Thinking about tomorrow

This Issue This is a part of the Homes for life feature

By - , Build 138

Housing stock for people with access needs is already in short supply. Unless things change, our ageing population will face an accessible housing crisis by 2036.

Level access to house.
MP Megan Woods, Member of Parliament for Wigram, cuts the ribbon celebrating the opening of a new accessible home.
Ground floor bedroom with space for wheelchair access.
Level access to house.

NEW ZEALAND’S HOUSING stock is produced from diverse personal drivers ranging from a family building their first home to a developer creating homes to sell and councils building housing for the most vulnerable in our communities.

Little future planning

Regardless, the result is a dwelling that will appear on the New Zealand property market at some stage. Unfortunately, most dwellings have been designed and built around the owner’s current needs, with little thought given to future-proofing them for use by the elderly or the impaired.

Finding housing stock for people with certain impairments is difficult, particularly in the rental market. While organisations have been established to deal specifically with assisting people to find accessible rental housing, the problem remains that there is a shortage of appropriate accessible housing.

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Statistics tell the story

Data from Statistics NZ shows that our housing market is already deficient for people with accessibility needs and that we are not prepared for the influx in demand for accessible or adaptable housing that will occur as we approach 2036.

The need to design for the future when building a home could not be clearer:

  • 20% of New Zealand’s population (880,000 people) currently identifies as having some form of impairment.
  • New Zealand’s population (4.4 million in 2012) will increase to 5.4 million in 2036 and 6.0 million in 2061.
  • New Zealand’s population aged 65+ was 600,000 in 2012 (14%) and is projected to increase to 1.2 million (23%) in 2036 and 1.5 million (26%) in 2061.
  • There are currently an estimated 1.68 million households in New Zealand.
  • Fewer than 250,000 (15%) of these households are either currently accessible or could easily be upgraded into accessible housing at a later date.

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Accessible design basics

Accessible features benefit everyone, regardless of ability. Building an accessible dwelling on a relatively flat section will cost little, if anything, extra.

The key is good design input from the conceptual design stages and prioritising features such as:

  • level access or ensuring that a ramp can be installed at a later date by keeping the entrance as low as possible to the ground and maintaining clear space to allow for a minimum 1:12 grade ramp
  • specifying doors that are 810 mm clear space (860 leaf) to allow wheelchairs to pass through comfortably and also make it easier to carry items such as shopping
  • specifying halls with a minimum width of 1050 mm lining to lining to enable easy navigation for persons in wheelchairs or with walker frames and two-way travel
  • positioning light switches at a height within 900–1200 mm above the floor level and to horizontally align with the door handles to assist visually impaired persons
  • locating power points 500 mm out from any corner and 300–500 mm off the floor level to enable an older person or a wheelchair user to easily access them
  • specifying hardware such as mixed flow lever action taps and lever type door handles to enable easy use by people with limited dexterity in their hands.
MP Megan Woods, Member of Parliament for Wigram, cuts the ribbon celebrating the opening of a new accessible home.
Ground floor bedroom with space for wheelchair access.

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Many positives of an accessible home

Selecting a Lifemark-accredited designer or one who will collaborate with an accredited Barrier Free Advisor will result in housing that is accessible or that can be easily and cost-effectively adapted to suit a range of needs over its lifetime.

It is important to end the stigma that accessibility is about gaudy ramps, handrails everywhere and significant extra costs. Accessibility can be a design feature, future cost saver and, when done correctly, a selling point.

Consider accessibility and future-proofing at the start of your next project rather than as an afterthought – it may make the world of difference for New Zealand in coming years.

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Articles are correct at the time of publication but may have since become outdated.

Level access to house.
MP Megan Woods, Member of Parliament for Wigram, cuts the ribbon celebrating the opening of a new accessible home.
Ground floor bedroom with space for wheelchair access.

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