Developer: Universal design a no-brainer for cost and humanity
AT the end of her interview with Sunday News, developer Kirsty Merriman asks a pertinent question: ‘‘You’ve got your friend who’s in a wheelchair. Can you get them into your house? I’ll be able to get them into this house.’’
Merriman is talking about four units she has in a medium-density complex that are fully accessible Lifemark-rated rentals designed to accommodate people with a range of disabilities. And she makes the point that every one of us, at some stage of our lives, is going to need accessible housing, and she is doing something about it.
You may have seen Merriman before. She is the developer who tracked, with Apple Airtags, a thief who had stolen plants at her Takanini property, and called police. (The person who stole the plants pleaded guilty in court and is due for sentencing in October.)
Meanwhile, Merriman has completed her build, sold some units and is renting out others. And the first tenant, Jason Bryers, has just moved into one of her fully accessible units.
Her units (or apartments) became available just as disability advocate and wheelchair user
Juliana Carvalho called for the Building Act to be amended so that all residential housing is built following universal design principles. The Department of Statistics notes that a mere 2% of NZ’s housing stock can be classed as accessible.
Merriman says there’s effectively no extra cost involved in building a home to universal design standards, but it’s a decision that needs to be made at the design stage. ‘‘They may be marginally more; you may need to put in one more light switch.’’
She commissioned The Development Collective to provide a bespoke design.
‘‘My premise is responsible housing. I wanted to be responsible socially, environmentally and financially, creating houses for the people that actually live in them, not just creating boxes. I was never going to simply buy a cheap $5000 plan off the internet as many other developers do. Ready-made plans don’t readily adapt for the site they are on, and they don’t adapt for people.’’
Merriman chose to work with project management company PJM Projects and builder Green Homes NZ, which was one of the first companies to build accessible
homes using the Lifemark certification system.
‘‘You don’t have to have Lifemark, but they have thought very, very hard and carefully about what a house needs, and you have to score points. We have a Lifemark 5 rating – we have just one wheelchair ramp, but we could have earned an extra point if we had provided two.
‘‘We want people to realise that this is do-able, as a private developer. As the plans were being drawn up, we made sure they were capable or wide doorways and all those details. We made sure they were fully accessible. And even for me now, these are better homes, as I am less likely to slip – the floors are slip-resistant. The power points are better placed. They are safer for everyone.’’
Jason Bryers (Ngāti Porou, Ngāpuhi), a mental health support worker, can vouch for the ease of access.
‘‘Having a unit that’s accessible not only supports my disability and the way I live, but is also giving me a safe space to live in and call home. This apartment is my first after moving out of home, and I was really pleased to be given the opportunity to live here.
‘‘The design of the space has been well-thought-out for all ages, from babies to young adults to the elderly. That’s why it was really appealing to me.’’
Bryers says the features they like the most are the small things you don’t really notice, like the fact the light switches are all within reach and align with the door handles – there is no strain on the body trying to reach them.
‘‘Those small things really make a difference when you’re moving through the space.
‘‘And the bathroom is nice and spacious, with good accessibility.’’
Bryers has enjoyed personalising their unit with bright furnishings and family antiques, and they have created an environment where they can indulge their passion for music, songwriting and poetry.
Matt Schroder, general manager of construction company Green Homes, says it was great to find a developer interested in universal design, something his team had already been working on.
‘‘We looked at the market to see where there was a hole and where there were people that weren’t catered for. I’ve got a really good friend who is in a wheelchair, so looking at the way he lived and what he was provided with through ACC with amendments to a property – you can never get it 100%. So it was great to be able to look and see what works [elsewhere] 100%, and then seek out who was involved, and
Lifemark were the people catering for that.’’
However, Schroder notes it has not yet been picked up for Kāinga Ora social housing building projects. ‘‘Their scope of design is not inclusive of everyone in society at the moment, but we are hoping to see that change going forward.’’
Kāinga Ora’s Accessibility Policy states that by July 2022, 15% of planned new builds will provide for full accessibility. Several of the units in Merriman’s development are rented by Kāinga Ora tenants at market rents. Others have been sold to private buyers.