Lifemark

07/09/2026

Elizabeth is an architectural designer, so when she built her own family home in Christchurch, she wanted the Universal Design features to be part of the everyday experience, not an add-on.

A lot of what makes this strawbale home so easy to live in is stuff you'd never notice:

• Bathroom walls reinforced and ready for handrails, whenever they're needed
• Every floor transition sitting level, tile to clay to timber
• Light switches and lever handles placed exactly where your hand expects them

It's a great example of Universal Design done well: nothing looks different, but everything works better, for longer.

Read the full story in the comments below.


Image description: "Purple and white Lifemark© quote tile featuring a testimonial from Elizabeth Guthrey, Architectural Designer: 'The Lifemark© team was extremely supportive of finding ways to improve the house with Universal Design. They were always friendly to communicate with and provided clear suggestions.'"

31/08/2026

The cheapest time to fix an accessibility gap in a design is before construction starts. The most expensive time is after.

That's the thinking behind our free Universal Design Baseline Review. Send us your residential plans and we'll assess them against proven Universal Design criteria, then hand back a percentage-based score, a high-level expert review, and a clear read on the key risks and opportunities in your design.

It's built for developers, architects, community housing providers and project managers who want certainty on how a design is performing while there's still time to act on it.

This offer is available for a limited time. To request yours, visit our website and complete the contact form, including "Free Baseline Review" in your message.


Image description: "Light blue Lifemark© social tile. Bold maroon headline reads 'See how your design performs, before construction starts.' Below in black text: 'Don't miss out on your free baseline Universal Design review.'"

24/08/2026

Here's a stat worth sitting with: 1 in 6 New Zealanders live with disability, and by 65, that number climbs to 1 in 3.

Add in growing families, people recovering from injury, and anyone wanting to stay independent in their own home as they age, and it's clear good design isn't about one group. It's about all of us, at different points in our lives.

New Stats NZ figures show 60,000 people currently live in homes that don't suit their needs, and 280,000 say it hasn't been easy to find one that does. That's a lot of Kiwis navigating homes that just weren't built with flexibility in mind.

This is why Universal Design matters to us. Homes built well from the start work better for everyone, whatever stage of life they're in.

If you work in housing, design, or development, what's one change you think would make the biggest difference for building this in from the outset? 💬




Image description: Infographic with Stats NZ data: 1 in 10 children in New Zealand are disabled (100,000), 1 in 6 people are disabled (850,000), and 1 in 3 adults over 65 are disabled (315,000). Text below states 60,000 disabled people live in unsuitable housing and 280,000 report difficulty finding a home that meets their needs.

17/08/2026

Huge congratulations to the team at Ramwall Group on completing Notre Dame Living!

23 freehold, single-level homes in Pukekohe, built beside St Patrick's Catholic Church on land with real history and heart. For anyone looking to downsize without giving up independence, it's exactly the kind of home that makes life easier: lock up, leave, and enjoy what's next.

Every home is certified at Lifemark© 4 Sustainable Ageing, and our advisor Rosalie Watson was there every step of the way. She sums up the philosophy simply; it's about the ABCs: Access, so a clear path to the front door. Bathroom, on the ground floor. Circulation, easy passageways that anyone can move through comfortably.

Such a lovely project to see come to life. Congrats, Ramwall 👏



Video courtesy of Ramwall Group.

10/08/2026

More Kiwi homes are being built to last a lifetime 🏡

Over the past three months, 187 homes have achieved Lifemark© certification, meaning they're designed to be safe, accessible and adaptable as needs change over time.

Even better? Nearly a third of these reached our highest standard, Accessible+, showing more developers are choosing to go above and beyond when it comes to accessible design.

With 986 more homes currently in design or construction, the pipeline for accessible, future-proofed housing across Aotearoa keeps growing 📈

Curious what Lifemark© certification could mean for your build?


Image description: "Performance Summary infographic showing 1,173 homes in the delivery pipeline spanning design, construction and certification. Two house-shaped icon groups display certification breakdowns. Left group: 187 homes achieved Lifemark certification over the last 3 months, with 3% Visitable (Lifemark 3), 67% Sustainable Ageing (Lifemark 4), and 30% Accessible+ (Lifemark 5). Right group: 986 homes are in design or construction stages, with 15% Visitable (Lifemark 3), 72% Sustainable Ageing (Lifemark 4), and 13% Accessible+ (Lifemark 5)."

03/08/2026

Ground has broken in Paeroa on a housing project unlike anything New Zealand has seen before.

Project Paeroa will give 16 people with intellectual disabilities a home of their own, funded by overseas donors, and built with 24/7 support from Supported Lifestyle Hauraki Trust.

The best part? You'd never know it was designed for accessibility. Load-bearing soap caddies. Toilet rails rated to 150kg. No hospital-style handrails in sight, just a home that "looks like anyone would want to live in," as SLHT's Samantha Lee puts it.

That's what good Universal Design looks like: accessibility built in, not bolted on.

Lifemark is certifying the homes to help make that vision real. Our GM Geoff Penrose says it best: "This is a great project, and it's fantastic to finally see it starting to come to life after so much work getting here."

Read the full article in the comments below.

27/07/2026

Not all housing typologies deliver accessibility, but developments can.

We often treat accessibility as something that can be applied evenly across all housing. In reality, that’s not how it works.

Different typologies come with very different constraints:

• Single-level homes can achieve full accessibility at relatively low cost
• Apartments (4+ storeys) can deliver accessibility at scale
• Two-level homes are only accessible when designed intentionally
• Three-level typologies are structurally constrained from the outset

The implication is clear: accessibility isn’t just a design feature, it’s a development strategy.

In a recent article, we explored how a typology-based, matrix approach can help developers, planners, and policy-makers deliver measurable accessibility outcomes at a portfolio level without compromising feasibility.

Because the goal isn’t perfect accessibility in every unit; it’s better accessibility across entire communities.

Can every home be accessible? Maybe not. But can every development be? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

If you'd like to dive deeper, you can read the full article about this on the blog section of our website (🌐/about-us/news)



Image description: Text reads, "Accessibility isn't achieved on unit at a time. It's designed into the mix." Below is a graphic featuring three house icons.

20/07/2026

"The environment shouldn't restrict you. It should enable you to do what you want to do."

That's how Lifemark® Manager Geoff Penrose describes Universal Design.

Recently, Geoff joined host Krissy Wright on CCS Disability Action's Books Beyond Barriers podcast to discuss why good housing design benefits everyone, not just today, but throughout our lives.

One of our favourite insights from the conversation was: "If you build for the very young, you're actually also building for the very old."

It's a simple but powerful reminder that homes should be designed to adapt to changing needs over time.

Features such as level-entry access, wider doorways, adaptable bathrooms, and intuitive layouts can make homes safer, more comfortable, and more welcoming for families, visitors, older adults, and disabled people alike.

As Geoff noted during the discussion, our homes should enable us, not restrict us.

A big thank you to CCS Disability Action and Books Beyond Barriers for shining a light on the importance of Universal Design in Aotearoa.

🎧 Listen to the full conversation here in the comments.



Image description: The books Beyond Barriers podcast logo, featuring a stack of books with the title on the spine snd diverse people sitting on them. Beneath it, the text reads, "Episode 35: Our House with Geoff Penrose"

14/07/2026

Most homes are designed for today. The best homes are designed for a lifetime.

For a limited time, we're offering a free Universal Design Baseline Review.

We'll assess your residential plans against proven Universal Design criteria and provide:

✅ A percentage-based score
✅ A high-level expert review
✅ Identification of key accessibility risks and opportunities

Whether you're a developer, architect, community housing provider, ot project manager, this review provides a clear snapshot of how your design is performing before construction begins.

To request your review, visit the Lifemark website and complete the contact form, including "Free Baseline Review" in your message.


Image description: Text reads "Special offer: Free Universal Design Baseline review. Clarity now. Confidence later."

19/05/2026

“This is our last home and the first one that we built. We designed it to live in forever.” Peter’s story shows how Lifemark® features can make a home safer, easier and more comfortable, not just for today, but for whatever the future brings.

Lifemark© worked alongside Green Homes New Zealand to help incorporate features like level entry access, ramped doors, accessible switches and internal garage entry. These details support ageing in place and make everyday living simpler.

This is a great example of how Lifemark© design can help people build a true “forever home.”

Watch the video on Green Homes' YouTube channel:

3 likes. "Forever Home Testimonial | Lifemark & Energy-Efficient Living | Green Homes NZ"