Sensitive Canberra: Your guide to creating chronic illness inclusive sensitive buildings
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For spoonies, our homes, workspaces and the places we visit are more than buildings; they’re environments that impact our health on the daily.
So, we’re exploring ways to design or adapt inclusive, accessible, hypoallergenic buildings with thoughtful layouts, lighting, healthier materials, air and water.
I always love to mention simplicity, because chronic illness life comes with extra mental load and expense. Designing our home simply – more ‘minimal-ish’ than minimalist –has reduced stress, sparked joy and freed up energy for things we love.
Accessible design
Universal design goes beyond compliance with building codes and more recognised features such as ramps; it’s about creating environments that are intuitive, comfortable and life enhancing, for people of all abilities, and including the full spectrum of chronic conditions. For example, I need fresh air for my severe immune, digestive and connective tissue conditions, while other conditions might need more sensory or ergonomic considerations.
Flowing layouts, with wide doorways and hallways, open plan zones and thoughtful storage can reduce mental load and visual clutter. For example, designing for how clients actually use their spaces like creating dedicated ‘work-from-bed’ or ‘rest nooks’ with essentials in reach for those flared days. Ergonomic or adjustable height surfaces, intentionally placed switches, power points and technology, and easy to clean surfaces all make a difference to daily comfort.
Prioritising the client’s independence and joy – including thoughtful and personal touches – creates spaces that facilitate less painful, more enjoyable activity. For example, clever light and sound design, glare, sound and echo reduction can help people with sensory conditions by creating a calm environment that nourishes rather than fatigues the senses.
Architects, interior designers and builders will also ensure buildings adhere to all relevant policies and standards, including accessible design. Creative consultant Ashley Feraude says that local architects increasingly prioritise accessible and inclusive design in residential projects.
“In my experience of creating The Look In stories about many unique homes in Canberra, it’s definitely noticeable that Canberra architects increasingly prioritise accessible and inclusive design in residential projects,” he explains.
“The architects, in partnership with like-minded builders, are often creating spaces that are functional, welcoming, and compliant with national standards. From step-free entries and wide doorways to adaptable layouts and intuitive wayfinding, they integrate features that cater to people of all ages and abilities.”
“By blending thoughtful planning with modern aesthetics, they ensure that designs are not only practical but also visually appealing, fostering built environments that everyone can call ‘a home’.”
Suburban Land Agency’s North Wright Sustainable Precinct
Located in the Molonglo suburb of Wright, the Sustainable Precinct showcases the match made in heaven that is sustainable design, accessibility, healthy indoor air climate and chronic illness inclusivity. The Suburban Land Agency shares:
“The first stage of the Precinct features two and three bedroom homes designed with sustainability and environment in mind, with up to 8.9 Star energy efficiency rating (NATHERS), airtight construction and its own electricity generation. These homes will be cost-efficient to heat and cool and are built with the aim of achieving a net zero carbon footprint over their lifetime.
Each home meets the Liveable Silver design standard, which enhances accessibility. Additional features include a Heat Recovery Ventilation letting filtered, fresh air into the homes while retaining comfortable temperatures, low VOC paints and surfaces, Paperock benchtops and joinery units, ECO carpets, and outdoor landscaping”.
This fosters a healthy living environment indoors and outdoors, ideal for people with allergies or chronic health issues, especially during extreme seasons or weather events like heat waves, pollen or smoke pollution. What a dream to live in a community valuing healthy and environmentally conscious design choices!
Hypoallergenic materials
The ability to breathe clean air is everything for people with immune conditions including chemical sensitivity, asthma, and allergies. The choice of building materials, paints, and finishes plays a crucial role in reducing airborne triggers.
Sensitive Choice (National Asthma Council Australia) is a leading voice and provides a database of verified allergy inclusive products and materials. They write, “before a product or service is approved by Sensitive Choice it is reviewed by an expert panel, who considers whether it is suitable to carry our blue butterfly and offers a potential benefit to those with asthma and allergies”.
I’ve lived with illness for forty years, long before low or zero VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) materials were commonly available like they are today. It’s a delight to see leading brands such as Dulux and Selleys, embracing healthier formulations in paints, sealants, glues, flooring, fabrics and more, and the aisles of Bunnings stocked with sustainable options.
Natural materials such as glass, cement, ceramic, wood, cotton and wool are great spoonie supportive options. Local craftsman such as Thors Hammer are transforming recycled and reclaimed timbers into stunning furniture and home joinery, reducing waste and creating healthier buildings.
Ask the experts
When making repairs or improvements to your home, just ask your experts about low VOC materials, and other chronic illness needs. This could include not reapplying fragranced products before visiting and having extractor fans or air filters on through installation. Most providers are more than happy to help!
I’ve had some great experiences recently like K5 Electrical Services who were so considerate in maintaining our hypoallergenic home. Monaro Screens in Fyshwick provided the silicone sealant material safety sheets for our new shower screens and found a hypoallergenic option. Solar Wash & Gutter Clean cleaned our two-storey gutters easily and without chemicals.
Fresh air
Air quality is a fundamental and complex part of chronic illness inclusive design. Many aspects must be considered to create buildings with healthy air, and prevent moisture, bacteria and mould. These include air flow, ventilation, placement of windows and doors, insulation, moisture control, sealing, solar orientation, and air temperature.
Air conditioners, dehumidifiers, exhaust fans and HEPA air filtration systems can help maintain chronic illness friendly spaces, as long as they are maintained and serviced regularly. These systems often include air quality meters and even apps to allow air quality to be monitored, especially important in pollen or bushfire seasons.
Temperature humidity can be the difference between a healthy day and a flare for many chronic illness conditions. I thrive in cool, dry environments.
Natural cleaning and water filtration were covered in the sensitive home article along with my favourite cleaning brands, and are an important part of maintaining sensitive buildings.
Eau de nothing
A topic near and dear to my heart is fragrance in shared spaces, as the incidence of sensitivities is increasing. It’s encouraging to know that many workplaces and public buildings are implementing fragrance free policies to support people with chronic conditions, and that natural and fragrance free products are becoming so widely available as shared in the sensitive self-care article.
Awareness around the impact of deodorants, fragrances, air fresheners and other products in shared spaces and relevant policies, such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, are exciting steps toward chronic illness inclusivity.
One day, spoonies like me might be able to visit more places like gyms, cinemas, theatres, restaurants, hotels and more, that are currently inaccessible. We just need a fantastic marketing campaign to make fresh air sexier than fragrance. Chronic illness chic!
Making your space your own
I feel grateful every day to finally be in our clean, fresh air filled forever home. I wish for other spoonies the opportunity to live in a home that supports their unique chronic condition, an accessible, hypoallergenic sanctuary. Whether tiny or large, accessible design is not about expense or Instagram worthiness but using design to transform spaces into supportive environments.
Disclaimer: These articles don’t include medical advice. Please consult your medical team, or Sensitive Choice (National Asthma Council Australia) for verified allergy inclusive products.
Feature image: North Wright Sustainable Precinct © Suburban Land Agency
