RetroFit Kit: Design Tools for Making Our Homes Accessible

RetroFit Kit exemplifies the Urban Lab applied research approach and working model. This models pursues design excellence through:

ADVOCACY THROUGH DESIGN
Retrofit Kit is developed through an integration of practice-based design and urban planning research that combines multi-scalar architectural design investigations with policy studies focused on transitioning to sustainable and equitable communities. It draws on its strengths across MADA with external partners to support and advocate for applied research solutions to human challenges facing cities and towns.

CONTRIBUTION TO COMMUNITY
Urban Lab projects sit under interlinked themes, such as inclusive, compact and ecological. Projects focus on intensive, quality, human-centred and holistic development models for regeneration within established urban areas. Aiming to provide equitable living choices for all, RetroFit Kit exemplifies this emphasis with a focus on people with disability and ageing populations.

HUMAN CENTRED DESIGN
Urban Lab’s design strategies are developed through applied projects that offer both flexibility and specificity in relation to user’s needs. We study how people occupy and use space and propose design adjustments and improvements to that space to make it more human centred and enrich people’s everyday lives.

EDUCATION AND THE PROFESSION
Urban Lab implements collaborative practice-based design research that brings together acclaimed design practitioners, topic experts, educators and students to tackle challenges in social, economic, cultural and community contexts. This model of applied research enables ongoing professional development and supports the education of the future generation of design professionals. The integration of research, teaching, advocacy and design application is a powerful framework for inclusive and impactful design practice.

COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE
Urban Lab includes academic researchers and graduate students from architecture, urban planning and urban design. The team works with state governments and government agencies, built environment professionals and organisations, communities of interest, and researchers and academics from multiple disciplines within Monash and other universities.

There is extensive existing Australian research into supporting people with disability to live independently in suitable homes and neighbourhoods. RetroFit Kit builds on and complements this research through an emphasis on the role of design in enabling quality and dignified solutions for equitable housing utilising a repeatable and scalar approach. The project makes this contribution through the provision of:

• A contextual design approach which integrates universal and generic accessibility principles, with a kit of parts approach that enables tailored retrofit solutions for common house types, rooms and elements in relation to the particular lived experience and needs of individuals with diverse disability. Such an approach allows for replicability of design strategies across these familiar types.
• A holistic design approach that moves beyond the functional and accessibility aspects of regulations, to consider how design strategies can seamlessly integrate social, environmental and economic performance measures to create a dignity-enabling home environment that contributes to well-being and life choices.
• A systematic design guide aimed at redirecting some of the large renovation spend in ways that would benefit people with disability, but also the whole community. The aim is to have an impact on the accessibility and quality of existing housing stock at scale.

The approach of RetroFit Kit is strongly underpinned by sustainability and circular design through its core approach that involves an holistic, re-working of existing housing stock to extend its life, quality and inclusion.

Retrofit Kit sets out tools and strategies for inclusive reconfiguration of domestic homes. The example of a garage conversion illustrates our thinking. Our study found that homes with a garage offer significant opportunities for inclusive conversion. Typical garages, with standard dimensions, enable practical adaptation at low cost, with efficient and sustainable prefabricated and modular elements with potential for bespoke arrangements. Using few resources by working with what there is, garages can be converted to private, independent dwellings or semi-public rooms that are connected to the street.

RetroFit Kit applies intelligent design to elevate the quality and performance of existing homes at the scale of the city. The project works with the premise that small scale change if approached strategically and as a holistic system, can achieve large-scale social and environmental reform at the level of the city. Our ultimate aim is to improve access to dignified home environments for all, with significantly less-resources than is consumed by new builds.