The Universal Need for
Housing
OBJECTIVES:
•
DEFINE HOUSING AND BRIEFLY DESCRIBE HOW IT
HAS EVOLVED
•
ANALYZE THE BASIC PHYSICAL AND
PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS THAT HOUSING SATISFIES
•
COMPARE AND CONTRAST HOUSING NEEDS AMONG
PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT AGES AND LIFE STAGES
•
ASSESS THE IMPORTANCE OF BUILDING HOMES
THAT FOLLOW THE CONCEPT OF UNIVERSAL
DESIGN
The Development of Housing


Basic role of housing is to provide protection and a safe
environment in which to live
Housing is defined as any structure
built for people to live in
Natural Shelters
 Before tools: dug pits to stay out
of wind, caves, trees
 Primitive tools allowed for
improvement of shelters
Portable Shelters
 Primitive people had to hunt, fish and gather food
to survive
 Moved a lot, created shelter that could be taken
apart and moved

Today, Nomads in parts of Africa still have portable huts
Permanent Shelters
 Development of farming and domesticating animals,




no need to move
Built close to resources: good soil, water supply and
building materials
Artic, use ice blocks
Bamboo/reeds New Guinea, Tigris and Euphrates
rivers
Limited resources resulted in mud brick houses
 As agriculture improved needed places to store
surplus
 Granary, (a new type of shelter) established idea of
building shelters for possessions
 Early as 3500 B.C. (Sumerians)
 Center of city larger homes made of wood for
wealthy
 Single story homes for middle class
 Outskirts of town farmers, crude mud brick homes
 Greeks, Romans, and Chinese all developed similar
communities

As the rich gained more possessions, interest grew in
protecting wealth
Built with more sturdy materials
 Medieval times Castles of stone with moats surrounding

Comfortable Shelters
 Medieval Time Castles were not for comfort

Stone, drafty, narrow windows for light
Renaissance period (Italy 1300’s)
 Increase interest in comfort
 Brighter, more sanitary, better ventilation
19th century
 Homes were used more for entertaining and
relaxation
 Wealthy and Middle Class expectations grew for
their homes
 Guests would stay for months at a time
Housing to Fit Human Needs
Physical Needs – all things the body
needs to survive: air, sunlight,
shelter, sleep and food
 Shelter

Elements of nature determines how we
build
 Sleep
 Provides a safe and comfortable place to
sleep
 North America specific rooms for
sleeping
 Other parts of the world this is not the
case (Japan, sleep on mats)
 Food
 Place for food preparation and
eating
 Not always a separate kitchen
 Safety and Security
 Towns/villages formed to help
protect each other
 Today increase security we add
locks, alarm system, neighborhood
watch
Psychological Needs are needs
related to thoughts and emotions
 This makes a house a home
 Love, belonging, fun, comfort, relaxation, trust,
privacy (time alone)
 Today people in neighborhoods interact less than in
the past


Creating planned communities to enhance the sense of
neighborhood
Big front porches/stoops
Identity in a House
 Personalize your home










Likes/Dislikes,
Larger homes with more wealth/achievement
Represents your values, beliefs, tastes and attitudes
Lifestyle is a way of living your life.
Creativity
Building a home
Paint color
Rearrange furniture
Art/refrigerator art
Space for hobbies
Housing and Individual Needs
through the Life Span
 Childhood/Single
 Beginning stage
 Parenting stage
 Launching Stage
 Aging stage/Middle age
 Retirement Stage
Special Housing Needs
 Senior housing choices
 Retirement housing to nursing homes
 In home assisted care
 Served meals, socialize, and provide transportation
Special Housing Needs
 Disabilities
 Technology has greatly improved
 Hearing impaired
 Visually impaired
 Wheel chairs
 Mental Disabilities
Universal Design
Most homes in the past were
designed for the “Average
Person”
 Universal design involves
designing interiors and
products to accommodate all
people with a variety of
requirements, need and
abilities.

Different sizes, ages, and abilities
Universal Design
 Barrier-free design spaces are built without
structures that would prevent access by people with
special needs.
 Adaptable design features are temporary and can be
changed easily.
 Exterior Design
 Interior Design
 Kitchen Design
 Bathroom Design