UNIVERSAL DESIGN HOUSE MODEL FOR ELDERLY WITH LOW INCOME

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the Universal Design (UD) house for Thai elderly with low income under the budget of 100,000 Baht (approximately 2,662 USD). Houses of older persons and people with disabilities mostly cannot be easily renovated because the house architectural structures are extremely dilapidated. The budget from Thai government for house renovation is insufficient, so additional budget from local government and other organizations is required to renovate or rebuild the elderly’s houses for their better quality of life. To ensure sufficient budget, policy makers should expand the budget to 100,000 Baht per household with criteria of the urgency of construction improvement, which are 1) environment, 2) health, 3) society, and 4) overall opinion of the community. The 100,000 UD house is designed and built as a 1:1 model that was first showed in Thailand Friendly Design Expo for satisfaction survey. Most of the participants agree that the budget should be increased (74.7%) and that the elderly’s house should be rebuilt (76.2%) rather than renovated (39.2%). The result on the 100,000 UD house model is that it should have at least the necessary zones, which are the sleeping area, bathroom, cooking area, area connected the sleeping area, and the multipurpose area that constitutes 30-40% of the total housing area. This research would be beneficial for the government in improving the quality of life of elderly, underprivileged people.