- Home
What is Adaptable Design?
An adaptable design accommodates lifestyle changes without the need to demolish or substantially modify the existing structure and services." In some cases, haphazardly designed homes will oblige homeowners to change their residence due to life situations. For example, perhaps a two-story house may have bedrooms located only on the second story and a steep set of stairs. This layout will often mean that elderly couples will need to move to a home with easier bedroom access. Similarly, a smaller house that has only one room that can practically act as a bedroom will often force young couples to change homes once children come along.
On the other hand, adaptable homes are specifically designed so that a single space or room can cover several different functions and roles throughout the lifetime of the house. A room used as a home office during the first years of occupancy be converted into a child's bedroom, a teenager's private retreat space, a family study, or an extra bedroom for a guest during different periods.
Factors to Be Considered When Using Adaptable Design for a Building or Renovation Project
Whether you are searching the market for your first home or are already an established homeowner looking to renovate, there are several considerations when implementing adaptable design.
Aging
An increasing number of people live independently into their later years, and adaptable design requires us to think about the needs of different occupants of varying ages. Older age often comes with reduced mobility. It is essential to think about how a home can be accessible when we are no longer able to climb stairs several times each day. Wider doorways and stairways, for example, allow for wheelchairs to move between rooms effortlessly.
Changing Family Situations
Children inevitably grow up and eventually move out. These changing family situations mean that a home might start with one or two occupants. It could then swell to 6 or 7 (depending on the number of children and extended family arrangements) and then slowly reduce to two again. Adaptable design should include flexible room functionality so that spaces can continue to be useful and valuable throughout these changing home demographics.
Climate Change
Adaptable design also needs to consider how changing weather and climatic patterns might affect the future house structure. Incorporating resiliency strategies to protect the home from floods, wildfires, and other extreme weather events is essential. As global fossil-fuel reserves dwindle, all-electric homes will be strategically positioned to stay powered by emerging renewable energy technologies. Energy-efficient homes with exceptional thermal performance will also be better prepared to deal with weather extremes.
Bottom line
Building or renovating a home requires hundreds, if not thousands, of decisions. It's important for houses that will truly last a lifetime to think about design - adaptable design - at the outset.
Tobias Roberts
Tobias runs an agroecology farm and a natural building collective in the mountains of El Salvador. He specializes in earthen construction methods and uses permaculture design methods to integrate structures into the sustainability of the landscape.
