Useful Tips
Useful Tips
Lifemark® Design Standards
Based on five key principles:
Top tips for a well-designed, usable house
Car Parking: Parking spaces should always allow you to open your car door fully and you should be able to easily move around the vehicle.
Pathways and Entrance: You should be able to easily and safely access the entrance to a home, whatever your situation.
Bedrooms: Bedrooms should support ease of movement around bed.
Doors and Taps: Lever handle door handles and taps are easier to operate than round door knobs.
Internal doors: Keep them wide enough to facilitate comfortable movement.
Internal Stairways: Stairs should be wide and well-lit and designed with handrails to reduce the likelihood of injury.
Laundry: The laundry should be designed to support ease of movement and use of both appliances and storage space.
Light Switches and Powerpoints: If they’re placed at convenient heights and away from corners, they are easy to reach for all.
Windows: Controls should be at an easy to operate height and sills should allow easy viewing of the outdoor space from either a seated or standing position.
Bathrooms: It’s best for the entry living level to have a toilet and shower that can be easily and independently used by all occupants and visitors.
Universal Design, what is it?
Universal Design involves designing products and spaces so that they can be used by the widest range of people possible. Universal Design recognises that there is a wide spectrum of human abilities. Everyone, even the most able-bodied person, passes through childhood, periods of temporary illness, injury and old age. By designing for this human diversity, we can create things that will be easier for all people to use.
Universal Design takes into account the full range of human diversity, including physical, perceptual and cognitive abilities, as well as different body sizes and shapes. Check out these sites to find out more about Universal Design.
