The process of buying or selling a house is made all the more stressful if the reason you’re moving is because, whether through illness, disability, a change in life or simply getting older, your home doesn’t work for you any more. What if there was a way to make houses and communities more adaptable, more user friendly and accommodating through all our life stages?

With a fund of €100,000 to find and develop solutions, the Homes for Smarter Ageing Universal Design Challenge from Rebuilding Ireland (rebuildingireland.ie) aims to do just that. It is based on the principals of Universal Design, that is: good design that makes public and private spaces, tools and objects flexible, simple and intuitive to use. Universal Design champions ideas that are sustainable, require low physical effort, and accommodate all shapes and sizes, ages and experiences.

With organisations such as The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design (CEUD) in the frame, Ireland is at the forefront of this new design thinking, and as CEUD’s Ger Craddock says, “the challenge is how do we design our homes and public spaces to have universal appeal, while at the same time not labelling them as accessible or just designed for the elderly.

Universal Design, says Craddock “isn’t just for older people, it’s for the whole family, and simple ideas can change people’s lives.” So how do you get involved? The Design Challenge is looking for ideas from individuals, but also from a cross-sector or community teams, on how homes can be made more adaptable, accessible and future proof. So, whether you’re an architect, designer, or simply someone with a brilliant idea, they want to hear from you.

You’ll find all the information at homesforsmartageing-ud.com, and the closing date for submission of ideas is March 13th. The winner will be announced on June 28th.