Abstract
The quality of apartment houses has been gradually upgraded. However the changes in demographic composition of residents such as seniors, disabled persons, and etc. have not been considered in the process of planning. If apartment houses are designed on the base of the concept of universal design, their residents could live as long as they want to live in. This study evaluates the Korean standard-sized apartment housing units and the common spaces of those apartment buildings, and it's outdoor environments from the perspective of universal design. The observation and measuring was conducted with the questionnaire survey with 100 residents living in those housing units. 60 items were designed for evaluating them in relation to the principles of universal design. The results are as follows : 1) In general, the principles of universal design were relatively applied to the apartment houses. However their application needs to be broadened. 2) The number of parking lots needs to be increased and the width of individual parking lot to be increased. Also, the location of gazebo and senior center needs to be placed in easily accessible areas. 3) The shape, color, finishes of the ramp and the entrance area of the apartment building and housing unit should be made more homelike. Also, the entrance area of apartment building and housing unit needs to be made large enough for residents themselves and meeting with neighbors. 4) Among all of the rooms in a housing unit, bathroom should be improved immediately. Also, the width of doors should be at least 80cm wide and the floor should be made even.
