Rise of Inclusive Design Incentives Building Age-friendly Homes
Rise of Inclusive Design Incentives Building Age-friendly Homes
The source text is in Chinese. This English version is for reference only. In case of any discrepancy between this English version and the Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail. 
Since the first proposal for the elderly care policy concept of "home care" in 1973, the Government has been committed to promoting ageing in place, enabling elderly persons to live comfortably in their familiar communities. The design of residential environments and supporting services is critically important to the elderly's quality of life. Appropriate support can retard physical decline, which has the potential to both reduce medical expenses and enable seniors to enjoy a healthier twilight year.
Last year, the Government revised the "Design Manual: Barrier Free Access", incorporated the concept of "Age-Friendliness" into the "Well-being Design" guide and formulated a series of design requirements aimed at promoting age-friendly building design, demonstrating its strong emphasis on this subject. From a forward-looking perspective, the following will further explore potential directions for age-friendly design.
Pros and Cons of the Long Established "Universal design"
Over the past two decades, the Hong Kong Housing Authority have adopted "universal design" in public rental housing and the Hong Kong Housing Society in subsidised sale flats. The design emphases on barrier-free elements such as wheelchair accessibility and adjustable sinks, fundamentally aiming to create a livable environment. The Government has also actively launched various design guidelines covering residential buildings, public spaces, and outdoor environments, allowing for the inclusion of the widest possible array of people of different ages and abilities.
"Universal design" elements include step-free entries, spacious corridors, and light switches at appropriate heights. Although they deserve widespread application, private developers are generally aware that the standardised solutions behind the concept are tricky to meet diverse market needs and are thus rarely adopted. For example, younger home buyers often perceive incorporating obvious universal design elements into homes and their surroundings as neither necessary nor aesthetic. In some cases, those features can even occupy saleable area, significantly reducing their desire to purchase. For cognitively capable seniors, high-contrast colour designs for the prevention of cognitive impairment may not be appealing enough to them.
"Inclusive Design" Builds on Yet Outshines "Universal Design"
Universal design and market demands do not appear to be wholly compatible — yet "inclusive design" may be a potential solution. "Universal design" aims at "design for all", whereas "inclusive design" goes further by emphasising "design for difference". Inclusive design is accessibility-based with space reserved for future home modifications and better utilisation of living environments according to residents’ needs at different life stages.
As early as 1991, the United Kingdom (UK) introduced the "Lifetime Homes Standards" with 16 design criteria. Through a series of floor-plan examples, designers, architects, and developers were guided to create homes with future adaptability, allowing residents to stay under the same roof through the entire life cycle of growth, adulthood and senior living. A research in the UK predicts that homes built to the Standards can significantly increase seniors' living independence, reduce health risks in the home, improve overall well-being, promote social and economic participation, and yield considerable reduction in healthcare and social expenditures for the UK government.
Taking bathroom design as an illustration, most current residential units primarily target younger families and therefore typically include bathtubs. However, as residents age, bathtubs can pose a risk of slips and falls as residents have difficulty getting in and out, in addition to limiting space for movement there. In response, the UK's "Lifetime Homes Standards" explicitly require the installation of a drainage system underneath a bathtub to facilitate future conversion to a shower. Additionally, after the removal of the bathtub, a circular space for movement measuring at least 1500mm in diameter should be provided in the bathroom to accommodate equipment such as a shower seat or a wheelchair for ensuring their safety and convenience of living.
"Lifetime Homes" Is a Precautionary Measures that Brook No Delay
The UK has adopted a gradual approach to promoting inclusive design, progressively integrating Lifetime Homes Standards into building regulations — from initially incorporating two of the 16 Standards in 2011 to 12 in 2024. Some local governments in the United States also offer various incentives to promote inclusive design.
Recently, Hong Kong's Buildings Department has adopted Building Environmental Assessment Method Plus (BEAM Plus) assessment as one of the prerequisites for seeking gross floor area (GFA) concessions. Within the BEAM Plus assessment framework, the "Health and Wellbeing" category accounts for over one-fifth of the total score. To some extent, it has promoted human-centric home design. Hence, the Government should proactively investigate and launch "Lifetime Homes Standards" tailored to Hong Kong as soon as possible. This would provide the market with comprehensive and practical inclusive design guidelines. Meanwhile, the Government should formulate measures to incentivise the market adoption of the Standards.
By 2046, the proportion of Hong Kong's elderly population aged 65 or above is expected to reach 36%, and the average age of local private housing will be 33 years. Facing this dual-ageing phenomenon, the Government and market must adopt a forward-looking perspective to promote age-friendly design concepts in new residential developments in response to growing demand. In the long run, inclusive design should become a basic requirement for Hong Kong home design. Moreover, the Government may grant GFA concessions or other additional incentives for those that comply with the inclusive design in order to encourage market development. Soon in 11 years’ time, every third person in Hong Kong will be a senior. Therefore, Hong Kong demands more inclusive residential units to achieve the vision of "healthy ageing in place".
The source text is in Chinese. This English version is for reference only. In case of any discrepancy between this English version and the Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.
Since the first proposal for the elderly care policy concept of "home care" in 1973, the Government has been committed to promoting ageing in place, enabling elderly persons to live comfortably in their familiar communities. The design of residential environments and supporting services is critically important to the elderly's quality of life. Appropriate support can retard physical decline, which has the potential to both reduce medical expenses and enable seniors to enjoy a healthier twilight year.
Last year, the Government revised the "Design Manual: Barrier Free Access", incorporated the concept of "Age-Friendliness" into the "Well-being Design" guide and formulated a series of design requirements aimed at promoting age-friendly building design, demonstrating its strong emphasis on this subject. From a forward-looking perspective, the following will further explore potential directions for age-friendly design.
Pros and Cons of the Long Established "Universal design"
Over the past two decades, the Hong Kong Housing Authority have adopted "universal design" in public rental housing and the Hong Kong Housing Society in subsidised sale flats. The design emphases on barrier-free elements such as wheelchair accessibility and adjustable sinks, fundamentally aiming to create a livable environment. The Government has also actively launched various design guidelines covering residential buildings, public spaces, and outdoor environments, allowing for the inclusion of the widest possible array of people of different ages and abilities.
"Universal design" elements include step-free entries, spacious corridors, and light switches at appropriate heights. Although they deserve widespread application, private developers are generally aware that the standardised solutions behind the concept are tricky to meet diverse market needs and are thus rarely adopted. For example, younger home buyers often perceive incorporating obvious universal design elements into homes and their surroundings as neither necessary nor aesthetic. In some cases, those features can even occupy saleable area, significantly reducing their desire to purchase. For cognitively capable seniors, high-contrast colour designs for the prevention of cognitive impairment may not be appealing enough to them.
"Inclusive Design" Builds on Yet Outshines "Universal Design"
Universal design and market demands do not appear to be wholly compatible — yet "inclusive design" may be a potential solution. "Universal design" aims at "design for all", whereas "inclusive design" goes further by emphasising "design for difference". Inclusive design is accessibility-based with space reserved for future home modifications and better utilisation of living environments according to residents’ needs at different life stages.
As early as 1991, the United Kingdom (UK) introduced the "Lifetime Homes Standards" with 16 design criteria. Through a series of floor-plan examples, designers, architects, and developers were guided to create homes with future adaptability, allowing residents to stay under the same roof through the entire life cycle of growth, adulthood and senior living. A research in the UK predicts that homes built to the Standards can significantly increase seniors' living independence, reduce health risks in the home, improve overall well-being, promote social and economic participation, and yield considerable reduction in healthcare and social expenditures for the UK government.
Taking bathroom design as an illustration, most current residential units primarily target younger families and therefore typically include bathtubs. However, as residents age, bathtubs can pose a risk of slips and falls as residents have difficulty getting in and out, in addition to limiting space for movement there. In response, the UK's "Lifetime Homes Standards" explicitly require the installation of a drainage system underneath a bathtub to facilitate future conversion to a shower. Additionally, after the removal of the bathtub, a circular space for movement measuring at least 1500mm in diameter should be provided in the bathroom to accommodate equipment such as a shower seat or a wheelchair for ensuring their safety and convenience of living.
"Lifetime Homes" Is a Precautionary Measures that Brook No Delay
The UK has adopted a gradual approach to promoting inclusive design, progressively integrating Lifetime Homes Standards into building regulations — from initially incorporating two of the 16 Standards in 2011 to 12 in 2024. Some local governments in the United States also offer various incentives to promote inclusive design.
Recently, Hong Kong's Buildings Department has adopted Building Environmental Assessment Method Plus (BEAM Plus) assessment as one of the prerequisites for seeking gross floor area (GFA) concessions. Within the BEAM Plus assessment framework, the "Health and Wellbeing" category accounts for over one-fifth of the total score. To some extent, it has promoted human-centric home design. Hence, the Government should proactively investigate and launch "Lifetime Homes Standards" tailored to Hong Kong as soon as possible. This would provide the market with comprehensive and practical inclusive design guidelines. Meanwhile, the Government should formulate measures to incentivise the market adoption of the Standards.
By 2046, the proportion of Hong Kong's elderly population aged 65 or above is expected to reach 36%, and the average age of local private housing will be 33 years. Facing this dual-ageing phenomenon, the Government and market must adopt a forward-looking perspective to promote age-friendly design concepts in new residential developments in response to growing demand. In the long run, inclusive design should become a basic requirement for Hong Kong home design. Moreover, the Government may grant GFA concessions or other additional incentives for those that comply with the inclusive design in order to encourage market development. Soon in 11 years’ time, every third person in Hong Kong will be a senior. Therefore, Hong Kong demands more inclusive residential units to achieve the vision of "healthy ageing in place".
