I recently picked up a great book....well ordered a great book from Amazon titled "Universal Design for the Home" by Wendy A. Jordan. It's about design for all ages, abilities and circumstances. The concept is to make products and places safe and accessible for everyone - the elderly, the young, the handicapped and those with physical challenges and anyone in between.
Universal design blends into home designs and is barely noticeable. According to this book there are four tiers of design to meet ranges of need:
1) Universal design is the most inclusive because is accommodates everyone
2) Accessible design focuses more narrowly, zeroing in on an individual with a disability and addresses that person's particular needs for a barrier-free home.
3) Adaptable design plans ahead by incorporating features that my not be accessible now, but ready for modification in it becomes necessary.
4) Visitability design prepares the main floor of a home for visitors with limited mobility; wheelchair users can enter a house with ease and comfortably use the living spaces and guest rooms on the main floor.
According to this book there are twenty universal design components.
1) At least one home entry has no steps
2) Flat or very low thresholds at doorways
3) Open plan with wide doorways, halls, and passageways
4) At least 5-foot diameter clear turning space in rooms
5) Plan that accommodates 1-story living now, or can be adapted easily for this later
6) If house has more than 1-story stairs are low and deep, with handrails on both sides; if possible, include an elevator or the space for a future one
7) Light switches lower than standard and electrical outlets higher than standard, so they are easy for all to reach
8) Easy grip door, faucet, and drawer hardware
9) Appliances designed and placed for convenient use from a standing or seated position
10) Controls for appliances, heating, air-conditioning, and other equipment that are easy to reach, see, understand, and operate
11) Plenty of lighting throughout the house, including natural light, ambient lighting, and task lights
12) Easy to operate windows, such as casements, awnings and remote control units
13) Generous counters in the kitchen, bathroom and wherever a tabletop would be handy
14) Work surfaces at various heights that are accessible for various users, standing or seated
15) Roomy shower with a wide entry and an easy to negotiate threshold
16) Chair height toilets
17) Grab bars or other handholds in the bathroom and elsewhere
18) Reachable storage, including low cabinets, full extension drawers, open shelves, and adjustable shelves and rods
19) Smooth, firm, slip-resident flooring
20) Low maintenance systems, materials, and finishes
What do you think of Universal Design? Would you want to live in a house where you can age in place? Do you have parents or other family members who could use some of these features in their homes? Something to think about? My earlier email talked about baby boomers aging and what this will mean as it relates to the types of homes we will need to live in. If we can keep people in homes to "age in place" that means less money is spent on nursing homes or assisted living facilities. It also allows people to continue living in the communities that they are familiar with.
Universal design blends into home designs and is barely noticeable. According to this book there are four tiers of design to meet ranges of need:
1) Universal design is the most inclusive because is accommodates everyone
2) Accessible design focuses more narrowly, zeroing in on an individual with a disability and addresses that person's particular needs for a barrier-free home.
3) Adaptable design plans ahead by incorporating features that my not be accessible now, but ready for modification in it becomes necessary.
4) Visitability design prepares the main floor of a home for visitors with limited mobility; wheelchair users can enter a house with ease and comfortably use the living spaces and guest rooms on the main floor.
According to this book there are twenty universal design components.
1) At least one home entry has no steps
2) Flat or very low thresholds at doorways
3) Open plan with wide doorways, halls, and passageways
4) At least 5-foot diameter clear turning space in rooms
5) Plan that accommodates 1-story living now, or can be adapted easily for this later
6) If house has more than 1-story stairs are low and deep, with handrails on both sides; if possible, include an elevator or the space for a future one
7) Light switches lower than standard and electrical outlets higher than standard, so they are easy for all to reach
8) Easy grip door, faucet, and drawer hardware
9) Appliances designed and placed for convenient use from a standing or seated position
10) Controls for appliances, heating, air-conditioning, and other equipment that are easy to reach, see, understand, and operate
11) Plenty of lighting throughout the house, including natural light, ambient lighting, and task lights
12) Easy to operate windows, such as casements, awnings and remote control units
13) Generous counters in the kitchen, bathroom and wherever a tabletop would be handy
14) Work surfaces at various heights that are accessible for various users, standing or seated
15) Roomy shower with a wide entry and an easy to negotiate threshold
16) Chair height toilets
17) Grab bars or other handholds in the bathroom and elsewhere
18) Reachable storage, including low cabinets, full extension drawers, open shelves, and adjustable shelves and rods
19) Smooth, firm, slip-resident flooring
20) Low maintenance systems, materials, and finishes
What do you think of Universal Design? Would you want to live in a house where you can age in place? Do you have parents or other family members who could use some of these features in their homes? Something to think about? My earlier email talked about baby boomers aging and what this will mean as it relates to the types of homes we will need to live in. If we can keep people in homes to "age in place" that means less money is spent on nursing homes or assisted living facilities. It also allows people to continue living in the communities that they are familiar with.