Universal Design: a missing piece to sustainability

Imagine the most beautiful sustainable home the world has ever seen. Every known “green” technology was used in the design of this structure. However, the occupant of this home is hiking in the mountains one weekend soon after its completion and slips and falls, suffering a broken leg. While this home was totally sustainable in nearly ever sense, the one area in which it was lacking is universal design, meaning this fantastic new home may, if not now, then later, be left sitting empty while its current owner is forced to move into something less “green” but has all of the universal design necessities. Designing with universal design principles in mind means a space will be able to be used by a broader range of people over a longer span of time. “Instead, Ponce de Leon says universal design encourages architects to think about a wide range of people.”(Siegel, 2010) It is not logical to design an build a structure that someone facing disability, temporary or permanent, will have to vacate or retrofit. Buildings and the spaces within them should be equally usable for all people. Regardless of ability, the experience should be the same.

Ron Mace, the architect who coined the phrase “Universal Design,” defines it as, “The design of products and environments to the be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design” (Access to Design). Green building is defined in the United States Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Whitepaper on Sustainability as, “The practice of 1) increasing the efficiency with which buildings and their sites use energy, water, and materials, and 2) reducing building impacts on human health and the environment, through better siting, design, construction, operation, maintenance, and removal - the complete building life cycle.” ("White paper on," 2003)

Both universal design and sustainable design are centered on making the environment a better place, inside and out. It is becoming more and more commonplace and crucial to think about both of these areas when designing buildings and interior environments. Adhering to both ensures a better future.


The principles of universal design. (1997, January 1). Retrieved from http://www.ncsu.edu/www/ncsu/design/sod5/cud/about_ud/udprinciplestext.htm


Access to Design Individuals. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://adaptiveenvironments.org/adp/profiles/1_mace.php


Rosetti, R. (2008, March 18). Designing sustainable homes that make life easier. Retrieved from http://www.udll.com/a/programs/handouts/2008-03-15_ASID-Handout_Rosemarie-Rossetti-PhD.pd


Lawlor, D. (2008). Sustainable design begins with universal design. Retrieved from http://www.asid.org/designknowledge/aa/inplace/active/sustainableuniversal.htm


Siegel, R. (2010, July 26). how the disabilities act has influenced architecture. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128778558


White paper on sustainability. (2003, November). Retrieved from http://www.usgbc.org/Docs/Resources/BDCWhitePaperR2.pdf

portfolio

Late Night Working

A group of us were working late in the studio to meet the deadline and I decided to snap some photos to show our progress.

NC Finish Company

I have always been really interested in what happens to architecture eventually... after it stops being used and nature starts reclaiming what belonged to it to begin with. The North Carolina Finishing Plant closed several years ago, devastating the small town of Spencer, NC. The site began being demolished soon after in preparations for a number of things to be built in its place, however the economy soon took its toll on these plans and what was done was just left. Bums, animals, and nature have since taken over the site, giving it an entirely different character.

Skyscraper Interiors

This semester a group of us have collectively been designing a skyscraper to hypothetically be built in Stockholm, Sweden. However, we broke off to work individually to design interior spaces.

This building has two main entrance points on two different levels. The lower entrance is at the main street level and is the entrance for the five levels of more public retail space. On the upper level, however, there is a more private entrance for the businesses on the upper floors. This was the lobby space I set about to design. I included kiosks in this space, some of which would sell small goods and other would sell food, just like street vendors, which are very common throughout Europe. This also makes the space an interesting space for events and allows the employees a place to grab a quick lunch or snack. At the furthest point from the entrances and flow of traffic there is a large seating area, which will overlook the view of the city across the water, creating a calming and inspiring place to get away during the day.


floor plan


kiosks


seating area


I then designed a typical office floor. Because in this type of building, a variety of tenants would or could occupy the space, as well as each tenants needs change over time, I wanted above all else to create a flexible space. Therefore, I included sliding partitions and mostly open space. In Sweden there is not as strict of a hierarchy in the workplace as you might find in the United States, therefore there is not an abundance of personal private space. Instead, there is a strong movement toward collaboration and workspaces not being as rigid. Therefore, I included just as much collaborative, less rigid workspace as cubicle workspace. I also included a small kitchen and break area.


floor plan


collaborate workspace


break kitchen


workspace

[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/JhxFIl.jpg[/IMG]
break area


The final designed level was near the top of the building, which narrows considerably. I designed this space with flexibility in mind again. It can be reserved and used by any business in the building for a variety of functions.


floor plan


blackboard paint walls


conference meeting


dining or small meeting


lounge

Charlotte Visit

Last week we were lucky enough to be guided around some of Charlotte's skyscrapers. It was a rare opportunity and was extremely interesting to see a skyscraper in a somewhat raw form and to be inside of the Gensler office in Charlotte.

Precedent Studies + Stockholm Analysis

Open publication - Free publishing - More stockholm

Deconstruction|Reconstruction

I came across this video and I thought it was really awesome. It shows a building being dissassmbled and new ones put in its place. I found it interesting that the old building wasn't blown up like we usually see buildings demolished, but instead taken apart piece by piece.

3 Years At The Same Place (english version) from Ramon on Vimeo.

Photos of 106 Parrish Street

Our latest endeavor in third year Interior Architecture studio is to renovate a historic building in downtown Durham, NC. The building is in great disrepair in its current state. Here are some photos from our trip there.

Exterior of Building

First Floor Front Stairwell

First Floor Entryway

First Floor

Third Floor

Second Floor

The following are images from my design for the Patient Care Units at Central Regional Hospital. 

Adolescent Male Day Room

Adolescent Male Day Room

Adolescent Male Family Visiting Room

Adolescent Female Day Room

Adolescent Female Day Room

Adolescent Female and Children's Family Visiting Room

Children's Day Room

Children's Day Room

Activity Room for All Patient Care Units

Activity Room for All Patient Care Units. The Children's unit Activity Room
will include a hopscotch pattern on the floor. 

Hallways in all Patient Care Units

Central Regional Hospital: Design

Open publication - Free publishing - More hospital

Schematic Design - Central Regional Hospital

I have begun the design process for Central Regional Hospital. I know that the spaces need to be calming and therapeutic without being sterile or cold. They certainly need to be better suited for children and adolescents, who will be using the spaces while in the care of the staff. I have been incorporating flowing forms into my design to offset the hard, harsh lines of the interior as it was built.

Concept Exploration

Concept is a quest for the generator of the project. The basic question that any concept exploration should address is - what does the space desire to be? Here are some questions you must seek to answer that should get you started in framing a concept. 

• What does the space at the Central Regional Hospital building want to be?

• Warm
• Inviting
• Therapeutic
• Versatile
• Nonthreatening

• What should its identity be?

• A therapeutic, safe environment. 

• What is the type of experience I want to provide to the users and the visitors of the facility?

• I want the users and visitors to not feel like they are in such an institutional setting while still providing a sense of structure. I feel that there needs to be a balance of familiar as well as unfamiliar so that clients of the hospital do not get too comfortable and yet are relaxed enough to get the most from their treatment and time spent there. As it stands now, the client rooms seem sterile and prison-like. They are so plain and understimulating that they seem, to me, to cause almost the opposite effect of what is intended. The rooms need softened and warmed up in some way, with texture and/or color. I want the clients of the hospital to feel like this is a safe place and a place they can open up in. 

• What are the specifics on the existing site that I want to engage in the design process and how should I go about accomplishing it?

• I think that what needs to be addressed the most is providing a more warm, therapeutic environment for all who enter the spaces- staff, clients, and visitors. This can be accomplished though colors and textiles and other kinds of texture. The spaces also need more visual interest, which can be expressed through color, raising/lowering ceiling heights, textures, material choices, floor material choices, etc. 

assignment

A conceptual understanding of the opportunity

• Articulation of the essential nature of the design opportunity as you understand it.

• This design opportunity challenges us to create a warm, therapeutic, inviting environment in a restricted environment. 

Consider

• Consider issues of size, scale, proportion and the human presence.

• For children, scale definitely needs to be addressed. More things need to be to a child’s scale- places of lower ceiling heights, smaller spaces, etc. 

• Consider circulation, arrival, and path. 

• Patients circulate from their rooms to the activity areas, smaller group rooms, visitation rooms and further outward to the treatment mall and classrooms. 

• Consider appropriate materials, form, and image.

• Appropriate materials cannot hang, be sharp, be thrown, be used as weapons to harm others or oneself. They cannot be overstimulating. Spaces cannot be too small to bring on claustrophobia. Spaces cannot be too large and unmanageable. Staff visibility is essential but clients should not be able to see everything. 

Powers of Ten: Project Ideas and Sketches