Livable Housing Design Guidelines

When you’re designing a new home, it’s easy to focus on your immediate needs, like how many bedrooms you’ll have or whether you want the kitchen to face the morning sun. But have you thought about how your home will serve you over the next five, ten, or even twenty years? Livable housing design guidelines offer you a blueprint for this, helping you create a home that remains functional and accessible for years to come, no matter how much your life changes.

What is Livable Housing Design?

Put simply, livable housing design is about creating spaces in your home that are safe, accessible, and adaptable, serving the needs of all occupants. Imagine a home where older people, young children, or someone with a temporary injury can move freely without obstacles. That’s the goal – future flexibility.

By planning for the long term, your home can adapt to changing circumstances without the need for extensive renovation or building work. For example, designing with spatial elements like wider hallways and a step-free entrance means your home can accommodate a wheelchair in the future if ever needed. It’s all about making your house future-ready while also keeping it stylish and functional for today.

Why is Livable Housing Design Important?

While the main focus of livable housing design is accessibility, there are some other things that make it an important thing to consider. For starters, it improves the overall functionality of your home, and simple adjustments like a toilet that’s easily accessible on the entry level or bathrooms designed to support grab rail installation can make daily life easier for everyone, not just the people who immediately need these features.

It also has the potential to save costs further down the line. This is because homes built with livable housing design requirements in mind don’t require costly repairs or alterations further down the line to accommodate life changes. For instance, an entry-level bathroom with reinforced walls will give you future flexibility, making it much easier to install accessibility features when they’re needed.

How Does Livable Housing Design Relate to the National Construction Code?

In Australia, the National Construction Code (NCC) and Building Code of Australia (BCA) provide the framework for all building work, including the construction of new homes and the renovation of existing homes. Now, while these codes establish the minimum standards for safety, health, and amenity in buildings, they don’t always address the full scope of livable housing design.

The livable housing design guidelines act as a supplement to the NCC, providing you with best-practice advice that goes beyond the minimum standards. For example, while the National Construction Code might mandate certain structural requirements for safety, the livable housing design guidelines suggest additional measures to help with accessibility, like lower window sills for better visibility or step-free entrances.

It is worth noting, however, that new requirements for housing design are emerging, with increasing emphasis on livable standards and some provisions from the livable housing design guidelines may soon become mandatory for certain types of building work. So, make sure you keep up to date about these changes to make sure your home design complies with the newest applicable standards.

Livable Housing Design Guidelines: Silver, Gold, and Platinum Levels

So, that’s how it works with the National Construction Code and the Building Code of Australia, essentially acting as a more detailed supplement and offering advice on future flexibility. But when you look closer at the guidelines, you’ll notice that they are split into three performance levels: Silver, Gold, and Platinum. But what does each mean?

Silver Level

The Silver Level focuses on seven core design elements that address key structural and spatial elements that are important for future proofing and adaptability, and incorporating these features during the initial design phase can prevent the need for costly modifications later on.

Gold Level

Building up on the Silver Level, the Gold Level includes twelve core design elements and introduces the idea of generous dimensions, as well as adding features in areas like the kitchen and bedroom that further improve functionality and comfort.

Platinum Level

The Platinum Level represents the highest standard in the Livable Housing Design Guidelines, encompassing all 15 design elements. This level is aimed at accommodating aging in place and individuals with higher mobility needs, with more generous dimensions and considerations for flooring and high-traffic areas.

The 15 Elements of Livable Housing Design

As you can see from the above, each level contains a number of design elements. But what are they? To make things a little easier to understand when thinking about which level is best for your needs, it’s best to look at what each of the 15 design elements entails and how they’re useful, keeping in mind that Silver focuses on the first seven, Gold on the first twelve, and Platinum on all 15.

1. Dwelling Access

Creating a continuous, step-free pathway from the street, driveway, or parking area to the home’s entry is one of the foundational livable housing design requirements. This pathway should be smooth, even, and wide enough to accommodate mobility aids like wheelchairs or prams, providing accessibility for all.

2. Dwelling Entrance

The main entry to the home should be step-free to allow easy access for people with mobility impairments or pushing prams. This feature is particularly important for older people as it helps prevent trips and falls, not to mention it also ensure the home complies with modern accessibility standards.

3. Internal Corridors and Doors

Spatial elements like wide doorways and hallways make it easier for everyone to move around the home, including those that use mobility aids. This is especially good for habitable rooms, such as bedrooms and living areas, where comfort and ease of movement are a high priority.

4. Toilet

An accessible toilet on the entry level is especially useful for visitors who may have limited mobility and it means that the home can accommodate all occupants and guests without renovation work needed in the future.

5. Shower

Bathrooms are high-use spaces that benefit greatly from accessible design. A step-free shower, for instance, reduces the risk of slips and falls and makes sure the space is easier to use, no matter a person’s mobility or ability. This design is also future-proof, so there won’t need to be any major alterations as needs change.

6. Reinforcement of Bathroom & Toilet Walls

Reinforced walls in the bathroom around the toilet, shower, and bath give you the opportunity to install grab rails when needed. This, again, gives you future flexibility and helps people maintain independence in their daily routines, especially as they age.

7. Internal Stairways

If your home includes stairs, they should be designed with safety in mind. This means slip-resistant surfaces and handrails, along with sufficient space for installing a stairlift so they remain accessible for everyone over time.

8. Kitchen Space

A kitchen should be designed with usability and accessibility in mind, which means adequate space between benches and around appliances, as well as consideration for future adaptability. This could include installing adjustable-height benches or shelves, keeping food preparation safe and enjoyable for years to come.

9. Laundry Space

The laundry room is another area where spatial elements matter, and providing enough room to move around comfortable and allowing for future modifications can be functional for everyone. Also, thoughtful placement of appliances and easy-to-use fixtures will keep the space ready and easy-to-use moving forward.

10. Ground Bedroom Space

Having a bedroom on the entry level means that occupants and guests with mobility issues or recovering from an injury have access to sleeping quarters without having the navigate the stairs. Likewise, should you find you become less mobile in the future, you won’t have to worry about adapting the space down the line.

11. Switches & Powerpoints

Light switches and powerpoints should be installed at heights that are easy to reach for all users, including those in wheelchairs.

12. Door & Tap Hardware

Lever-style door handles and taps are far easier to operate than traditional knobs, making them more user-friendly for people with arthritis or limited dexterity, as well as young children. Installing these fixtures now can also reduce the need for replacements in the long run.

13. Window Sills

Windows with low sill heights allow everyone, whether seated or standing, to enjoy the view outside, and they can also improve natural light within the home.

14. Flooring

The choice of flooring can massively impact the safety and usability of a home. Slip-resistant materials, particularly in wet areas like kitchens, bathrooms, and laundries, reduce the likelihood off accidents and are an extremely important element of livable housing design.

15. Parking

If your home includes a parking space, it should be accessible and designed with future flexibility in mind. This might mean having space for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle or making sure the parking area is level and close to the home’s entrance.

Choosing the Right Level for Your New Home

Deciding which level is right for your home really depends on your current needs and your future plans. The Silver Level is a good, basic foundation to follow for accessibility and is a practical choice for most homeowners, while the Gold and Platinum Levels give you greater future flexibility, which is ideal if you’re building your “forever home”.

Top tip: Check out the latest NCC changes before building your new home, to ensure you are across the latest changes.

Get free advice on livable housing design from an experienced building broker

At Buildi, we know that creating a home is all about making sure it remains functional and accessible for years to come. The Livable Housing Design Guidelines are an excellent way of future-proofing, and as building brokers, we’re here to help you bring those principles to your new home. Get in touch with us today at 1300 947 132 or through our Contact Form for a free consultation, and let us help make your dream home a reality.