Antti Pirinen

Aalto University · Department of Architecture

This paper discusses the prerequisites of inclusive housing development based on the learnings from Ars Longa, a block of flats for artists, designers and authors in Helsinki, Finland, that was initiated by a group of elderly persons. The study draws from research on co-design and universal design in housing. Post Occupancy Evaluation is used as me...

Demographic and economic changes challenge urban housing and highlight the need for resident-centred design. This paper discusses a design game created to study the perceptions towards shared spaces among solo living tenants. The game was based on the identification and weighing of significant home-related spaces, functions and services in a framew...

The perception of elderly residents as a homogeneous group is challenged by the diversification of lifestyles and emphasis on individuality in housing. Recently, there has been a rise in Finland in housing projects initiated by groups of elderly people, where the seniors themselves are seeking to fill in qualitative gaps in the offering of housing....

This article opens up the levels of inclusion by describing the process and outcomes of a study project. The students of architecture, spatial design and industrial design worked with ten young persons with intellectual disabilities and their parents to develop design concepts for supporting the everyday living of the residents. http://www.designfo...

As interest towards co-design for services in the public sector and in companies is growing, the benefits and challenges of applying it in organisations have become a topical issue. This article opens up factors that influence the success of co-design activities in the development of services among cross-disciplinary networks. It presents the findi...

Only in Finnish and as a printed paper version: http://www.gaudeamus.fi/juntto-asumisen-unelmat-ja-arki/

The purpose of this article is to consider whether disabled persons’ user experiences and user innovations could benefit in developing individual accessible environments. Furthermore, user-centred concept design approach is examined as a means for solving complex problems and mediating the results. As arisen from the original user study, innovative...

The paper describes the results of a user study conducted to probe the user experience and preferences of disabled persons in their domestic environments in order to challenge and improve the current state of accessible design. The study indicates that current accessible products and environments fail to take into account the holistic user experien...