Universal Design in Practice at Notre Dame Living, Pukekohe
Universal Design in Practice at Notre Dame Living, Pukekohe
A well-designed home should be comfortable and easy to live in today, while remaining practical as people’s circumstances change.
At Notre Dame Living in Pukekohe, this thinking has been incorporated from the beginning. Developed by Ramwall Group, the completed development comprises 23 single-level, two-bedroom homes, each of which has achieved a Lifemark© 4 Sustainable Ageing certification.
Designed for people aged 55 and over, the homes demonstrate how Universal Design can support safety, independence and long-term liveability without compromising the comfort or character of a home.
Designed for Changing Needs
Lifemark© 4 Sustainable Ageing recognises housing that is age-friendly, adaptable and designed to support people through different stages of life.
For Notre Dame Living, accessibility is an integral part of the design rather than something to be added later. Each home includes practical features that make everyday movement easier and allow the space to be adapted if a resident’s needs change.
These include:
- Single-level living and step-free entry
- Wider doorways and circulation spaces
- Accessible bathroom layouts
- Reinforced bathroom walls, allowing grab rails to be installed in the future if required
- Open and practical living spaces designed for comfort and ease of use
Many of these details may not be immediately noticeable, and that is part of good Universal Design. They sit naturally within the home, allowing it to work well for a wide range of people without making the space feel clinical or institutional.
Supporting Independence and Connection
The thinking behind Notre Dame Living extends beyond the individual homes.
The development has been arranged in a village-style setting, with landscaped areas and pedestrian connections between the homes. This creates opportunities for neighbours to connect while allowing each household to retain its privacy and independence.
For people planning for the years ahead, having an accessible home within a connected community can make a meaningful difference. It can help residents remain confident in their surroundings, continue their everyday routines and live independently for longer.
This is central to sustainable ageing: creating homes that can accommodate change rather than requiring people to move simply because their existing home no longer works for them.
Continuing the Collaboration
Lifemark© worked alongside Ramwall Group during the development process, providing guidance against the Lifemark© Design Standards and helping the project team work through practical accessibility considerations.
For Ramwall Group, the experience gained through earlier developments helped inform the approach taken at Notre Dame Living.
“Working with Lifemark© across our projects has shown us how much difference decisions made early in the design process can make to the people who eventually live in the homes,” says Arjun Sami, Managing Director of Ramwall Group.
“With Notre Dame Living, we wanted accessibility to feel like a natural part of a well-designed home. The aim was to create a development that supports independence and remains practical as people’s circumstances change.”
The Lifemark© team also recently visited the completed Notre Dame Living development. The visit provided an opportunity to walk through the homes and see how the accessibility principles considered during the design process had translated into the finished project.
“Walking through the finished homes at Notre Dame Living, it is clear how naturally the Universal Design features sit within each space,” says Geoff Penrose, General Manager of Lifemark©. “Ramwall Group considered accessibility from the very beginning, and the result is a development where residents can feel confident that their home will continue to work for them as their needs change.”
Designing Better Homes for the Future
Notre Dame Living shows that accessible design can sit naturally within mainstream residential development.
When considered early and applied thoughtfully, Universal Design can contribute to homes that are comfortable, practical and better suited to people throughout different stages of life.
As demand grows for more adaptable and future-ready housing, developments such as Notre Dame Living provide a useful example of what can be achieved when developers and accessibility specialists work together from the beginning.
By achieving a Lifemark© 4 Sustainable Ageing rating across all 23 homes, Notre Dame Living demonstrates that accessibility, comfort and good residential design can work naturally together.
We are pleased to have continued our collaboration with Ramwall Group and to support another development that recognises the everyday value of Universal Design.
