Universal Design has been defined as “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.” This definition was developed by the architect Ron Mace, FAIA, an architect and the founder of the Center for Universal Design at N.C. State University. In recent years, architects and designers in the US and abroad have come to recognize significant and growing overlaps between Universal Design principles and emerging values of social and environmental sustainability.
This June 13, 2012 webinar is the third in a three part series sponsored by the Universal Design member-created community on AIA KnowledgeNet.
Some of the most persistent misconceptions about Universal Design are that it is “handicapped looking”, ungraceful and too expensive. These mistaken ideas often keep owners from accepting new modalities and leads to perpetuating bad practices. The projects presented in this workshop will dispel those myths and show that incorporating Universal Design features provides greater accessibility, increase property value and adds safety. This workshop will include presentations by three prominent architects whose projects have won the AIA Small Project Award for Universal Design. These architects will discuss their design philosophies, explore their firm’s production process, and show case study examples.