Miseon Jang

Health-enhancing Architectural Features of Modern Hanok, Experienced in and Desired by Korean Residents

One of the essential functions of the modern residential buildings should be to support health and well-being of occupants in a holistic way. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the health-friendly features of a Modern Hanok (Korean urban traditional house), much valued by residents of these types of homes. In this research, the factors related to ‘‘health and well-being’’ were considered as parts of a holistic concept including assessment of physical/physiological, psychological/ emotional and social health dimensions. The health friendly architectural characteristics of Modern Hanok were identified based on literature survey and classified according to the Murtha and Lee’s U.B.C Theory of three health dimensions. A questionnaire study involving 300 residents of Modern Hanok and apartment homes was conducted to analyse the various ‘‘health supportabilities’’ of Modern Hanok. The similarities and dissimilarities of the two sets of residents were analysed, together with the perceived health-related features. The study has provided a new perspective of the interactive relationship, both systematically and empirically, between objective health-related architectural features and subjective perception of occupants, to inform architects to design homes that would encompass the healthy features of Modern Hanok for modern contemporary healthy living of Korean residents.

Health Promoting Spatial Design Characteristics of Korean Apartment House in a User Benefit Perspective

This study was intended to evaluate the empirically spatial design characteristics from a perspective of users and to determine what kind of benefits that health-promoting spatial design characteristics can give to residents. The major method used in this study was the web questionnaire survey. Two hundred ten people between the ages of thirty and fifty who live in Seoul and the metropolitan area were surveyed. As a result, “Physiological Maintenance” was ranked top in the list of four categories for user benefit criteria (UBC), followed by behavioural facilitation, social facilitation and perceptual maintenance. Among the items of sub-categories, consumer’s demand for physiological maintenance was most highly regarded as essential. Demand for “No poisonous element” was the highest followed by “Good natural and artificial ventilation” and “Good day-lighting.” In this study, health promoting, spatial design characteristics were investigated pragmatically based on the UBC theory as well as diverse demands given by the residents. This paper was presented to provide the design characteristics that are required for healthy housing to meet the various consumers’ demand. The findings of this study would provide pragmatic information for architectural design for healthy living.

Housing quality, health and fuel poverty among U.S. seniors

Using the American Housing Survey (AHS), this study compared two groups of seniors, namely fuel poor (FP) households and non-fuel poor (NFP) households (N = 6604). In this study, the FP group is defined as comprising households that must spend approximately 3.8% of its household income on heating, based on natural gas consumption on heating. The results show that seniors in the FP group paid significantly higher heating costs while earning much less in income compared to those in the NFP group. The respondents in the FP group were more likely to be older, females, widowed, comprising single-person households and in poorer health, compared to those in the NFP group. The FP households tend to live in houses that are 10 years older and 138 square foot (12.8206 m2) smaller with worse building envelope quality than the NFP households. The income of nearly half of these seniors suffering fuel poverty records just above the income standards of the energy support programmes, and hence they spend considerable amount of their income on heating. This is one of the main reasons why many seniors in the U.S. experience fuel poverty. The results of this study can help inform policy regarding future services for those U.S. seniors who experience FP.

The Effects of an Education Program on Home Renovation for Fall Prevention of Korean Older People

This study aims to verify the effects of an education program on home renovation for fall prevention among older people, more specifically fall efficacy and home renovation intentions. A quasiexperimental study with nonequivalent control and comparative groups was conducted to demonstrate the effects of the education. A total of 51 older people participated, and fall efficacy and behavioral intentions towards home renovation were measured twice, before and after the education, by survey and in-depth interview. After the education, the fall efficacy of the experimental group had increased more than that of the control and comparative groups. In terms of the behavioral intention towards home renovation, a considerable proportion of the experimental group showed actual behavioral changes in housing improvements; for instance, repairing handrails on staircases or applying antislip spray to their bathroom. The results demonstrate that the provision of appropriate education could be used as a crucial intervention for fall prevention because it can encourage confidence and preventive behaviors.

Perceived effects of home renovation on independence of physically disabled Koreans living at home

Abstract Purpose: This study aims to identify the potential effects of home renovation on independence promotion of physically disabled Koreans living at home. Method: The method of the study is a survey with a questionnaire; subjects are physically disabled people living at home in rural and urban areas in Korea. The Functional Independence Measure was used to measure changes in subjects’ levels of independence. Results: It was expected that if homes were renovated according to individual needs, disabled people’s independence level would be increased by one or more level compared to their current daily independence level in their existing homes. In particular, independence levels concerning bathing and locomotion, which are low in existing conditions, were expected to increase significantly with renovation. Such effects on independence level were conspicuous for disabled people in rural area. Conclusion: The results prove the positive effects of home renovations of disabled people’s independence, thus providing meaningful academic evidence on home renovations for disabled people. Implication for rehabilitation Korea had a culture where support measures to aid the life independence of disabled persons relied heavily on human services, leading to a lack of diversity in support measures. By closing the gap between the resident’s disability and the inadequacy in their prevailing environment, house remodeling can be a crucial intervention for improving the independence of disabled persons in their daily lives. Depending on the nature of their disabilities and their residential arrangements, disabled persons have diverse needs regarding home remodeling. Implementing home remodeling in such a manner that suits the resident’s needs is crucial to boosting their independence. Because of this, remodeling personnel must interact with residents prior to the renovation while also strengthening their expertise.

User Benefits Analysis of Customized House Design Guidelines for Physically Disabled People

Most existing residential environment of disabled people has made them exposed to the risk of safety accidents, and therefore hinders their independent living. In this regard, the importance of desirable residential environment has emerged. Some preceding studies have addressed the characteristics of disabled peoples residential environment plan; however, the information on what environmental benefits are offered through such characteristics is insufficient. This study aims to analyze the housing design guidelines for disabled people in respect of the benefit of disabled people who are actual users. In this study, essential design guidelines for disabled people verified through expert workshop panel was analyzed based on user benefit theory. According to the study results, the total guidelines have the most characteristics supporting behavioral facilitation, and mainly consist of physiological maintenance characteristics related to disabled peoples health and safety. Also, it is founded that environmental affordance essentially required depending on each spatial function was different. The ratio of physiological maintenance item is high in access route, unlike living room, kitchen and bed room where behavioral facilitation is especially emphasized. These findings can be utilized as basic data for customized residential environment plan to realize residential welfare for disabled people.