ACCESSIBILITY 87
Building in accessibility A
s more homes are reworked for multi-functional living, the opportunity exists to create
properties that cater for all phases of life. Architects and planners are starting to prioritise inclusive design for new builds, but opportunities remain to encourage adaptability of existing housing stock too. There’s a lot of talk about ‘Ageing in Place’ as a solution to our ageing population. Baby-boomers are hitting retirement, with Generation X hot on their heels. However, The Centre for Ageing Better reports around only 7% of the UK’s current housing stock is accessible for all people, while Government figures show poor quality housing costs the NHS an estimated £2.5bn per year. Unfortunately, too often a home becomes a barrier to independent living in later life offering the scope for design professionals to respond by delivering functional and adaptable spaces. As Paul Gamble chief executive of Habinteg, stated in the national press: “People want to age in their own homes as independently as possible, for as long as they are able. It seems obvious to me this choice remains important as we get older.” While demand for new build homes continues, an estimated seven million existing homes in England are owned by someone aged 65 or over. Many of these homeowners have no plans to move but are in the market to preserve and protect their current way of life. It’s not just older people who need to consider accessibility though. As architect Julia Park explains in the Resi Happy Homes podcast: “Homes lived in by younger people shouldn’t be excluded when it comes to accessibility. We’re sociable, we want to invite friends and family into our homes, and some may be older people and others wheelchair users.”
The stair conundrum
Stairs are often the first stumbling block for the design of an accessible home. Older
ADF APRIL 2023
Yola Mealing of Stiltz Homelifts considers how factoring in accessibility at project planning stage delivers the ‘forever home’ that clients are desiring
housing stock can present steep stairwells and space-restricted landings, negatively affecting the ergonomic function of a home for those less mobile.
Layouts and movement patterns around the whole property should be considered when remodelling and re-imagining a client’s existing home, or when building a new one. Having access to the entire house is critical for independent living and remaining connected to every part of the home.
For the architect who has a design-aware
client, a homelift is the obvious answer to solving inter-storey access. There are homelifts on the market which get the balance of form and function spot on. Products which present a compact footprint of less than a square metre allow space to be easily modified with minimal impact on the surrounding structure. Installation can be quick and straightforward due to a lift’s modularity,
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