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The mission of the AIA Design for Aging (DFA) Knowledge Community is to foster design innovation and disseminate knowledge necessary to enhance the built environment and quality of life for an aging society. This includes relevant research on characteristics, planning and costs associated with innovative design for aging. In addition, DFA provides outcome data on the value of these design solutions and environments. 

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Universal design. Why now?

By Stephen R. Scheirman posted 08-15-2016 11:15 AM

  

By Steve Scheirman / Blueprints for Senior Living newsletter, August 2016

Universal design – It sounded compelling and intriguing when I first heard of it. Sounded like something an architect would certainly know about, but I didn’t. Would I find “universal” design to be truly universal – both applicable to particular needs such as design for older people and adaptable to a broad spectrum of people and circumstances? 

Universal design: The name is ubiquitous in the literature. Inclusionary design… to maximize number of people who can function independently, …considering human needs, ages and abilities throughout the lifespan.”1 “ Best Practices in UD is defined as building practices and procedures that comply with UD principles and provide affordable design practices that meet the needs of the widest possible range of people that use the facility.”2 The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.”3

It may be ever-present now, since for decades, it has been a subject matter of many research papers, books and conferences of study. It is promoted to be all things to all people at all times, which means it is hard to get a grip on it. Know of any “manuals”? Some are out there, yet I am still intrigued. 

I looked at the fairly large body of work4 concerning Universal design and tried to distill it into a useful “tool” or at least a set of reminder guides I could apply. I looked at the US references (Harvard, NAHB, HUD, NC, CA, ADA), and moved on to decipher international references (Canada, Australia, UK, Sweden and conglomerate international groups’ work).  There are different features, emphases, themes and goals, to be sure. There are so many opinions interspersed in the various texts that the good ideas were hard to ferret out. As I compared them, I saw patterns of Universal Design definitions and suggestions from the various value systems. I came to understand universal design (UD) as a way of meeting the needs of people of different abilities and ages over a lifespan by planning and paying attention to details that are practical and flexible. People of all ages and physical conditions can live, play and work more easily in physical, built UD environments.

What if architects foresaw this natural change, got ahead of the demand curve, and naturally incorporated a UD mindset? Wouldn’t that be a better practice? I see these now-familiar UD ideas appearing in sound-bite articles in Senior Living publications as if they were new ideas. Is there, in fact, a market now asking for UD? Clients do not seem to universally ask for “Universal Design”…yet. It certainly lacks a capitalistic value-benefit argument. It is so intangible; it is difficult to assess its worth. It is not shown to be profitable. (UD is generally viewed, I submit, as an overlay, which means higher cost.) It is not mainstream. 

Why, then, add universal design to our practice? It isn’t required. It is not “mandated” by codes. (ADA compliance is.  LEED compliance, to some extent, is. Energy codes are here or on our doorstep).  Is it like adopting ADA all over again, but without ADA written all over it?  That can mean we need to learn something new (translated: more indirect/overhead time/non-income-producing work activity…Oh no!). UD is something we may have heard of: something we might casually look at and say, “Well – that makes sense –we’re doing that already.”… (sort of). “We can figure things out anyway and deliver designs without another yardstick to be measured by.”… (or be held accountable to). So we move on to something else that can demonstrate its worthiness of our time and attention. We will rely upon “core design principles”, regulations for compliance with codes and ordinances), and profit motive to fulfill the concert of design responses to our projects’ programs.

With change comes resistance. Architecture is many things, including learning from the past, conceptualizing the future and bringing it all into the present design. The practice of architecture is increasingly competitive and complex, including developments in technology areas, in legal areas, in management areas, in design areas and in regulatory areas. As we go through our careers we set down some of the old tools that got us here and incorporate new ones.

I believe that UD has clear merit, but is under-applied, under-recognized and of unknown value. I do not believe UD to be a design subset, a remedy or a style. Let’s not think of “adding” UD. Let’s think of understanding and naturally incorporating it. I believe the tenets of Universal Design can weave through what we do and positively shape some of the decisions we make. I realize perhaps now is the time UD could gain traction. 

Architects still have leadership roles, if we understand the principles and have some “cheat sheets” to go by.  So, yes, I am still developing that effective, efficient presentation to pass from architect to architect, to give us the tools and knowledge to incorporate UD into what we do. I am one of those Architects that still believe that we can make (our part of) the world a better place, and as time goes on there are more and more people who will benefit from that which is called universal design. 

After all, we are all getting older.

Are you intrigued?

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Foot notes:

1.  U. S Department of Housing and Human Development Residential Remodeling and Universal Design, Making Homes More Comfortable and Accessible prepared by NAHB Research Center, Inc., Upper Marlboro MD and Barrier Free Environments. Inc., Raleigh NC, May 1996

2.  Cornel University, ILR School, International Best Practices in Universal Design: A Global Review, Canadian Human Rights Division, August 2007

3.  Copyright 1997 NC State University, The Center for Universal Design. Appeared in a paper by Walton D. Duchner, Jr., The Rationale and Approach for the Integration of the Principles of Universal Design”, date unknown.

4.  My research included: (U. S Department of Housing and Human Development issued Residential Remodeling and Universal Design, Making Homes More Comfortable and Accessible in May 1996. Cornell published International Best Practices in Universal Design in 2007, a compilation of technical standards. North Carolina State University has a Center for Universal Design and published several papers and guides. The Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access at the University of Buffalo issued Design Resources, Dr-05 Levels of Inclusive Housing in 2010. The AIA has an AIA/CES course #UD12005 in 2012, (which, I believe, does not bode well for Universal design, but is full of equipment remedies) Livable Housing Australia issued Universal Housing Design and Livable Housing Guidelines in 2012. Virginia VHDA published Guidelines in 2015.)

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About the author:

Steve Scheirman is founder of Scheirman Associates Architects, a client-centered practice. Steve enjoys creative design and solving complex project issues in a variety of programs. Evolving over two decades from a general practice to a niche specialty firm, he is now a Certified Age-in-Place Specialist blending modern design with universal design.

Steve is a registered Architect licensed in Texas and Florida and has been licensed in over twenty other states. Honors and awards include BJI-International Design awards, is a recognized expert and published in over a dozen trade journal articles. 

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