10.4225/49/587580fd7a7a2
Robert Crawford
Robert
Crawford
Clare Newton
Clare
Newton
Ajibade Ayodeji Aibinu
Ajibade Ayodeji
Aibinu
Elizabeth Ozanne
Elizabeth
Ozanne
Tom Kvan
Tom
Kvan
Alan Pert
Alan
Pert
Carolyn Whitzman
Carolyn
Whitzman
Sarah Backhouse
Sarah
Backhouse
Agile housing for an Ageing Australia
The University of Melbourne
2017
agile housing; seniors housing; design and prefabrication; rightsizing
Architectural Design
Architectural Science and Technology (incl. Acoustics, Lighting, Structure and Ecologically Sustainable Design)
Housing Markets, Development, Management
2017-01-11 00:48:58
Journal contribution
https://melbourne.figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/Agile_housing_for_an_Ageing_Australia/4538366
By 2055, Australia’s 65+ population will have doubled and, if current strategies are followed, it
is likely that the housing available will be inappropriate. Today’s housing stock will still be in use yet few
developers and designers are capitalising on the potential of agile housing and, more broadly, the
creation of age-friendly neighbourhoods. Current changes in design and prefabrication technology,
along with government initiatives for ageing at home in preference to institutional care, have the
potential to transform the way we consider housing design to support changing demographics. This
research considers agile housing for an ageing population from the perspectives of urban planning,
design, prefabrication, sustainability, life-cycle costing and social gerontology. We highlight the need for
interdisciplinary perspectives in order to consider how entrenched policy, planning, design and
construction practices can be encouraged to change through advocacy, design speculation and scenario
testing to deliver right-sized housing. A cradle-to-grave perspective requires the exploration of the social
and practical benefits of housing in multigenerational communities. This research links to concurrent
work on affordable housing solutions and the potential of an industry, government and academic
partnership to present an Australian Housing Exposition, that will highlight the possibilities of a more
agile housing approach.