August 2008
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51 Reads
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12 Citations
The Robert Gordon University Faculty of Design is primarily concerned with the production and maintenance of high quality built environments that can meet the needs of the widest possible range of people. Our involvement in smart or intelligent housing does not stem from a commitment to the technology per se, or a perception that high-tech solutions to problems in the built environment are necessarily desirable or preferable to low-tech solutions. Rather it has arisen through an interest in universal or barrier free design and a desire to push these concepts way beyond the mere removal of physical obstructions like steps and narrow doorways. The idea of the barrier free home can be a much more proactive one and smart home technology can play a part in the removal of barriers to independent living for a wide range of people currently restricted both by their own disability and the environment around them.