Universal Design is the Key by Yolanda Wang

UNIVERSAL DESIGN IS THE KEY

By Yolanda Wang Accredited Access Consultant (ACAA) at Amoeba Access Pty Ltd.

Housing that is universally accessible is not a matter of a targeted solution for the minority, it concerns us all.

Let us face it together, we started getting older the day we arrived in the world, it is an unavertable human condition. But our life expectancy increases every year as our societies continue to advance in all aspects. Although the notion of “Universal Design” is not a new concept, the three commonly used terms are Universal Design, Inclusive Design, and Design for All. Regardless of its mainstream connotation, the concept itself has been with us since the last half of the twentieth century when first introduced by architect Ron Mace. Nevertheless, the essence has yet to become the driving force in the field of our built environment today.

A barrier free, functional and thoughtful housing design should be shared and experienced by all.

A fundamental cultural change is needed in order to overcome the stigma of perception, where accessible housing is not just a customised product only for people with a disability, it should concern us all as our population grows stagnant, and inevitably shifts towards an aging society. The need for a universal housing solution to be aesthetically pleasing and accessible to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of age, ability, or status in life, now becomes apparent. A barrier free, functional and thoughtful housing design should be shared and experienced by all.

To create barrier free housing, first we need to overcome the barriers in our mindset: ”housing for special needs and its buildability” which are a challenge to our housing experts, designers and architects on all levels, and secondly, physical barriers in our built environment to enable the creation of Universal Housing that should be the essence of comfort in our day to day life.

For a good 25 years, the concept of ‘adaptable housing’ that is aiming to allow a housing design to have built-in ability to be a convertible structure that adapts to singles, families, seniors and most importantly, people with a disability, sounds unreasonable, or at best an absurd experience. This is certainly the case for many people and professionals that have long been working in this realm nevertheless.

YOLANDA WANG ACCREDITED ACCESS CONSULTANT (ACAA) AT AMOEBA ACCESS PTY LTD.

We are also in the transition that old buildings in the high density, metropolitan areas are being refurbished and modernised to meet today’s code and standards, being adaptive instead of being demolished. Yet the code provisions are getting tougher and always evolving to catch up with the technological advancements of our society.

Now is the moment in time that we should pause and reflect on how the shift that is slowly gaining momentum in our society may demand and support a new understanding of Universal Housing Design.

In the stream of consciousness, do any of us realise that the fast pace of our modern society means that there seems to be no time left for us to pause for reflection. This includes taking the time for refinement and for a deeper dimension of practical details for things that are most relevant to us all, such as an accessible kitchen solution, that are designed to merge aesthetics, ergonomics and adaptabilities to create comfort, enjoyment and independence for us all. The design element would enable us to age in place, in comfort and with dignity.

If we cannot remove the barrier in our mind, then a sobering reality is that: accessible housing will remain a challenge to us. When the eventuality finally arrives, isn’t that all we hope for, to remain independent for as long as possible and in close proximity to our loved ones?

Just like Oliver Herwig once posted a hypothesis in his book ‘Universal Design’, suggesting that there will be a fundamental shift in perspective in the not too distant future, Housing will be accessible for us all that may finally fulfil the greatest promise of Modernism.

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