Lifemark

Lifemark Lifemark® rated homes are Universally Designed. They're , and .

A Lifemark certified home is a home that includes smart and intelligent design features that meet the needs of people of different ages and abilities and that avoid barriers that may discriminate against people living in or visiting the home. Lifemark homes are designed to be usable by most people over their lifetime without the need for major adaptation in the future. Lifemark certification has been driven by a need to provide appropriate housing for everybody. The five Lifemark design principles of usability, adaptability, accessibility, safety and lifetime value benefit all people. For example, in a Lifemark certified home it is easier to manoeuvre prams, easier to carry shopping bags and easier for people with a physical disability or temporary injury to get around independently. So if you are a family with infants, toddlers or young children, or you have sustained an injury that impacts your mobility like a broken leg or back injury, or you are enjoying your later years in life but your mobility is deserting you, then a house certified by Lifemark will serve your needs.

Planning a new home or development? 🏡Here's something worth knowing: most Universal Design features add less than 1% to ...
06/10/2026

Planning a new home or development? 🏡

Here's something worth knowing: most Universal Design features add less than 1% to the cost of a new build when they're planned in early. Features like step-free entries, wider doorways and easy-to-use lever handles make life easier for everyone, from little ones to grandparents.

Lifemark© is offering a free Universal Design Baseline Review to help you get it right from the start. Find out more in the comments.



Image description: Square graphic with a pale blue background. The Lifemark logo, in white on a maroon rectangle, sits in the top left corner. Large bold headline text in the centre reads "Under 1% when it's built in early," with "Under" and "when it's" in maroon and "1%" and "built in early" in bright blue. Below, in black text, it reads: "Most Universal Design features add less than 1% to the cost of the build when they're included early in the design process." A white angled band runs along the bottom edge.

Universal Design doesn't have to look "accessible." In fact, some of the best examples are homes you'd never think to la...
29/09/2026

Universal Design doesn't have to look "accessible." In fact, some of the best examples are homes you'd never think to label that way. 🏡

Many Lifemark© rated homes look like any modern home. The difference is in the details, like wider hallways, level entries and easy-reach power points, that make life easier for everyone at every stage.

What's the biggest misconception you hear about accessible homes? Tell us below 👇

Image description: Graphic with a light blue background. A white Lifemark logo on a maroon rectangle sits at the top left. Large text reads: "Myth: Universal Design looks clinical. Fact: The best examples are homes you'd never think to label 'accessible.'" The words "Myth" and "Fact" are in teal, and the rest of the text is in maroon.

21/09/2026

Elizabeth built this beautiful strawbale home in Christchurch to Lifemark© standards, and she took us on a tour to show off the small details that make everyday living easier.

Sensor lighting at the entry, light switches placed right by the door handle, non-slip stair treads, and level flooring right through the house. None of it shouts for attention, but it all adds up.

In her own words: "I recommend Lifemark©, it certainly took us a little further with houses. They're honestly my favourite, and I'm loving living here."

Read the full story in the comments.

Not every home needs to be accessible for a development to be.Some housing types, like single-level homes and apartments...
14/09/2026

Not every home needs to be accessible for a development to be.

Some housing types, like single-level homes and apartments with lift access, are naturally well placed to deliver full accessibility. Others, like multi-level townhouses, are more limited by design.

Instead of expecting every home to do the same thing, we look at accessibility across a whole development, so the housing types best placed to deliver it can carry more of the load.

Read full article at the link in the comments.




Image description: "Lifemark© social tile with an aerial photo of a residential Auckland suburb, showing a mix of single-level and multi-level houses along tree-lined streets, with Auckland's C*D skyline, Sky Tower and harbour with a cruise ship in the background. Below the photo, bold maroon text reads: 'A smart mix of housing types can deliver accessible outcomes at scale.'"

Elizabeth is an architectural designer, so when she built her own family home in Christchurch, she wanted the Universal ...
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.'"

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

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.Ad...
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.

More Kiwi homes are being built to last a lifetime 🏡Over the past three months, 187 homes have achieved Lifemark© certif...
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)."

Ground has broken in Paeroa on a housing project unlike anything New Zealand has seen before.Project Paeroa will give 16...
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.

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