Liveable Homes
Universal Housing
Liveable homes are designed to avoid barriers to people staying in their homes as their needs change, like avoiding later major adaptation of the home or specialised design. Delivery of liveable housing is guided by a series of design levels with Silver being the basic, with further requirements for Gold and Platinum Level Housing Design to achieve higher levels of liveability.
Silver Level Housing
Liveable Housing with Silver Level Housing Design provides:
- a safe continuous and step free path of travel from the street entrance and/or parking area to a dwelling entrance that is level
- at least one level (step-free) entrance into the dwelling
- internal doors and corridors that facilitate comfortable and unimpeded movement between spaces
- a toilet on the ground (or entry) level that provides easy access
- a bathroom that contains a hobless, or stepless, shower recess
- reinforced walls around the toilet, shower and bath to support the safe installation of grab-rails at a later date
- stairways designed to reduce the likelihood of injury and also enable future adaptation
At Wisdom Homes, our Design team have reviewed the requirements to become Silver Level compliant. Below is an example of where a floorplan would be modified to achieve Silver Level Liveability.
Floorplan
1. Path
- a. 1:14 path from boundary to Porch
2. Step free entry
- a. 20mm step down & ramp
- b. 1200x1200 landing in front of door
- c. 920 (min) Front Door
3. Doors and Passages
- a. 920 doors throughout (except cupboards and robes)
- b. 1020 min passage width
4. Toilets
- a. No step to wet areas
- b. 900x1200 area in front of pan clear of obstructions and door swings
- c. Provision in rear and side walls for handrails
5. Showers
- a. No step to wet areas
- b. No hob to shower
- c. Provision in rear and side walls for handrails
- d. Screens able to be removed
6. Baths
- a. No step to wet areas
- b. Provision in rear and side walls for handrails