UNIVERSAL HOUSE

摘要

This house, designed for a couple, the husband with mobilitychallenges due to muscular dystrophy, was a major challenge. I realized when designing, that the concept of 'barrier free' design was uppermost in the minds of many architects these days.Usually, for such constructions, architects go to unified floor levels to minimize tripping danger, handrails, widened hallways and, where possible, elevators. I began to question whether these added extras to a usual construction were really required in this case. The living space, shared with less challenged family members, needed to have a shared zone, and this concept could be adapted to meet the needs of others with special needs, who share living space with others. The final design has the husband at the core of the house, surrounded by function unit areas almost equidistant from his 'space', and this was adapted to the shape of the property. The various areas radiate from the core and are designed to serve the husband's lines of movement, so the house's shape is quite different from the usual arrangement. I put everything on one floor, gave it a spacious, airy light quality, incorporating the PC booth, bath and wash area, lounge, entranceway. kitchen, garden deck and bedroom around the living-dining space. Exteriors are corrugated Galvalume sheet steel. and the roof, floors and the interiors of each unit are contrasting conifer ply wood. The roof is all lifted in a central apex of rafters.