A home does not age. You do. The Inclusive Living Standard certifies the difference.
ILS evaluates how residential and mixed-use projects perform across the full arc of human life. Not as accessibility compliance. As foresight, asset durability, and long-term value.
Most residential design optimizes for the day of sale. ILS evaluates what happens in year five, year fifteen, and beyond, when life events arrive that the original architect never planned for.
The standard works through three foundational pillars. Each is evaluated independently and combined into a composite ILS Score.
The home is evaluated against scenarios it will face: aging, recovery from injury, caregiving, mobility transitions, neurodivergent occupants, multigenerational use. Spaces that can adapt without structural intervention score higher.
Circulation, sanitary spaces, kitchens, and entries are measured for usability in the first decade and beyond. The standard rewards homes that remain fully livable when occupants change, not only when occupants are young and able-bodied.
An ILS certified property carries documented evidence of resilience against the largest demographic shift in housing: an aging population, longer lifespans, and rising expectations of in-home autonomy. The certification is asset protection.
ILS is grounded in the most widely recognized accessibility and universal design codes in use today, harmonized into a single residential framework and extended by a proprietary methodology built over two decades of field evaluation.
The combination is what allows ILS to certify projects across jurisdictions without conflict, and to operate as a global voluntary standard.
The reference framework for built environment access in the United States. ILS uses ADA as the baseline for clearances, reach ranges, and circulation criteria.
The international standard for accessibility and usability of the built environment. ILS aligns its evaluation grid with ISO 21542 to ensure cross-jurisdiction relevance.
The American National Standard for accessible and usable buildings and facilities. ILS incorporates A117.1 for technical specification depth, particularly in dwelling units.
Over these three codes, ILS applies a proprietary residential methodology developed across two decades of field practice, evaluating how spaces hold up against real-life conditions rather than minimum compliance.
A project achieves the ILS level that matches its measured performance against the standard. Levels are not aspirational. They are technical thresholds.
The home is fully visitable for any person, regardless of mobility or age, and the primary social spaces function without barrier. Entry, main level, and at least one sanitary space meet the visitability threshold.
The home is fully habitable, not only visitable, for occupants across the full life arc. Sleeping, sanitary, food preparation, and circulation systems all operate without structural retrofit. Spaces are pre-equipped for adaptation.
The highest ILS level. The project performs across the full standard and integrates cognitive accessibility, sensory environment, and technological readiness. Designed for long-term autonomy, multigenerational use, and full adaptability without intervention.
Certification follows a defined sequence. The project is evaluated against the published criteria. The owner receives a technical report, a level determination, and, where applicable, an adaptation plan to reach a higher tier.
Project plans, specifications, and documentation are submitted for technical review.
Plans are measured against the ILS evaluation grid. On-site verification where required.
A technical report is issued with findings, score, and certification level achieved.
The ILS certificate is granted. The project may display the seal at the achieved level.
The Inclusive Living Standard is owned and operated by Inclusive Living International (ILI), a global initiative dedicated to inclusive residential design and certification. ILI is the issuing authority for all ILS certifications and the custodian of the standard's evolution.
Built on two decades of practice in accessibility evaluation and adaptive residential design, ILI extends the standard through ongoing research, professional accreditation, and a verification network designed to operate across jurisdictions.
For developers, architects, owners, and institutions seeking to certify residential and mixed-use projects under the Inclusive Living Standard.