Australia’s relationship with home building is changing drastically. And this is where the Liveable Home Design comes in.
With demographics and family dynamics changing rapidly, due to situations in medical improvements and economic uncertainty for the average Australian. We have on our hands an ageing population and a housing market that isn’t easily accessible to younger generations. Things don’t look to be changing anytime soon. While this could be addressed with concern and nit picking, here at O’Shea and Son’s Builders, we have a more pro-active attitude. We believe this is the perfect opportunity to take these pressures and create a diamond in the liveable home design market for our friends, families and neighbours. We’ve modelled this diamond after the Pavilion Home.
When approaching a home design with the idea of ‘Future Proofing’, it was hard to look past the traditional traits of The Pavilion Home:
Its Shape
Its most obvious and alluring feature is its simple box-like shape; Architects like to think of this as volume. The rectangular, box-like volumes use minimal materials, situated within the context of the local environment. The emphasis is on maximising views of the local surroundings and harnessing light, while beauty is found by its focus on minimalism rather than adornment and decoration. The house feels a part of the environment while still remaining distinct from it.
Its Openness
A distinct characteristic of the pavilion-style house is the open-plan interiors – a concept critical to Accessible Architecture. Not only do these open plans provide a sense of spaciousness and luxury but also boast versatility and flexibility. As living patterns and desires change over time, the openness of the pavilion-style rooms allows a multi-functional sense of living. This design is made for change and adaptation.
Its Flow
This sense of openness extends into the visual and physical flow between indoors and outdoors. The integration of outside and inside space is seamless: patios, balconies, decks, courtyards and gardens are linked by sliding and bi-fold glass doors. These spaces become like outdoor living rooms immersed in the immediate environment.
These details of the Pavilion design naturally support the needs for Liveable Housing Design:
From a national standpoint, our government clearly understands the needs for a non-discriminatory build. The website YourHome.gov.au2 studies and talks in depth about the difference between Liveable / Accessible / Adaptable homes:
“As the needs of individuals are specific to their personal circumstances there is no single solution to designing a home to meet changing needs; however, several approaches exist”
yourhome.gov.au
These approaches are defined as by this government body as:
The Liveable house — designed to meet the changing needs of most home occupants throughout their lifetime without the need for specialisation.
The Accessible house — designed to meet the needs of people requiring higher level access from the outset, and usually designed and built with a specific person’s needs in mind. An accessible house meets Australian Standard AS 1428.1-2001, Design for access and mobility, and is able to accommodate wheelchair users in all areas of the dwelling.
The Adaptable house — adopts the idea of a liveable house but is also able to be easily adapted to become an accessible house if needed.
In addition to these studies, Brisbane’s political leaders are making moves to incentivise developers to adopt ‘Liveable Housing’ to Gold Standards – something that O’Shea and Son’s has been and continues to stay ahead of the pack with.
The O’Shea approach blends the best of Liveable and Accessible designs, in order to create the best home for its first occupant, with little to no change needed for its last occupant, whenever that time may come.
From the outset of the design, partnerships with our long-standing suppliers including Mitre 10 Mega Hardware, means we have access to the highest quality materials, not to mention honest enthusiasm for creating a home that will stand the test of time. All in order to design towards the theory of ‘Universal Housing’.
The O’Shea and Son’s Pavilion Lutzow Project is a case study in Universal Housing that aims to create inclusive living whilst maintaining the highest feelings of luxury. Just some of the practical solutions incorporated in this build are:
- Oversized garage with built in workstation, storage and non-slip floorings allows for space in and around cars and workshop
- Ground level accessible bathroom with extra bracing for future rail needs
- Adjoining spacious bedroom with strategically placed furniture
- Extra wide benchtop (pairing back and reducing the number of wall and doors and the elimination of a splashback)
- Integrated appliances all within functional reach and useability
- Pull down doors for pantry again easy for young or old to use
- Recessed or bifold doors on sinks and cooktop
- Lower level bench great for kids or the elderly
- Integrated lift for ease of travel between floors of the build
- A seamless connection between indoors and outdoors allows for engagement and makes life simpler and safer for residents or visitors young or old, able-bodied or mobility challenged.
Consequently, the Lutzow Case Study is a home that is built to support its first occupants in their every need as part of the ageing population of Australia with a deep respect of their autonomy and delivering well-deserved feelings of luxury. Additionally, this home is designed to revolve and evolve for the entire family. This then creates not just a home, but an investment that will maintain its value and economic strengths as the years roll on. Our partners at Jazz Design are certified assessors for Liveable Design, meaning all eyes were on the prize with this stunning project – and people are noticing; Complete Homes has done a little write up on the project! Not to forget this feature by Grand Designs Australia as well.
Liveable Homes truly are the future of domestic building across the world. They support the important cultural and domestic needs of a population rediscovering the benefits of Multi-Generational Living without sacrificing the sense of ‘private retreat’ and autonomy that our nation now thrives off.