B y NicholeL.

Reber

Karl Brown stands 6 feet 3 de

inches tall and is left-handed. tr
He doesnot considerhimself en
to have specialneeds,yet in all
common daily scenarioshet ex
had to learn to become ne
:TLT
--
ambidextrous to efficiently
complete certain tasks.He TI
can't golf with traditional D
clubs. He finds can openers D
and scissorsdifficult to use St
L^
becausethey are intrinsically Itc

designed for right-handed ul:

users.And on flights he must
pay extra to sit in the emer- nl'
r"
gency exit row, so his long legs th
l-
arent too cramped. uc

Brown exemplifiesmany pl
peoplewho could benefit from ac
a wider implementation of LC\

l-
universaldesign,a concept that
essentiallywould standardize si
the designofproducts and en
housesto provide better acces- "fi
sibility. It would benefit people pc
ofall sizes,agesand physical
capacities.Itt especiallyrele- \'' :
vant today becauseofthe rising LI
number of baby boomers,who
are entering their 60s. But uni- aft
versaldesign is not merely di
design made for when life gets Pa
tough; it's also useful for pre- hc
ventativemeasures. ac
UI

pnrnlfing
lnear univ*rsnl
design FormFollowsFunction
A wheelchair-bound architect,
th
ur
gl*mcntsir:l;*,vilur tnil hclg:
h*r'ng educator and advocatenamed hc
Ronald L. Mace (1941-1998) ac
ag*in plac*
yoriSrfiq:*{'{-;liy coined the term uniuersal tic
 "l,ride
pathways
( le ft) ,
a n d c l o o rwa Ys
a s \ J elia s lo wg r
t
counteftopsin E

b a t h r o o m sa n d kitch e n s .9

( r i 8 h t )a, re co m m o n
manifestati0nsof a
f

u n i l e r sa ld e siEnr n g

h o m e s Exile
. r tsa r e ;
n o w f o c usin go n th e
a e s t h e tica p p e a o
l i
t h e see le m e n ts

ferent stagesof life' with little the common imagesof unat-

design,which he describedas
or no modification. tractive handlebarsin a bath-
"the design ofProducts and
Let's say a single Person room or the wheelchair-acces-
environments to be usablebY
buys a house and soon gets siblehousewith an exrerior
all people, to the greatest
ramp that makesfor an incon-
iil"li\iei-siJ1
extent possible,without the marriedrinitiallY,the home is
only marginallYaltered to sistentaPPearancein a neigh-
need for adaPtation or sPecial-
meet the young couPle'sneeds' borhood. Instead, theY are i lil:iigir i:i
ized design'" Mace founded
But once children enter the focusingon the aestheric
The Center for Universal
picture, the bedrooms, bath- appealofuniversaldesign,as
Design, at the School of Dei".iti"iiiirg
rooms, hallwaYsand well as the versatilirYof Prod-
Design at North Carolina
kitchen/dining areawill be ucrs and residentialdesigns'
StateUniversiry in Raleigh, to if ic i - f;J s l i - l gi v
used differentlY,requiring the Some of the more common
help promote his concePtof a
home to be alteredmore sig- manifestationsof universal
universally usableworld.
nificantly, and it will continue design in the home include: ;ltlver
SeveralcommonlY heard . \il/ider hallways and doors
ii"rtpef
phrasesand terms lie under to be alteredin changingwavs
as the children grow. to accommodatethose who
the umbrella of universal
The home might go might be in wheelchairslater {lsicit3ter
d e si g n.inc ludingagi n g i n
through a seriesofchanges in life
place.barrier-freedesign, in the
des ign.as s i s ri v e
a cce s s ible during other stagesin the cou- ' Lower countertoPs i]i.ifr-lDei'jo"f
plet life: when theY become bathrooms and kitchens
technology, human-centered
empty nesters'when theY ' Lowered light switches
designand ergonomics.At its bai.;1r
retire and entertain grandchil- and thermostats
simplest,universaldesign o Zero-enuYpools and sPas
embodiesthe concePtof dren, and in their twilight daYs
of elevators
"form follows function," when they're sPendingtime ' The inclusion il00illui':;
with great-grandchildren' in the home.
p o p ular iz edbY m od e rn i s r
"That's actuallYthe JaPan- In a universallYdesigned
architect Louis Sullivan as
kitchen, for examPle,ovens are
errliii"iil*ii'
well as bv his assistant,Frank esesystem,"saYsJoel MaY,
principal of Joel MaY Architec- Iocated at eYelevel, refrigera-
Llovd \\tight.
ture in Sarasota,Fla., and Pres- tors have bottom-drawer-like iiii,ilt':/ears
While universaldesigncan
ident of the American Insti- freezersand cabinet Placement
affectpeople in a number of
different areasof dailY life, it's
particularlvrelevantin the
tute of Architects Florida Gulf
Coast chaPter."TheY buY a
is configured to allow walka-
biliry when severalcabinet
II
1i

house thinking they'll be in it doors are simultaneouslY

h o m e. I n t ac r .as it g a i n s
for generations." opened.
acceptanceand becomesa nat- I
In the bathroom, sinks have
ural occurrencerather than
Home
Theuser-Friendly knee spacebeneath for wheel-
the afterthought it is todaY,
So what needsto be done to chair accessibiliryand faucets
universaldesigncan result in
createa home that's friendlier are equiPPedwith simPle han-
homes that will be easilv
to generationsof occupants? dles that occuPantscan Pull uP
accessibleto severalgenera-
E*pert, are trYing to transcend to turn on the flow of water
tions of homeowners,at dif-

2OO8 53
MARCH/APRIL
 Manyhomeowners
maybesurprised
to learn
thattheirown
homesalready
contain
universally
designedelements.

and push down to turn it off.
In the shower,plumbing fix-
turesaredesignedto be easily
loweredor raisedon a sliding
bar (this works especiallywell
for thosewell aboveor below
averageheight). Roll-in show-
ersenablewheelchair-bound
occupantsto transferto a
simplechair,often hingedto
an interior bar.'Walk-inbath-
tubs havea panel through
which the userentersand
then closesto make the tub
watertight.
And throughoutthe uni-
versallydesignedhouseare
cleanmaterialssuchasterraz-
zo or stoneor wood floors,
which requirelessmainte-
Showers with
no entry
barriers
enable
homeowners in
wheelchairs to
moreeasily
transferto a
seatwithin
the shower.
!ong-lasting
floorsthat
requireless
maintenance are
anothercommon
featureof
universally
designedhomes.
nanceand lessneedfor
replacement overtime.
RameshGulatee,principal
of Lincolnshire,Ill.-basedLife-
CareDesignStudio,suggests
more optimally locatedlight,
phone and power access spots
to accommodatethe changing
needsof homeowners,and the
inclusionof electronicbuttons
so thosewho areelderlyor frail
can easilyopen doors.The lat-
tet he notes,would alsobe
helpful to a homeownertrying
to open a door while carrying
armloadsof groceries.
Examplesof
UniversalDesign
Many homeownersmay be
surprisedto learn that their
own homesalreadycontain
universallydesignedelements.
Most of theseelementsare
commonlyfound in the
kitchen and bathroom, though
they can alsoappearelsewhere
in the home.Easilyoperable
windows and large-print mate-
rials that easereadingareoften
found around the house,for
example.Solarlight tubesand
skylightsarealsoconsidered
universaldesigncomponents,
asthey provide natural light in
the home.This is an impor-
tant elementin the home,
sinceto function adequately,
we requiretwice asmuch light
at 60 yearsofage aswe do
when we're40, accordingto
Vderie Fletcher,executive
directorof Boston-based
Adaptive Environments (soon
to be known asthe Institute
for Human CenteredDesign),
who spokeat Build Boston's
universaldesignsymposium
in November.
Home automationis
emergingasa part of univer-
saldesign,notesMay. "It's
expensive[now] but it allows
peoplewho arein wheelchairs
or bed-boundto control their
environment.They can turn
off lights, changethe thermo-
stat, check security cameras
and more," sheexplains.That
ability to bettercontrol their
surroundingsgiveshomeown-
ersconfidence- a secondary
goal of universaldesign.
At the symposium,Fletch-

er offered an example of uni-
versalinterior architecture
that servesthe needsofspe-
cific homeowners while giv-
ing them more confidencein
their control over their envi-
ronment. In one home, a deaf
couple with two hearing chil-
dren fitted the interior walls
with a numbe r of aesthetically
appealingopenings.These
openings enablethe couple to
keep an eye on their children
when they're playing out of
sight in areasof the home
where parentswould other-
w is e r ely on t heir h e a ri n g .
This, she says,representsan
example of the "tolerancefor
error" principle of universal
design (seesidebar),and gives
the homeowners confi dence
becausethey have more con-
trol over their environment.
Universal design is becom-
i n g inc r eas inglyi m p e ra ti v ea s
greaternumbers of baby
boomers enter their larer
yearsand as the number of
people with disabilitiesrises.
trA', To m ak ert
easi erfor
tnos ern
^
-l
w he el c hai rs
U to do thei r
laundry,
hom eow ners
canel ev ate
the was herand
drye rand c hoos e
front-l oad
i ng
mo0 el s .
As of 2007, there were about and
Ergonomics
35 million people older than the Home
65 yearsof age in the United Ergonomics is a branch of uni-
Statesand abou77 million versal design that focuseson
baby boomers, some of preventative measuresby
whom have recently started designingproducts and systems
turning 60, according to that reducefatigue and discom-
Fletcher. (On a related note, fort. "[Homeowners] work at
physical limitations rise sig- the kitchen table or other firr-
nificantly between 45 and 54 niture but they don't think
yearsof age.)In addition, about the long-term effect on
beween 49 and 54 million their bodies," saysManuel
people are coping with some Saez,formerly a designer with
type of disability. These num- Humanscale, a New York Ciry-
bers obviously point to the baseddesignstudio that pro-
need for universal design in duces ergonomically designed
our homes and other areasof home office furniture. "Eventu-
our lives. ally itt going to get to you. A

TheCenter for Universal

Design A gi ngi n P l aceCouncil
N ati onal
:i . i 1' ,. gn.ncsu.edu/cud
http://desi wwwnaipc.org
919-515-3082 784
202-939-r

INFORMATION AdaptiveEnvironments
http//adaptiveenvironments.org
Universal
wwwudll.com
614-4i-6100
r
LivingLaboratory
Design

6l7-695-1
225
Homeowners canimplement universal design
during
newconstruction or retrofit it intoanexisting HomeDesign/AARP
Universal P l anni ng
Gui de lines
K i tchen
gn
lies/home_desi
www.aarp.orgfiami
T hef ollo w i nwge b s i tecsa nh e l py o u
hom e. withAccessStandards
888-687-2277 National Kitchen andBathAssociation
discover
howto modify yourresidence to prevent
problems A l l i ance
D esi gn
U ni versal www.nkba.org/gu ideli nes/kitchen.aspx
orto dealwithnewlifestyle situations.
wr n r.univelsaldesign.org S tudio
Deesi gn
H umanscal
770-667-459r gn.com
wwwhumanscaledesi
10
646-367-51
I
I
tl
il
tl
Fa u ce ts
e q u i p p edwith
tl s i l n p l eh a n d le s
tl
,l a n d a d j u sta b le -
h e i g h ts i n ksh e lp
il
o c c u p a n tso f
il
v a r y i n gp h ysica l
abilitie s
comfortably
performtasks
i n t h e k itch e n .
couple hours a day is enough
to create trouble for your body.
It's important to understand
how people work and what
are the physicaltendencies.
Ergonomic fu rniture addresses
that need."
In the context of a home
office, say,ergonomics has
gained some publiciry over the
past decade.As more and more
people work for severalhours
daily from a cramped home
office spaceor computer sta-
tion, it becomesmore impera-
tive to implement ergonomic
products and systems.
Of course,not all home
offices are alike. Some are sim-
ple workspacessuch as a
kitchen table with a personal
computer; others contain a full
suite of office furniture and
spacefor visiting clients. For
most itt the former, which is
why it's imperative for home-
owners to Pay attention ro
how they treat their bodies. It's
also a good idea to take a look
at ergonomic firrniture such as
that designedby Humanscale.
At first sight, ergonomic
home office furniture is often
indistineuishablefrom other
l. i l,- ; ' ;' i
l
UNVERSA
DESIGN
R onalL.
d Mac e,w hoc oi ned
the
termuniversal
design,
developed
seven
pri nci pl es
tha tdemons trate
howa hous e
canbemaxi m i z ed
for ac c es s i bi l rty .
rypesof furniture. The sleek, t. E qui tabl eus e ens ures
ac c es s i bi l i -
contemporary aestheticsgive ty by peoplewithdiverseabilities
- for
no immediate indication of the exampl e,
computers
thatc anbeus edby
ergonomics built into the peopleof different
physical
abilities.
design, but within minutes pl anni ng
2.Fl exi bi l i tyi n us e i nv ol v es
homeowners recognizehow foraccessi b i l-i tyfor ex ampl se,tac k i ng
well itt designedto meet their cl osets
abov eoneanother
onthel ev el sof
needs.The more ergonomic soat somepoi nttheyc anbe
a home,
removed
to makewayfor an elevator
for
efficiency a home office has,
el derloccup
y ants ,
the lessbothersomecarpal tun-
r. Simple and intuitive use refers
nel syndrome, back problems
to maki ng
acces s i bi leas
i ty yto unders tand,
or vision problems will be in
suchasl abel i ng
thedoorof a w oman' s
the future.
roomw i tha fi gurei n a dres s .
\{/hile universal design has
4.Perceptibleinlormationinvolves
risen to assistmore than the
pres c ri p-
vi sualcues,su c hasc ol or-c oded
disabledand the aging popula-
ti onbottl es
thatmak ei t eas yto rec ogni z e
tions, expertsagreethe concept
eachbottle's
contents.
needsto be more widely
5.Tolerancefor error minimizes
implemented,so it helps hazards
i f ani mproper i s pus hed
bufton
improve not only the lives of or a product
i s us edi mproperl y .
those with sensory,visual or o.Low physical eflort involves
hearing ailments, but also pro duc ts
desi gni ng thatareeas yto us e,
those with difierent needssuch suchasa teap otthatc anbeti ppedrather
as Brown's. For now, Brown is thanpi cked
upfor eas ypouri ng.
planning to try out a new pair z. Size/spacefor approachand
of universally designedscis- usefocuses
o nens uri ng
eas yac c es s ,
sors. But he'll still have to deal suchasdesi g ni ng
rol l -i n
s how ers
w i th
with a pesky can opener and trenchdrai ns
t o ens ure
thereareno
duck under low doors. el evati on
varianc es .
Nichole L. Reberwrites regu-
larly about spaceplanning, fom
interior designto land use.She's
basedin Sarasota,Fla.