A home builder in Queensland, is building Livable Housing Silver level homes and he wants everyone else to follow his lead. He has persuaded Townsville City Council and industry stakeholders to come together to make this possible.
In a promotional video accessibility is only mentioned once at the end, but the key features are pointed out throughout the video. It’s a slow 11 minutes so recommend viewing at an increased speed setting. Although Silver level is promoted, the size and design of the dwelling makes it closer to Gold level.
In a 9 minute video (below) various people explain the importance of Silver level to them. The best parts of the video are in the second half where Martin Locke shows how Silver level homes are modern and “normal”. One key point is that it shows there are no design or technical impediments for having Silver (or Gold) level in all new housing.
Wheelchair users are only one part of the story of universal design in housing. The emphasis on wheelchair users perpetuates the idea that this is “disability housing” and this puts it in the “specialised housing” bracket. The Livable Housing Design Guidelines are about everyone, not just wheelchair users.
Locke believes Silver level can be rolled out without additional regulation. However, after ten years of voluntary guidelines, industry has not participated. The industry, particularly mass market builders, rely on regulation to hold the system together so that all the designers, engineers, and trades know what they are doing and can work in tandem.
It’s great to see at least one community trying to make a difference in this space. Martin Locke and the Townsville City Mayor are to be congratulated for their efforts in bringing people together to show the way for the house-building industry.
Finding out what older adults might want and need in their daily living experiences takes more than just asking them, especially if they have a cognitive impairment. Using creative methods, such as drawing and creating models, older people can express their needs in a tactile format. This also creates rapport with designers who can then devise better mobility, dining and leisure activities. This method is enjoyable for all participants.
This paper discusses co-design experiences with various stakeholders to explore latent needs of older persons in their daily living using a universal design approach. Through iterative use of creative methods, freehand sketching and physical models, older adults express their needs in a more accurate, tactile format.
Findings reveal that commonality of interest among older persons are important in building rapport among other participants. It also helps designers develop designs related to health care, mobility, dining and leisure activities.
Older adults and co-design
Older adults want the same designs as anyone else. Too often older people are gathered together under the umbrella of “the elderly”. This term assumes everyone is the same. It’s applied to people as young as 60 or 65 and every age after that. We can debate the terms but in the end, we are talking about people and design.
An article in Design Week challenges assumptions about older people and design. It reports on a study involving older people in design projects. They found older people “want what we want”. The ‘we’ in this context is young designers.
A key point is that people can live independently for longer if things are designed around their needs. In the end, age isn’t relevant. But designing inclusively is. That’s why devices designed specifically for older people are bought but often abandoned.
What does ‘ageing in place’ actually mean? For some it means staying put in the family home in their later years. For others it means staying in the same community.
Researchers at the University of Manchester developed a ‘village’ model of support based on those in the US. The residents came together to identify the services that they need and how they could be better managed. Storytelling was an integral part of the data collection. Ideas were generated for supporting ageing in place at a local level.
Front cover of the report
The report recounts the difficulties recruiting volunteers and participants as well as overcoming distrust of decision-makers. Access to formal and informal meeting places was also an issue.
Recommendations include building social infrastructure and strengthening organisations led by older people. The title of the report is, Community interventions to promote ‘ageing in place‘. This is a large file.
Co-designing with people living with dementia
A diagnosis of dementia used to mean staying home and being cared for. Those who work in the area of dementia are doing their best to change this view. But is the design community prepared to embrace people living with dementia? Paul Rogers reports in Co-designing with people living with dementiadisruptive design interventions to break the cycle of well-formed mindsets. The co-design method has provided ways for people with dementia to continue contributing to society and have fulfilling lives.
The co-design project was to create a new tartan design. Each person with dementia directed the researcher to co-create their digital design one colour at a time.
The Disrupting Dementia tartan project shows how co-design methods and tools can enable people living with dementia to make a significant contribution to society after diagnosis. Although dementia changes some aspects of a person, it does not affect their sense of self. Projects such as these not only inform designers, they also give a sense of inclusion and belonging to people with dementia.
From the abstract
This paper illustrates methods for co-designing with people living with dementia in developing a mass-produced product. The research was carried out in collaboration with Alzheimer Scotland using a range of disruptive design interventions. The aim was to break the cycle of we-formed opinions, mindsets, and ways-of-doing that remain unchallenged. The research has resulted in co-designed interventions to help change the perception of dementia.
People living with dementia can offer much to UK society after diagnosis. Co-designed activities and interventions help reconnect people recently diagnosed with dementia to help build their self-esteem, identity and dignity. Co-design processes help keep people with dementia connected to their community, thus delaying the need for formal support,
We worked collaboratively with over 130 people with dementia across Scotland in the co-design and development of a new tartan. The paper concludes with recommendations for researchers when co-designing with people living with dementia.
The paper reports on three design interventions using co-design activities with people diagnosed with dementia. The interventions offer innovations for co-designing with this group.
To move or not to move?
We expect to grow old, but because we don’t aspire to grow old, we rarely plan for it. “I’ll worry about it when the time comes” is a usual response. A report from AHURI looks at the housing situation for older Australians and some previous research is confirmed.
Most respondents felt their current home would suit them as they grow older, but they are not planning ahead. If they are, they lack information on how to go about it, what to look for, and what their options are other than age-segregated housing.
A significant proportion of respondents hadn’t thought about planning ahead for their living arrangements. This is one reason why we need the Livable Housing Design Standard adopted in all states and territories. It is in the 2022 edition of the National Construction Code and there is a handbook for designers.
It is often said that older people want to stay put, but this may not be the case for everyone. A study from Berlin, Germany looked at this issue in depth. While some of the findings might be specific to Berlin, the article raises interesting questions.
The researchers found that social class, gender, age and migrant history were not necessarily measures of movement behaviour. The top three reasons that emerged were: to have a smaller apartment, an obstacle-free apartment, and to have to a cheaper apartment.
Here are some good resources for considering people with dementia in designs. The topic of dementia can also include people with acquired brain injury and other cognitive conditions at any age. They’ve been collected from this website for ready reference. Too many good publications are soon forgotten after their launch.
“This book embeds the principles of how we should approach the design of future housing for an ageing population, reminding us that this is not about `other people’, but about each of us.
This book focuses on anticipating the needs and aspirations of the next generation of older people, and touches on what this implies for our communities, our towns and our cities, as well as for our living spaces.It will look at how well-designed buildings can facilitate the provision of care, support independence and wellbeing while providing companionship and stimulation. It will also examine how to ensure that buildings remain flexible over a long life.
Dealing mainly with new-build, but with a section on adaptation and refurbishment, this book sets out the underlying design principles that should be applied and the early decisions that must be taken. Richly illustrated with case studies alongside contributions from a range of experts and examples of best practice, this comprehensive resource will inform and empower architects, designers, planners and clients to be braver and wiser in designing with older people in mind.”
Renovations are an important part of the home building industry. In the United States there’s a push for older homeowners to consider designs for staying put as they age. And it appears this is working – but usually well after the renovations are needed. The latest bathroom trends are moving to larger bathrooms and a desire for comfort and function.
The 2021 Houzz Bathroom Trends Studyupdates their 2018 report. Buried within the 2021 report is a section on renovations for “special needs”. However, homeowners are not planning in advance and then leaving it too long before committing to the renovation. Increasing bathroom size was another important trend.
“More than half of homeowners (54%) say the bathroom renovation is addressing household members’ special needs.”
“Nearly three-quarters of renovators (71%) report that those special needs had developed one to two years before the renovation.”
“One in 5 homeowners (21%) increased the size of their bathroom either somewhat or significantly, and 6% changed their bathroom location altogether. Half of all renovating homeowners (50%) increased their shower size.”
Both the 2021 and 2018 studies have information on other aspects of style, such as incorporating plants, soaking tubs and natural light. Bidets are also increasing in popularity along with other premium features.
The 2018 Houzz Bathroom Trends Study is a comprehensive report that has some interesting statistics about the age at which people might start thinking of their future needs and doing something about it. It also shows what they are actually doing in terms of renovation design. An interesting and easy to read study which supports the idea that these features should be designed into the home in the first place. It also features bathroom products and fittings.
Accessible bathroom fittings
Hewi is a company based in Germany has a range of bathroom fixtures and fittings that are accessible and good looking. Their aim is to design for comfort and convenience. They have a range that has a focus on dementia. Moreaccessibility solutionsare available on the Hewi website.
Reece, Caroma and Hewi have updated their catalogues to online only and the dementia options are no longer listed in a separate catalogue.
Bathroom fittings are under regular review and fashions change quickly. Search under keywords such as “care” or “support” for assistive designs.
Richard Duncan takes a look at doors and entrances to homes to show the various ways in which universal design thinking can make doorways more convenient for everyone. The article covers every aspect of doors in detail and has several pictures that illustrate how thoughtful door design and door handles can make a world of difference for all members of the family and for visitors too. A nice presentation of practical detail for this one home element. There will be some things not everyone will have thought about. Worth a look.
Richard Duncan from the RL Mace Universal Design Institutepresents a 50 minute webinar on universal design in housing. The first 20 minutes covers the basics such as demographics. At the 19 minute mark he starts to show the misconceptions about how some people think UD might look in a home and then goes on to show what UD should really be about. It’s a bit long winded, but you can forward the video to the parts you want. One of the key messages in the video is the comparison of wheelchair specific design, which is what some people think UD is, and mainstream family home design with UD features. This is part of their Better Living Design project.
It is often quoted that the kitchen is the heart of the home, and that probably won’t change in the future. But what people might doing in the kitchen could change significantly. A blog on a product website lists five key design features for the future of kitchens: connectivity, sustainability, ease of use for all, and the rise of professional products.
Below is a video where researchers and designers from around the world were asked how they thought kitchens will evolve. Their ideas on the future are worth looking at. There are some neat ideas at the end of the video. You can choose English subtitles in the settings.
The techno kitchen
Much has changed with electronics entering this design space. The soft touch openers for drawers and cupboards and height adjustable work benches and sinks are just the start. And they make the “techno” kitchen easy to use for everyone regardless of height and dexterity. Indeed, a universal design approach. As these easy to use fixtures appeal to all it won’t be long before these features are standard. The video below shows some of the latest. However, motorised adjustable benches can be a trap for fingers. You can see the potential for this in the video too.
Although more than ten years old, the Housing for Life Guidelines still have value That’s because universal design principles are timeless. There’s the usual attention to access, circulation spaces, and fittings. It also includes thermal comfort, security, lighting, operating controls and maintenance. Lots of diagrams and drawings help with explanations from a builder/designer perspective. There is also a handy metric conversion chart for people still using imperial measures. Master Builders Association ACT developed the guide with funding from Commonwealth Department of Veteran Affairs.
Go to the Housing Design Guidelines section on this website for more about kitchens, bathrooms, lighting and other aspects of home design.
Editor’s Note: Housing for Life is not readily available online. The link to this copyis from my files. It is available through the National Library of Australia (Trove) if you want hard copy. Or you can try the MBA ACT. The references to the Adaptable Housing Standard are less relevant now – see more recent guidelines.
For anyone not familiar with the movement for universal design in housing, Introduction to Housing has a chapter that gives a really good overview of how to incorporate UD into the design. It covers each of the design features and explains that they can be factored into moderately sized homes. The chapteraddresses each of the classic principles of universal design and how they apply to housing design. A case study illustrates the features. As with many Google Books, many of the pages are freely available, but for the full chapter you will need to contact the authors, Hartje, Ewen and Tremblay or purchase the book.
Introduction to Housing, 2nd edition, is edited by Katrin B. Anacker, Andrew T. Carswell, Sarah D. Kirby, Kenneth R. Tremblay.
A home builder in Queensland, is building Livable Housing Silver level homes and he wants everyone else to follow his lead. He has persuaded Townsville City Council and industry stakeholders to come together to make this possible.
Finding out what older adults might want and need in their daily living experiences takes more than just asking them, especially if they have a cognitive impairment. Using creative methods, such as drawing and creating models, older people can express their needs in a tactile format. This also creates rapport with designers who can then devise better mobility, dining and leisure activities. This method is enjoyable for all participants.
Older adults want the same designs as anyone else. Too often older people are gathered together under the umbrella of “the elderly”. This term assumes everyone is the same. It’s applied to people as young as 60 or 65 and every age after that. We can debate the terms but in the end, we are talking about people and design.
Here are some good resources for considering people with dementia in designs. The topic of dementia can also include people with acquired brain injury and other cognitive conditions at any age. They’ve been collected from this website for ready reference. Too many good publications are soon forgotten after their launch.
RIBA’s book, 
Renovations are an important part of the home building industry. In the United States there’s a push for older homeowners to consider designs for staying put as they age. And it appears this is working – but usually well after the renovations are needed. The latest bathroom trends are moving to larger bathrooms and a desire for comfort and function.
Reece, Caroma and Hewi have updated their catalogues to online only and the dementia options are no longer listed in a separate catalogue. 
Richard Duncan takes a look at 
Richard Duncan from the 
Although more than ten years old, the 
For anyone not familiar with the movement for universal design in housing, Introduction to Housing has a chapter that gives a really good overview of how to incorporate UD into the design. It covers each of the design features and explains that they can be factored into moderately sized homes.