Modular housing for older people in rural areas
Overview
In response to the growing ageing population, the initiative seeks to address the housing needs of older individuals by creating low-cost, energy-efficient, single-story housing in a modular courtyard-style development. This project, funded by Innovate UK, a collaboration between Karbon Homes and Edwards Architecture, aims to use smaller, infill brownfield sites to provide ageing-friendly accommodation that supports older residents physically and emotionally and also frees up homes for younger families.
Project partners
Innovate UK
Karbon Homes
Edwards Architecture
The Rural Design Centre
Project Journey
The project journey began with scoping, followed by a literature review and case studies to understand older people's housing needs. We then conducted telephone interviews with 19 residents from rural areas in the North East of England, aged over 55, to understand their perceptions and ideal housing for ageing well.
Needs were divided into physical and emotional categories. Insights were tested and iterated through community engagement workshops in a village in County Durham and a rural town in Northumberland. Themes were further validated through interviews with housing and ageing experts and collective discussions with participants.
These insights have informed a housing design brief, aiming to create low-cost, energy-efficient, single-story housing in a modular courtyard-style development. Such a development can offer community-feel living for older people, address land availability challenges, and free up homes for younger families.
“We don’t need more boxes... we need a place for these people to live a life. It’s good to see you are doing more community engagement work to understand what people really need.”
Impacts
The initiative's impact is considerable. Older individuals can expect to save around 20% in housing costs with energy-efficient homes. Carbon emissions will be reduced by approximately 15% compared to standard housing.
Using infilled sites will enhance land use efficiency. The courtyard-style development is anticipated to strengthen community ties. The project is also expected to improve the well-being of older residents, which could reduce the demand for community care. Ultimately, this could free up more homes for younger families, helping to address housing shortages.