How Inclusively Designed Mainstream Products Can Lead to Fresh Thinking in Home Adaptation

摘要

Traditionally assistive technology or environmental intervention introduced to help with independence in the home has tended to look ‘medical’ or ‘institutional’, focussing on function rather than aesthetic considerations and overlooking the aspirations of the householder. This paper describes a recent social housing project where the interior design of two newly built houses in Bradford, UK, for Habinteg Housing Association, were used to demonstrate that it is possible to balance form and function when designing to enhance independence in the home. The Bradford project builds on previous research in this area by the author and refers to the paper ‘Home Improvement for Independent Living’ (Pearce 2003). The initial research was in turn inspired by the construction of the first Lifetime Homes in Hull in 1994 by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, in collaboration with Habinteg Housing Association.