design project workshopped by professionals. Architect Mary Ann Jackson comments on the planned renovation of a home for a family of four.
The brief is to renovate without overcapitalising, incorporate accessibility for the long term, improve layout, focus on energy efficiency and to consider acoustics.
Image of the original 1970s home
The house is spacious enough but it doesn’t function well. One family member is hard of hearing so large open plan with hard surfaces is challenging. After investigating the option of a knock-down-rebuild, the homeowners, Eric and Caroline, decided to make the most of what they have.
Eric and Caroline engaged a designer who came up with a solution for most of their requirements. The article shows the existing floor plan and the proposed floor plan. Mary Ann critiques the planfrom an accessibility perspective. As she says, if it is not accessible, it is not sustainable. So considering accessibility from the outset is worthwhile.
Congested space is the enemy of accessibility and having several small separate wet area rooms eats up valuable space. The walls and fittings take up space in each of these areas. Mary Ann advises at least one larger family bathroom for this family house. She goes on to discuss paths of travel and circulation space and offers improvements by moving some of the rooms around.
The kitchen is next with suggestions for work surfaces at different levels and drawers for under-bench storage. Mary Ann then moves on to the balcony and outdoor areas, explaining her reasoning along the way. The article has much more detail and is worth a read for anyone designing a home renovation.
A universal design approach
“Designing for adaptation in the future is important, and properly executed universal design facilitates multi-generational living”.
The article is in the Sanctuary magazine Design Workshop series, and is titled An accessible, adaptable upgrade. The article concludes with Mary Ann’s alternative design based on her assessment of the property and the family requirements. A really good example of universal design thinking coupled with cost effective energy efficiency.
The UK organisation for accessible housing, Habinteg, has released new research on the social and economic value of wheelchair users homes. The research was carried out by the London School of Economics. They did a cost-benefit analysis of wheelchair user housing and a qualitative analysis of how their home impacts wheelchair users in everyday life. Together they showed benefits, particularly to government, outweighed the costs.
“… it’s not just the quality of accommodation and its suitableness for living, but it’s affecting everything else to do with my life.”
“I was living a life that I chose to live, not one that was chosen for me.”
The UK already has a mandated standard of basic access features in new housing called Visitable dwellings. This covers door widths and corridors. However, it fails to guarantee true visitability to everyone and is not adaptable for households over time. There are two other standards which are not mandatory: accessible and adaptable dwellings, and wheelchair user dwellings.
People in later life who use wheelchairs (aged 65+)
They found that a working age wheelchair user, the benefit was £94,000 over a ten year period. A later years household was £101,000 over a ten year period, and for a child, the benefit was £67,000 over ten years. The financial value was divided between health, local government and the national government.
Benefits of wheelchair housing
The interviews with wheelchair users revealed the personal benefits of improved quality of life. Of being able to work, to come and go independently, and have peace of mind. Being able to work provides additional disposable income and tax revenue for the government. It also means less welfare payments and hours of home care services.
The Queensland Government is leading the way with their new Modern Homes Standard. Queensland will begin rolling out mainstream universally designed eco-friendly homes based on the new standards in the National Construction Code (NCC) from October 2023. While the energy efficiency requirements might cost more, the universal design features will cost little, if any, more.
The universal design features are a level entry, wider doors and corridors, a toilet on the entry level with extra circulation space, and a step-free shower. The Livable Housing Handbook has more detail.
The benefits to consumers are obvious, but the benefits to government perhaps less so. Consumers will eventually have homes that are suited across the lifespan that cater for most life events. Governments stand to save on unnecessary extended hospital stays, and early entry to aged care. They will also save money on government funded home modifications.
However, this has not stopped the housing industry from heavily lobbying against the universal design changes at state level. They claim that the industry has too many problems, it’s technically difficult and it would cost homeowners $40,000.00 more. Are these claims true or are they myths and misunderstandings?
Dispelling the myths
Here are some of the common claims by industry where the cost claims are confused with specialist disability housing or the old adaptable housing standard. So these claims are easily dismissed.
You can’t do level entry to the home on steep sites or on small lots.
Steep sites are exempted from dwelling access requirements. Or you can make the entry via the garage.
You can’t do Livable Housing features in a studio apartment.
It’s often easier in studio because they only have 2 doors and no corridors.
These bigger bathrooms really add to the cost.
No big bathroom required because it can be achieved in less than 4sqm. See Livable Housing Handbook.
You can’t do it on narrow lots.
Narrow properties use space smartly with minimal corridors relying on shared circulation and open plan spaces.
Grab rails make the place look ugly.
Grab rails are not required. They can be added later if ever they are needed.
People just want a regular-looking home.
The design tweaks are not noticeable other than a level entry.
People don’t want a disability bathroom.
They won’t get one. The Standard asks for a small extra space in front of the toilet pan.
Some people want a traditional closet WC.
They can have one. Only one toilet pan on the ground or entry level needs to have some extra space in front of it.
People don’t want a front yard full of ramps.
They won’t have one. Access is from the street, parking space or garage.
The extra accessible parking places will add enormous cost to apartments.
There are no changes to parking requirements. Only the internal fit-out applies to apartments.
Door manufacturers will have to re-tool to make new products.
The door sizes are standard already.
Only a few people need these changes.
These provisions are for improving amenity and liveability for everyone. It’s about future-proofing a consumer’s biggest asset.
It’s going to be expensive.
The main cost will be some timber noggins for wall reinforcement in the bathroom.
There’s a cost of living crisis.
That’s why it’s even more important to build homes that protect families from future-shock – the cost of adaptation if life circumstances change. It makes them more sustainable.
I’ve built this kind of home before and I know it costs a lot more.
This is not Specialist Disability Accommodation or housing to the Adaptable Housing Standard. These do cost more. The Livable Housing Standard normalises these common design features. That’s why they are called universal design features. And there is little, if any, extra cost.
It’s bound to cost more because this is all new and we have to learn how to do it.
These features have been applied in seniors living since 2004 and specialist disability homes. Community housing associations apply these features. There is nothing new or onerous.
It’s not a good time for the industry to do this.
It is never a good time for industry. Meanwhile it is a very good time for people wanting to move into a home with no steps.
Why we need it
Building homes based on last century ideas of housing the population has to change and it has to be more than fashion changes. We are living much longer and want to stay put as we age. The pandemic has made people even less eager to go to aged care. People who use mobility devices want to visit family and friends in their own homes. In summary we want homes that are fit for purpose for all family members regardless of what life has in store.
The Livable Housing Design Standard is a tweak to existing designs, but it is these little details that make the difference to longer term liveability for all family members.
The size of Australian homes will easily accommodate all the new provisions in the Livable Housing Design Standard. We wait for Victoria, ACT, NT, South Australia and Tasmania to keep to their promises to follow Queensland’s lead. However, NSW still agrees with industry lobbyists and is saying “no”. ABC News has an article on Queensland’s commitment to housing fit for purpose in the 21st Century.
The Dementia Enabling Environments website has a page on 
