What if a home built for a lifetime isn’t an exception, but the new standard? In New Zealand, designing for every age and ability is no longer radical – it’s overdue.
For too long, residential design has followed a predictable trajectory: a family builds a home, raises children within it and eventually moves when the house becomes less suited to mobility needs.
This pattern is swiftly unravelling.
In 2023, more than1.1 million people in New Zealand were aged 60 or over, representing 22.5 per cent of the population. While the2023 Census recorded a 27.2 per cent increase in extended families living together since 2013. Consequently, households may need to work for several generations at once.
This is where Vacuum Elevators are emerging as a compelling solution. Compact, design-conscious and adaptable, Vacuum Elevators can provide vertical access between levels without the extensive structural requirements for traditional residential lifts.
The demographic case for this design change is becoming difficult to ignore.
For specifiers, this creates a different brief as rather than asking whether a house works for its occupants now, designers are considering whether it will continue to work in 10, 20 or 30 years.
This might mean level thresholds, wider circulation routes, adaptable bathrooms and kitchens, bedrooms which can be relocated to the ground floor, or vertical access between levels.
Accessibility without redesigning the floor plan
Adding vertical access to an existing multi-level home has traditionally been a significant architectural intervention. Conventional residential lifts typically require a shaft, pit and significant associated structural planning.
Vacuum Elevators offer a different proposition.
Their self-supporting cylindrical structure means they can be incorporated into existing homes with considerably less structural intervention than a conventional lift.
For Managing Director of Vacuum Elevators, Pablo Brizio, this is front of mind for homeowners.
“There's a clear trend toward homeowners renovating rather than relocating, particularly as they plan for long-term accessibility needs,” he says.
“A homeowner can add mobility access between floors [up to five levels] without reconfiguring their existing layout, losing storage or living space to a shaft, or undertaking foundation work.”
Rather than waiting until a homeowner has limited mobility, accessibility can become part of the renovation strategy to be considered alongside upgrades in energy efficiency, bathrooms, kitchens and other adjustments to extend the useful life of a property.
The appeal of a vacuum elevator is particularly apparent in New Zealand's existing housing stock.
“We regularly work on character villas and mid-century homes where a conventional lift simply wouldn't be structurally or financially viable,” says Brizio. “In these cases, a vacuum elevator becomes the difference between a homeowner being able to stay in their home or having to sell.”
The lift becomes part of the architecture
Perhaps the most interesting change is how accessibility infrastructure is no longer necessarily something homeowners and architects want to hide.
Vacuum Elevators have a distinct visual language. Their cylindrical, transparent form can add to the interior architecture, rather than being a concealed service element.
This opens up possibilities in entry halls, stairwells, double-height spaces and central circulation zones.
Three consistent shifts are emerging among architects, specifiers and homeowners, according to Brizio, “[We’re seeing] greater consideration of elevators during concept design, integrations into renovations, and a preference for elevators to be visually integrated rather than concealed.”
Stairs, kitchens, lighting, heating, and storage have all evolved from purely functional components into elements that contribute to the character of a space. It’s not surprising that residential elevators are following the same trajectory.
From ageing in place to living well in place
Lifetime accessibility is ultimately about redefining what a successful home looks like.
For homeowners, a vacuum elevator can help preserve the architecture, location and memories that make an existing property meaningful, while adapting it to changing needs over time. With a range of finishes and door configurations, Vacuum Elevators can complement the character of a home rather than compete with it. An understated glass finish, paired with white framing, can sit seamlessly within a heritage villa while preserving its original character. In contrast, chrome or bold matte-black hardware can provide a distinctly contemporary finish suited to a mid-century modern home.
In this context, accessibility is about designing for a lifetime. Creating homes that evolve with the people who live in them. The result is an accessibility solution, with a considered architectural design: one that enhances the home without interrupting the character, beauty or memories already held within it.
