A Study on Universal Design Features shown in Model Houses of Tokyo, Osaka Housing Park In Japan

일본 동경.오사카 지역 주택전시관의 유니버설 디자인 특성에 관한 연구

Universal design has been disseminated as one of major paradigms in the 21st century throughout the world. Its definition and range of application have appeared somewhat differently from countries and cultures. Japan has been coping with aging phenomena in societies population, and now became aged society. Therefore, universal design has been a big social issue and its design development has tendency of focusing on design for the elderly population. Currently, Japanese housing in its aging society has shown various experiments to provide the elderly with safe and supportive environment to maintain and promote quality of their lives in conventional life settings. Korea already began to undergo this aging process, and now it's in aging society. This means especially designers need to show up their creativity to let design function as a means of social intervention. Therefore this research showed the range of universal design characteristics appeared in current Japanese housing market.