Posted on

Open workshop on the first European Standard on the accessibility of the built environment

Homes4Life partners EUROCARERS (Nadia KAMEL) and ECTP (Alexis DAVID) attended the Open Workshop | Mandate M/420 and prEN 17210, on June 5th, Brussels.

Views from selected stakeholders were presented such as the European Disability Forum, the European Consumer Voice in Standardisation, International Union of Architects and the European Network for Accessible Tourism etc.

PrEN 17210 is a voluntary European standard that provides functional requirements and recommendations for an accessible and usable built environment – following a design for all approach, including persons with disabilities.

Legislators can choose to make reference to a standardisation document or to part of it (e.g. in regulations). The European standard is a stand-alone document with only functional requirements. In parallel countries can  choose to follow Technical Report 1 – which provides more detailed technical specification.

The process for standardisation is a lengthy one. This particular standard saw the participation from 34 countries and active participation from national standardisation bodies from AT, BE, DK, FR , DE, IE, IT, NO, ES, SE, CH, UK. In terms of getting this standard officially approved and adopted, there is between 18 April 2019 to 11 July 2019 an ongoing enquiry vote i.e. National vote via CEN and Cenelec members

The standard can be used:

  • as a criterion for awarding public contracts
  • To assist public procurers, architects, engineers, facility managers, ergonomists in their work
  • To specify design and assess conformity using a common framework and language ensuring accessibility for all
  • For accessibility building legislation

Is based to a great extent on ISO 21542 and where not sufficient supplemented with references to other standards

  • Formulated with qualitative terms and describing objectives which have to be reached “protection goals” Pr EN 17210 has a different approach to many national standards on accessibility and usability with no technical specifications or measurements. It is innovative in that it uses figures (see picture below)  to support better understanding about functionality – e.g show different solutions e.g handrails
  • Based on the diversity of a wide range of users
  • In this way not intended to conflict with national accessibility standards

Posted on

Homes4Life presented by AGE Platform at ISHF2019

Our partner AGE Platform – Estelle Huchet and Nhu Tram – presented Homes4Life at the International Social Housing Festival 2019 in Lyon, France.

Homes4Life exhibition corner at ISHF 2019

Read below the pitch of the project prepared by AGE Platform for ISHF 2019 :

What is the purpose of innovations if they cannot be scale up, and make a change in the life of the many? Certification is too often seen as a straightjacket hindering innovation, disregarding local specificities and preventing the development of personalized solutions. The Homes4Life project aims at developing a European certification scheme for ageing in place. Our consortium of nine European partners is grasping expertise from various domains, from architects to social scientists, civil society representatives and engineers. We are studying how to give a boost to the development of housing options that would accommodate our changing lifestyle choices, needs and preferences as we age – so we can stay at home, until the end. A multi-stakeholder cooperation is critical in that context as we want our certification scheme to respect the various cultural contexts and field of work in which it may be implemented. We want people to feel at home, to feel safe, to feel independent at any age. If these feelings may translate into different construction realities, some common grounds start to become known as we travel Europe to exchange with various stakeholders, and interact with different types of households. This conversation will be a governing principle of our project – not for the sake of it, but because it is the only way to ensure our certification scheme strikes the good balance between scaling up innovations, remaining adaptable enough. We are sure you have tons of good ideas; so we invite you to come to us and make sure those do not remain the privilege of a happy few.

Download the slides presented at ISHF 2019

Posted on

Connected Health Summer School – Smart Homes for Healthy Ageing

Dementia causes problems with memory that can make it difficult to carry out everyday activities, for example dressing, cooking, remembering appointments and taking medication. As a result, people living with dementia (PLwD) require varying levels of support to complete everyday activities and to maintain a level of independence. If nothing is done, this loss of independence, can have huge negative impact on PLwD, and may cause confusion, anxiety, embarrassment, or depression. Additionally, this decreasing ability to carry out daily activities can cause stress to family careers who worry about the person’s safety and well-being.  Connected devices  designed to support PLwD, in particular Smart Homes, may provide an opportunity to alleviate the burden faced by PLwD and their carers.

This Summer School has been designed for early career researchers and delegates who are focusing on the research and development of Smart Homes and health services for PLwD. Delegates are members of Public or private Organizations, interested in the Connected Health domain, willing to take part at the Summer School and parallel strategic initiatives events.

Further details and registration at : http://www.connectedhealth-summerschool.org

Posted on

Sustainable Places 2019 in Cagliari, 5-7 June

Homes4Life will be presented by R2M Solution (Régis Decorme) at the upcoming edition of Sustainable Places, Europe’s #1 destination for dissemination of research, collaboration, networking and the creation of market opportunities.

Download the Event flyer

Sustainability targets and climate change objectives cannot be met without addressing buildings and the built environment at the building, district and urban scale to include our transport and energy infrastructures. Renowned for showcasing results coming out of the EU Horizon 2020 Framework Programme via the participation of cutting-edge research and innovation projects, the scope of Sustainable Places is captured directly in the name. It involves designing, building and retrofitting the places we live and work in a more sustainable way.

Register at: https://www.sustainableplaces.eu/sp2019/sp2019-registration/

Posted on

Homes4Life at the International Social Housing Festival (ISHF 2019)

The International Social Housing Festival is traveling to Lyon in 2019 – 4-8 June.

Making the link between the homes we inhabit, the cities we live in and the overall quality of life, the ISHF 2019 aims through a series of diverse events to highlight the importance of access to decent housing for all, to celebrate the long tradition of public, cooperative and social housing and its key role in addressing current and future housing challenges. Be part of this unique event! Plan your own itinerary and join the international housing community in Lyon, a vibrant housing lab that is getting ready to welcome housing practitioners, tenants, architects, researchers and policymakers.

Homes4Life will be presented by AGE Platform Europe (Estelle Huchet and Nhu Tram) as part of the Innovation Track, 6th of June, Tour In City, Lyon.

Read the programme of the Innovation track (French)

Further info about ISHF 2019 at https://www.ishf2019.com/