Detail is in the design

This Issue This is a part of the Ageing population feature

By - , Build 128

Operator and developer of retirement villages, Summerset, finds that it’s the small design decisions that can make a difference in supported living environments.

Summerset’s Manukau village under construction.

Summerset opened its first retirement village in 1997 and its latest recently. In the 14 years that separate these two sites, the company has honed and then rehoned its design, and most recently brought it all in-house.

‘In terms of design, we started out thinking like a residential developer,’ says Summerset CEO Norah Barlow. ‘Of course, we made some concessions for our customers – we’ve always had wide doorways – but our first villages look nothing like the ones you walk in to today.’

‘The process involved in designing homes for older people is extraordinary – the things we are doing now wouldn’t have entered my mind at the beginning.’

Clever thinking is employed

The company’s move to bring design in-house reflects the special skills involved in designing retirement villages – they need to be completely inclusive.

The idea is that residents should be as independent as possible for as long as possible, and the impact clever design has on their lives cannot be underestimated.

Recent design innovations at Summerset retirement villages include:

  • doorways that have no steps
  • cupboards that are shallow and easy to reach
  • instructions where needed, including where to put the toaster.
Summerset’s Manukau village under construction.

‘If a few features mean you can stay living in your own home for longer, then it is well worth it. People in homes in our villages have the benefit of living in a community with security and company while enjoying supported independence. It’s incredibly important,’ says Norah Barlow.

Lifemark™ seal assures customers

Summerset was the first retirement village developer and operator to enter into a partnership with Lifetime Design that administers the Lifemark™, an alliance that gives an independent seal of approval to design and is easy for consumers to understand.

Norah Barlow says that people don’t often think about the effect design has on their daily life, and once it starts to really matter, it can be too late. ‘There are people in the community spending hundreds of thousands on brand new homes only to discover they can’t be lived in when circumstances change. It would be out of the question for our residents to find that an unexpected move to a walker meant they couldn’t get in their front door.’

Making designs compliant is tricky

The design process can be difficult, and it can also be expensive to balance usability with compliance. Rick Willoughby is Summerset’s new lead designer. He has come from a property development background and says he was surprised at the level of thought required when designing retirement villages.

‘They are in no way cookie cutter and are extremely different from your average residential development,’ he says. ‘Every access has to be completely level. There can be no steps anywhere. It sounds like it should be easy, but it’s actually against the Building Code.’

The Code requires that there be a 150 mm set-down outside the door of every home, which means access cannot be level. Summerset design team has managed to resolve this situation using a complex hidden-trench system. The entry is level and the Code is met.

The advantages of going in-house

For Summerset’s development team, cost, accessibility and appearance are factors that have to be constantly weighed up. Developments manager Tonchi Begovich says the most important thing is to incorporate the Lifemark™ features without making the villages look institutional.

‘We could have dealt with the level access issue by having ramps up to every door, but that’s not what people want.

‘We know what works. Most of it isn’t expensive – it’s making minor adjustments or making sure homes have the ability to be adapted. For example, glass shower screens can be taken away and all our vanities in the bathroom have a section that can be altered to ensure accessibility.

‘Another example is at the front door. Lifemark™ requires that there be a 1200 × 1200 mm level platform and that platform has a cover over it in case someone ends up in a wheelchair. We always had a platform at the front door but it had a slight slope. That small change makes a big difference. It’s about clever thinking.’

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Summerset’s Manukau village under construction.

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