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>> MARCELA: Welcome to today's AIA Knowledge Community
presentation, Beyond the ADA: Residential Universal Design.
This is the second in the 2011-12 series of three webinars
on universal design and ADA.
My name is Marcela Abadi Rhoads, AIA; and I am your moderator.
We'd like to thank the co-sponsors of today's webinar,
Home Free Home.org,
the Christopher & Dana Reeves Foundation,
and the AIA Small Projects Practitioners
Knowledge Community.
Register for the final installment of this series,
Myth Busters: Excellence in Universal Design
to see presentations about three prominent architects whose
projects have won the AIA Small Project award
for universal design.
The AIA Knowledge Communities have several upcoming webinars.
You can learn more and register
by visiting AIA Knowledge Net event calendar
at network.aia.org.
Today's presentation is copyright 2012,
The American Institute of Architects.
You should have received a link to a pdf copy
of the presentation in the reminder email.
The link can also be found now in the chat box
at the lower right-hand portion of your screen.
Today's presentation will be available online
after this live event.
AIA Knowledge is a registered provider
with the American Institute
of Architects Continuing Education system.
Today's presentation is worth one HSW Continuing Education
hour for licensed architects
and one elective supplemental experience hour
for interns enrolled in the Intern Development program.
In order to receive credit, you will need
to follow the link provided in the chat box at the conclusion
of the live presentation.
This link will also be provided
in the follow-up email you will receive one hour
after the conclusion of the webinar.
Attendees must complete the form within 24 hours of the webinar.
During this course, we will focus on applying the principles
of universal design in private residences.
Among other outcomes, attendees learn about the growing aging,
Aging-In-Place market and how architects can provide services
to the senior community.
Joining me today are presenters Laura Montllor, AIA;
and Andrew Robinson, AIA.
Laura is an architect and an Aging-In-Place expert with more
than 25 years of experience in private practice in New York.
She's a longtime advocate of inclusive design
and creating spaces that are functional for all users.
Laura is a director of Home Free Home.org, an all-volunteer group
of architects who design accessible homes,
which gives families lives with greater freedom and dignity.
Named one of the most influential women on Long Island in 2009
by the Long Island Press, her work has been published
in a number of books and publications,
including the book Smart Approach to Kitchen Design;
Exceptional Parent Magazine; Newsday; Home Beautiful;
and several HGTV shows.
She has served in AIA at the national level
with Small Projects Practitioners Knowledge
Community and offered articles for AIA architects,
Laura regularly presents seminars
on small firm practice issues,
universal design and accessibility.
If you have a question at any point during the webinar,
please enter it in the chat box; and It will be sent
to me, your moderator.
All content related questions will be answered at the end
of the webinar as time permits.
All technical questions will be answered as soon as possible.
Welcome, Laura.
>> LAURA: Hi, everybody.
Thanks for the intro, Marcela.
Today we're going to talk about going beyond the ADA
and implying universal design principles
to residential projects.
We're going to discuss the need for accessible housing,
universal design in the history of the evolution
of accessible building codes.
We're going to look at some design ideas and get tips on how
to expand our options during the design process.
We're going to look at Aging-In-Place; and especially,
marketing for small firms.
The need for accessible housing --
there are about 12 million Americans
that have physical disabilities
that make going outside the home difficult
or practically impossible.
This need is urgent and is increasing
as our population ages.
It's estimated that one-third of Americans are either disabled,
chronically ill, or over age 65;
and this is when you lump them all together.
We know that less than one in ten homes are designed
to accommodate this growing population.
This is according to HUD.
I know that in some areas of the country
with older housing stock, like where I live and practice
in New York, this percentage has got
to be a lot less than one in ten.
When you think about the ADA,
you probably think about this symbol.
This is the ADA guy.
It's also called the international symbol of access.
It was designed in 1968.
It's always a blue square overlayed with a white,
stylized image of a person using a wheelchair.
Actually, only one percent
of the United States' population uses wheeled mobility devices,
such as wheelchairs, power chairs, or scooters.
Seven percent of the whole population has an
ambulatory disability.
So there are many more people
who have an ambulatory disability
who do not use a wheeled device.
This number does rise to about 13 percent when we're looking
at the age of over 65.
The ADA standards -- when we think of ADA standards,
we think of a diagram that looks like this.
It's a plan and diagram with minimum dimensions and notes
about 36-inch minimum or 42-inch maximum reach.
This ADA often leads to functional but stark
and bleak hospital-looking results, like in this picture.
In contrast to ADA standards,
the concept of universal design is to create products
and environments that are accessible,
seamlessly, by all users.
Okay, so 9 percent of Americans have a disability
that makes walking and climbing stairs difficult.
The important part about this is that when we're looking
at the older population,
it's almost one-third of the population.
This is according to a very good report by the Journal
of the American Planning Association, which is available
as a resource on my Home Free Home.org website.
Okay, in the future, we know that 25 percent
of households are at least going to have --
we're predicting that at least -- are going to have one person
with physical limitation.
Ninety-five percent of Americans want to remain
in their current homes as they age.
This is called Aging-In-Place.
This is according to another very good report by the AARP.
Approximately, 70 percent of Americans live
in single-family homes.
So with the majority
of the existing housing stock not accessible
and most Americans living in single-family homes,
this is really not a disabled problem or a "they" problem.
This is a "we" problem.
It's a coming crisis that's going to be effecting us all.
In reality, this is what we're going to be seeing.
Temporary ramps that are not substantial,
slippery in the rain.
They end up not even being used, like in the case of this family
that starts to put up stuff here and sports equipment and stuff
because they're really just too precarious.
Another example, in reality, this is a picture
of my friend Janice ( phonetic ), who lost a leg
at age 16 in an accident.
She did get by for many years; but now, as she gets older,
her one leg is wearing out from overuse.
so she now uses a wheelchair exclusively to get around.
Her family built this ramp off of the existing deck.
Not only is the ramp too steep but with regular decking boards
that are very slick in the rain and snow,
the railings are not graspable, the posts are too far apart.
And what happened over the years with freeze/thaw cycles is
that this whole thing started to sink and warp;
so they had to do this little addition on the end.
At one point, Janice ( phonetic ) came down the ramp
and actually fell through with her wheelchair,
fell through here; so then they put up these little one-by-ones
in here; and at this end, they put these little one-by-ones
because she was falling off the edge of the ramp.
Then one year, it changed -- it shifted again;
so they put up 2x6 under there.
Unfortunately, this situation is not at all unusual.
I know that many of you probably see many jerry-rigged solutions
like this.
There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that this type
of situation is going to bring us a future
of many falls and fractured hips.
Where I live in New York State, it costs about $10,000 a month
to keep a person in a nursing home.
Think about that cost, $10,000, for one month compared
to the cost of a new ramp.
So the need for accessible housing is huge
and getting bigger.
This is going to effect our whole society.
In fact, I believe this is really the coming tsunami.
How can we prepare?
As architects, what can we do to start to go beyond the ADA
and change the way we are changing how we are designing
our homes.
The real answer is to start to look at universal design
and universal design principles.
This is the official definition of universal design.
Products and environments that can be used effectively
by all people to the greatest extent possible without the need
for adaptation or specialized design.
the intent of universal design is to enhance the quality
of life for all of us regardless of age, limitation, or ability.
Universal design
in our environment should be seamless and invisible.
Universal design principles are concepts;
they are the guidelines.
Equal access, added safety, and Aging-In-Place are the goals.
When I talk to the general public,
I don't use that longer definition.
I just say it is designed for all.
It's designed for tall, short, thin, heavy, male, female,
left-handed or right-handed, physically able
or physically limited, young or old.
There are other terms.
Often, you'll hear the term inclusive design.
In Europe, in England, I saw a lot of bathrooms
that were labeled easy access.
All this is really semantics.
We are trying to design for human diversity and inclusion.
It's not a separate, or handicapped,
or disabled design in concept.
The example that I use that's really simple --
it's easy to explain and very easy to remember.
It's the round door knobs that we see
in most homes in the United States.
To open this door, we need a complex series of actions.
The fingers need to grip;
we have to have small muscle control, manual dexterity,
and what occupational therapists call actuation force.
The whole wrist then needs to twist,
and you need muscle strength to push or pull the door open.
With lever-type handles, which we do see a lot
of in commercial buildings; and they're actually very common
in the homes in Europe; they have very many advantages.
The lever-type handle you can grasp and pull the handle down.
You can also use just the side of your hand, like you see
in this picture; or if you're carrying packages,
you can also use your elbow to push the handle down
and then you can push the door open.
This is a great and simple example of design for all.
I'm going to very quickly go through the seven principles
of universal design; and specifically,
try to show you some examples as how they're applied
in residential design.
We have: 1.
Equitable use 2.
Flexibility 3.
Simple and intuitive use 4.
Clear information 5.
Tolerance for error 6.
Low physical effort 7.
Approachability This is according
to the IDEA Center at SUNY Buffalo.
For equitable use -- what we want is our design
to be useable -- equally useable by everyone --
in the same way by everyone, if at all possible.
We want to not isolate or stigmatize any group.
This is a sign, and I'm sure
that you've seen many similar signs like this at a post office
that was built in the 1930s.
When they had to make it accessible,
they put the ramp in; but the ramp is all the way
around at the back of the building.
So you really do have to go passed the garbage dumpsters,
the loading dock; and then you end up at a small door
at the back of the building.
This is isolating.
This is not inclusive.
The person who's using that ramp is separated out: segregation.
Here's an example in residential design in the home
that has a zero step entry right at the front of the house.
Everyone has to go in the same way.
You don't even think about it.
It's not noticeable.
Flexibility in use means that we're going
to provide choices in methods of use.
This faucet allows for different choices.
You can use the handle.
It has a sensor here: electronic.
Also some of these new ones have this touch control
that all you have to do is touch it and then the water comes out.
Simple and intuitive use --
it has to be easy to use and understand.
I like this faucet because here, too, we have the color
of the lever is differentiating.
Here's an example, that if you didn't see the water coming out,
the purpose of this object is pretty unclear.
Also this lever is so thin, it's very ungraspable.
In this design, as a designer, I might appreciate this design
because it's a minimal ( indiscernible ) approach;
but you're kind of hard-pressed to know that the water's going
to come out of this part; and I absolutely defy anybody
with soapy hands to use these knobs.
Perceptible information --
a good example that I use when I'm speaking
to the general public is a railway crossing
that's at-grade.
When you pull up with your car,
we're going to be receiving information
in a lot of different ways.
The arm comes down.
The arm is painted red and white.
The red, signifying danger, is shown here again, this walkway.
The shape of this sign is in an X. It says railway crossing;
but even if you could not read or could not read English,
you can see that's a crossing.
There's another sign here;
and when the train is actually coming by, we have lights
that are flashing and a bell that is ringing.
So we are receiving information in a variety of sensory modes
to show that this is a dangerous area.
Even a child will know that this is dangerous.
An example of in a home, these risers and treads --
and again, even though I like this design, the riser
and tread -- there's no contrast here.
It becomes difficult to see.
A better design is to just -- real simple --
paint the risers white and the treads with the wood color.
Especially as we get older, this type of visual --
we lose visual acuity.
So this type of contrast becomes very important.
Here we have steps that are safer for the whole family.
Tolerance for error --
this means that we can anticipate accidental
or unintention actions.
The example I use here is my favorite button on my computer,
the control + Z button that lets me undo my action.
Another example that I have in my own house was I used
to have a toaster oven that had a Braille control.
When it was on Braille, it could not automatically turn off.
I cannot tell you how many times I burned down the house.
When we're looking for products or appliances, let's make sure
that we have this tolerance for error.
If there's a mistake in a command, it can be undone.
Low physical effort -- we want to design --
use design features that require little or no physical force
to use that accommodate different postures
and positions, and minimize inconvenience.
This touch-button control toilet has a spray
for personal hygiene purpose.
We have installed this toilet in several
of our Home Free Home projects, and everyone
in the whole family absolutely rave about this toilet.
They absolutely love it.
It's extremely convenient.
Approachable means that we have an adequate amount
of space to use for features.
Here's a great photo that is shows when you're seated
and you're using a regular height stove,
this pot of boiling water is actually
at your shoulder height.
It's an extremely hazardous condition.
When we install a lower height cooktop,
and in this example we even have these lovely fold-away cabinet
doors, what we have is a much safer situation
and a very attractive situation.
Here's another picture I just want to show you to remind you
that when we are doing these universal design features,
again, this has these folding back cabinet doors,
you can put a stool here.
For senior citizens, people
who tire easily while standing having a stool while you're
cooking at the stove makes a big difference.
The benefits of universal design are it can be used by all.
It's flexible and accommodates changing households
and family lifestyles.
Certainly, increases safety; not more expensive
when you hire an architect and you design it the right way.
Not hospital-looking beautiful
and we are adding value to the property.
I'm going to do a very brief history about universal design.
Universal design really started, in general,
people say in the 1960s with the civil rights
and consumer rights movement.
We could actually trace it all the way back to Louis Sullivan
in Chicago, 1898, he coined the term form follows function,
which just basically means the shape
of an object should follow how we use the object.
When I speak to the general public, again, most audiences --
a lot of audiences have actually heard that term,
form follows function.
We jump forward, 1949,
Frank Lloyd Wright designed the first --
designed a fully accessible home in Rockford, Illinois.
The Laurent house is the only fully accessible house ever
designed by Wright.
The homeowner, Kenneth Laurent, was a World War II vet
who sustained a spinal cord injury and left the lower half
of his body paralyzed.
Let's remember, this is 40 years before the passage of the ADA.
This is the entrance to this house, and like a lot
of Wright designs, it's really working beautifully
with the site and the natural landscaping.
It has a terrific connection to the outside and nature.
Here, we've got a zero step entry.
What's most important when we think about this as designers is
to see how Wright worked in the design to ensure that the beauty
of the home and the beauty of the outside could be appreciated
from the viewpoint of someone who's seated.
Inside the house there are a lot of details,
like this built-in desk that you can roll under.
Also the cabinetwork has this high toe kick --
eight-inch high toe kick
that you can go underneath with your feet.
Okay, ( indiscernible ) skip forward a bit to the 1970s.
Really, the Independent Living Movement was born
and the first Center for Independent Living was started
in Berkeley, California.
Centers for Independent Living are non-profit groups
that are run by people with disabilities
for people with disabilities.
They serve people with disabilities.
In 1968 was our first code that dealt with removing barriers,
the Architectural Barriers Act,
and that applied to federal buildings.
In the 1970s, certainly, architecture schools
and design schools started teaching
about ergo metrics and universal design.
In 1984, the IDEA Center was started at the University
of Buffalo by Edward Steinfeld.
The IDEA Center stands for Inclusive Design
and Environmental Access and it's an excellent resource.
I suggest you take a look at their website.
In '89, we also have the Center for Universal Design started
by an architect, Ron Mace, at North Carolina State University.
In the 1980s, the VISITABILITY movement was started
by grassroots and disability activists.
So we had the architects coming from one end
and the disability activists coming from the other end.
Then in the 80s, we also had a bunch of acts
that dealt with public housing.
The Fair Housing Act, which Section 504,
says that reasonable modifications need to be made
to existing housing and accessible design has
to be added into new multifamily housing.
In general, multifamily housing is defined
as four or more units.
Then it took us until 1990 when President Bush signed the ADA.
The ADA was the first real comprehensive declaration
of equality for people with disabilities.
The ADA made the United States an international leader
on this civil rights issue.
What we have currently
on the national level is government funding is used
to build single-family detached houses, duplexes, or townhouses.
Only five percent of those units are required
to have access features.
The other 95 percent, the vast majority, have no access at all.
So if you are a person living
in the five percent accessible units,
you cannot visit your neighbors.
We do have right now an Inclusive Home Design Act
that is in Congress.
If passed, this bill is going to correct this inequality
and it's going to require that all the rest of the units have
to have basic access features, like a zero step entry.
A few states have already passed similar inclusive home bills.
In New York State, Home Free Home is working with the AARP.
Right now, we have an Inclusive Home Design bill ending.
What we know is most people in the United States do not live
in government funded housing.
About 70 percent of Americans live in single-family homes.
That means that many people are being ( indiscernible )
from this part of the American dream.
In most existing and new housing,
even in the wealthiest nations in the world,
really do lack basic accessibility features.
Now, I'm going to ask you all a quick question.
What country do you think has the most advanced residential
accessibility codes?
When I ask this question, most people say Germany or Japan
or Sweden, one of the Scandinavian countries.
The answer is the UK.
In 1999, the passed Section M,
which requires basic access in all new homes.
This means that they have to have an accessible entrance
by an accessible route, accessible common
and public use areas on the ground floor.
The house has to have wide doors that are usable
by a person in a wheelchair.
Low light switches, electrical outlets, thermostats,
all the bathrooms on the ground floor have
to have reinforced walls for later installation of grab bars.
So this is certainly the most advanced internationally.
When we look at the different states around the country,
I just want to say in New York State,
we have some big advantages as architects.
In New York State, any project that is over $20,000
in construction costs, so that really means almost any
residential renovation project, would require an architect seal.
However, there really are quite a few states in the country
where an architect is not required
to build a single-family, private residence.
Right now, in New York State, we have about 12 cities
and local municipalities that have voluntary building codes.
They have building codes in place
that really do promote the basic accessibility
and universal design features for new homes.
Most of these codes are either voluntary or they have some type
of incentive, like the one that was just recently passed
on Long Island in the town of Brookhaven
where the incentive is reduced building permit fee
and an expedited building permit program
if you meet certain universal design accessibility criteria.
And New York City, actually,
does have some pretty advanced accessibility requirements.
What we can do is we can go out and advocate,
and that is what is happening around the country.
Each local town and county usually has its own zoning code.
That's a place where we can make a big effect.
Starting in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1982,
with a woman named Eleanor Smith in Concrete Change,
that group changed the code in Atlanta, Georgia.
There are a bunch of different cities and townships
around the country that have made,
usually within the zoning code, different programs
which are called whatever: sometimes universal design,
accessible design, inclusive homes.
They go under different terms.
They are mostly, as I said, not mandatory;
but they do have sometimes incentives on it or some
of these are just, sort of, public awareness programs.
In San Antonio, they built over 7000 homes under this ordinance.
I am going to encourage you to all go
to your local zoning boards because usually those are only
about five people, and you only have to convince five people
to start to change some of these ordinances.
This is one of the -- they had built over 1000 Habitat
for Humanity homes in Atlanta.
This is one of them that has a zero step entrance.
Here's another one that is in Arizona.
Show the relationship now
between what universal design principles are
and the building code.
Universal design are the principles.
It covers interior design, urban design, that's the streets
and the curb cuts, graphic design, industrial design
and accessible building design, which we can then divide
into public and commercial building codes, that's the ADA,
and residential building codes.
VISITABILITY is very specific
about residential building codes.
I am now going to explain VISITABILITY a little bit.
VISITABILITY means that instead of asking for a whole range
of universal design features,
it's a few specific universal design features
that make homes easier for people
who have mobility impairments to live in and visit: VISITABILITY.
What it really means is we are going to be asking
for three major features in the house.
We want one zero step entrance as approached
by an accessible route, wide passage doors,
and an accessible bathroom on the main floor.
The no step entry threshold of a maximum edge
of one quarter inch or less.
When we are talking about homes, it's important to put
in on the inside, maybe title or other nonslip flooring.
But when you are coming in and you are using a wheelchair
or using a walker, you have space to clean it off
from the mud, dirt, rain from the outside.
The walkway should be on a firm surface.
If it's a walkway, it's a maximum slope of 1 to 20.
If it's a ramp, it's a maximum slope of 1 to 12.
When we design homes and when we are actually looking
at renovating existing homes,
a lot of times you see houses like this.
They have one or two little steps in front of the house.
While encouraging all of you as designers is to rethink
when you are designing a house about your sighting,
your grading, and your landscaping
so that we can avoid this problem right
from the beginning.
In situations like this where you have a couple of steps,
you can usually add an accessible walkway
with some landscaping.
That's a pretty good example.
Zero step entry does not isolate or segregate anybody.
Here's another example.
Adequate doorways.
Doorways -- we are looking for at least 32 inches minimum.
And when we are doing renovation work,
sometimes that's the best we can do is 32 inches.
ADA calls for 36.
That's pretty hard to get in some
of the old houses here on the East Coast.
One of the things we do install a lot are these swing
away inches.
By putting in this swing away hinge, we can often get
up to an extra two inches of clear space in the door.
This is a pretty good product.
We are looking for usable bathroom that's accessible
on the main floor.
We are going to give you now a little renovation case study
of a bathroom.
Here's the existing bathroom.
It's five feet by seven feet, which is, this is in a house
that was built in the 1940s.
It's very, very common that we have bathrooms like this.
What you see here is this wear-and-tear
because somebody using a walker has been getting in and out
of this bathroom and consistently bumping.
The plan of this bathroom is too small.
There's no turnaround space.
When you are actually in this bathroom
and you are using the Walker, you can't close the door
because the door swings in.
Under the sink, Esau a cabinet; so there is for knees.
The medicine cabinet above the sink is impossible to reach.
The toilet has no transfer space and no graph bars.
The tub has no transfer space and no grab bars.
By adding in only another 12 square feet to this plan,
what we can achieve is an accessible bathroom.
There's space in here for turnaround; and most importantly
when we are thinking about design, make a bathroom
that can be usable by two people.
You have to have space for the caregiver also.
Has a wide door so you could reach
to close it behind you with a low threshold.
The sink has an open space under it for knees.
A good idea is to have space on the side
of the sink for balance.
A lot of times, I put the medicine cabinet
on the side wall, which then, it becomes reachable for anybody;
and children can then reach the medicine cabinet.
The higher toilet, grab bars,
and most importantly this wheel-in/walk-in shower.
This is what the final product looks like.
It's an attractive bathroom.
It's used by all members of the family.
This is a showerhead with the extra strap on it.
It's really a very good design.
Another thing that we put
in a lot now is these ring towel holders because then even
if you have grasp ability problems,
the towel doesn't fall off.
My friend, who is the owner of this bathroom,
is a wonderful woman who has MS. She really likes having this
toilet paper independent.
So this is on a stick that you can move around.
So she doesn't have to go to the toilet paper.
The toilet paper can actually be positioned
in a place that's most usable for her.
So a little more thoughts on building codes.
Remember that the ADA is minimal standards.
When we are designing, we really have to think beyond the ADA
when we are designing for private residences.
>> MARCELA: Laura, we have about five minutes.
>> LAURA: okay.
I'm going fast.
>> MARCELA: Okay, thanks.
>> LAURA: Okay.
Real quick slide through some design ideas.
Thank you.
This is a small project, AIA Small Project award winner
that was an existing house
that they created an accessible entry,
and the whole house is accessible.
If you are designing, please put in a covered porch
so that it adds protection from rain and snow.
Here's another idea from Vancouver, Canada.
Bathrooms -- bathrooms are definitely the most dangerous
room in the house.
Nearly a quarter of 1 million Americans are injured
in the bathroom every year.
In fact, one out of three adults age 65 or older fall
in the bathroom every year
and have a dangerous most traumatic brain injuries among
adults are in the bathroom.
This is what you are going to see a lot.
They put in -- people put in these suction cup designs
that are really easy to attach, remove, and relocate.
But when you actually look at the product literature,
it says for balance assistance only;
not for leverage or body weight.
As designers, what we should be doing is having everything
that is attached on the walls in a bathroom being able
to hold body weight; and really, everything should be a grab bar.
There's no reason why a towel bar can't be a grab bar
and look good at the same time.
So again, think beyond the ADA standards.
This is a little shelf that's also a grab bar.
Here's a quick example of this fold-away cabinet door
in the bathroom application.
Here's an example of the zero threshold,
which they often called European-style
or a Roman style shower.
When we are thinking about showers,
let's start to just think about putting in shower curtains;
not glass shower doors, which it becomes very difficult,
especially when a caregiver has to get involved.
The shower door is just a barrier.
A lot of times, I do put in these prefab units
that have a couple different grab bars
in locations, different locations.
We are talking about kitchens.
This is a beautiful kitchen that is safe
for everyone in the whole family.
It has the lower seating, it has the side-by-side refrigerator.
It has the sink with the roll-in space.
It has the dishwasher higher up and easier for people to use.
Here, again, we see the high toe kick space.
Makes the counters more approachable.
A lot of cabinet manufacturers have this type of thing,
which is a great lower seated work surface.
Again, when we are doing countertop eating,
all we have to do is raise this a little bit
so we have a 30 inch height, so then chairs --
you can be used by chairs or people who are seated.
This isn't just a cool design I put in here
for the roll-under cooktop.
So the demand for accessible homes is growing.
So the question is how do we,
as small firm owners, tap into this market?
First thing is to try to educate ourselves and learn more.
Here are two books.
One is by Ed Steinfeld Jordana Maisel from the IDEA Center.
it's a great textbook.
I strongly recommend it.
This other book which is Accessible Home
by Deborah Pierce.
She's one of our Home Free Home members, and this book is going
to be coming out in the fall.
Another option is to join Home Free Home.
At Home Free Home, we are volunteer architects
who design barrier-free home renovation projects.
We connect people to local architects;
and we design small projects, such as ramps and bathrooms.
We do provide free and low-cost services,
so please take a look at our website.
We started in New York, and we are rapidly growing
and expanding into other states.
Our next speaker is going to be architect, Andrew Robinson,
who is going to show you all a project that he did
with Home Free Home in Connecticut.
>> MARCELA: Thank you, Laura.
Can everybody hear me?
Andrew has been practicing architects --
can everybody hear me?
Yes?
Andrew has been practicing architecture
as a principle since 1985.
Since his graduation from the Yale School of Architecture,
he has been active in his community.
He has chaired the Woodridge, CT Plan and Zoning Commission
and presently chairs the Architectural Review Board.
He's a member of the board
of the Orange Economic Development Commission.
As an active member of the Orange Chamber of Commerce
and the Senior Connection Group, he raises awareness
of the services available to seniors.
Andrew is a certified Aging-In-Place specialist.
Thank you, Andrew.
>> ANDREW: Thank you.
Thank you, Laura.
My talk is going to be Beyond the Code:
Design for Successful Aging.
The focus here being more on aging.
We've already discussed why we should go beyond the code.
It's an old saw that when we design to meet the code,
we are designing to meet the minimum standard.
Today we are focusing on single-family,
perhaps multigenerational residences.
Single-family homes give us the opportunity to interface
with individuals and creatively design environments
that enhance their quality of life in a special way.
Code provisions cannot address every individual's specific
residential needs.
Besides even if the scope of the ADA were to be extended
to single-family homes, the focus is not the same.
Laura discussed universal design,
which emphasizes the difference
between ADA and universal design.
ADA is disability focused.
Disability is not limited by age.
Disability is subject person focused and doesn't take
into account interactions with friends,
caretakers, and families.
Remember the term VISITABILITY?
Disability takes a snapshot of current conditions.
If you do what you did, why look at successful aging?
Well, do you do the things that you did
when you were 20, 30, 40 years ago?
Do you still want to do those things?
Can you physically and mentally accomplish all of those things?
I think this quote from George Bernard Shaw says it.
" But we can try to live long and well,
whatever that means to the individual."
There are things that we still want to do
and that we are capable of doing.
We want to enjoy activities, our physical and mental activities.
As we will see, engaging life defines successful aging.
The AARP study found that people 50 and older who said
that their homes would not meet their needs
as they grew older were almost twice
as likely to feel isolated.
Older consumers want a means
of identifying professionals they can trust;
and the professionals need to be reliable,
honest and have training and the proper skill sets to modify,
design, and build a safe barrier-free home.
Sounds like a prescription for well-trained architects.
The statistics are overwhelming.
We are here and aging and need the services
to maintain our independence.
The undeniable fact is that our population is aging;
the boomers will be followed by Echo boomers,
born between 1980 and 1998.
There are 82 1/2 million detached homes
in the median year of construction is 1974.
These houses are going to require modifications
to match our needs in our later years.
Who is going to commission these?
Those who plan for themselves and those who plan
for their relatives: their older parents.
They look toward the AARP, and AARP advises them to look
for certified Aging-In-Place designers and contractors.
On learning this, I searched for architects in Connecticut
who had become certified Aging-In-Place specialists.
Finding them, I had several thoughts.
Why are the contractors getting this?
CAPS is a program
of the National Association of Home Builders.
Here is a growing market,
opportunity with a chance to do some good, too.
The response to making my specialty known has varied.
Recently, I made a proposal for an accessory apartment
to create a multigenerational household.
I believe we will be seeing a lot more of this in the future.
Some residential developers are marketing the multigenerational
suitability of their homes already.
Reviews the term successful aging.
How does that define?
1.
By avoiding disease.
It's much better to avoid the disease or injury then to have
to regain health and make lifestyle accommodations.
2.
Maintaining high cognitive and physical function.
So that in fact, we are able to get to the point of it all.
That is engagement with life.
Aging is a gradual process.
You will hear the term ADL, or activities of daily living used
in defining the need for caregiver assistance.
In developed countries, there's a demonstrate high level
of satisfaction among older adults linked to the fact
that not all decreased abilities lead to dependence.
The Framingham Disability Study showed that the ADL of grooming,
bathing, walking across the room and transferring from bed
to chair, dressing and eating, the levels for those were
between 91 and 100 percent depending
on the individual activity for persons 75 to 84 years old.
Fifty percent were able to perform heavy house walk
and 77 percent could walk a half mile.
People with disabilities age
and some people develop age related disabilities.
This engagement with life requires independence,
but it depends on how independence is defined.
How do we redefine independence as we age?
Some see it as a desire for freedom, not subject to control
by others, not requiring relying on others, not looking to others
for opinions or guidance.
There are empowering definitions of independence.
These are the ones we want to use.
We seeking a desire for freedom
and not subject control by others.
Limiting definitions are turning our back
on the reliance upon others.
The lone-wolf approach is limiting; not empowering.
>> MARCELA: Andrew?
>> ANDREW: Yes.
>> MARCELA: Yes.
It's ten minutes before the hour, so what we're going
to do is go ahead and finish and we'll stop in five minutes
until 55 for questions, and we'll just go
over ten minutes after, if people want to stick around.
But go ahead and try to start wrapping.
Okay?
>> ANDREW: Very good.
>> MARCELA: Thank you.
>> ANDREW: So some of these, I will go through quickly.
We all use help through our lives in order
to do the things we want to do.
So independence does not mean being alone.
We take steps for personal planning, health planning,
financial planning, why not plan our homes.
Some people don't, and why?
Well, they don't see the need; or they feel
like they don't have the time.
I found that while I may not think aging needs disabled,
the public links the sensitivities
and skill sets involved; so I have received calls
to help younger people with accessibility concerns
and been able to offer my services through Home Free Home.
This was my introduction to the first project for a client
who has a debilitating illness.
The house itself was modest.
It had the benefit of grade level access.
He was using this bathroom some distance from his bedroom.
Difficult to get in.
In fact, he had cabinet pulls attached to the doorframe
to help his movement into the room,
which he is presently not able to use.
So we devised a new master bath using existing plumbing
locations so that we could tie right into the existing piping.
Adjacency to the bedroom allowed for ceiling mounted rail
for transfer from bed to shower and toilet.
And as is required in the new British code,
we've come to understand the walls are lined
with plywood allowing for future attachment of assistive devices,
grab bars and other things when they are needed;
and then they could be placed
for the person's individual requirements.
Functional details like roll-in shower.
We chose to position the drain at the front edge of the area
to create a single slope pitch from the back wall and not have
to cut into the existing floor framing to create a recess.
This is an example of a master suite added to the first floor
of a house for a woman who had contracted ALS.
Here we've put the entry ramp in the driveway, from the driveway
in the grudge where it is concealed, and we didn't have
to interrupt -- change the landscaping
at the front of the house.
We had a great tie-in location at the back of the house,
which comes close
to the existing circulation for the kitchen.
Again, we lined the walls to provide good anchorage
for devices when they are needed; and in this case,
we used a prefabricated shower with new framing.
We could recess it into the floor.
We tried to think of the full enhancement of life dealing
with easy access to the outside and being able
to enjoy the out-of-doors.
While most of us know we want to stay at home,
sometimes be reminded of this --
that this is possible has to be stated to our clients.
Why don't clients think they can do it?
They don't feel that they can justify the cost
or that it's beyond their means.
So we try to find assistance, financial assistance,
and make getting it unstressful.
There's the mental and physical stress of feeling
that they are going to be tearing up their house,
and that it's beyond them as they've gotten older.
My goal is to provide a network of one-stop shopping
for all the services and that helps us maintain a high-quality
of the built projects and reliability.
I look for contractors who will respect my clients homes
and treat them as they should be treated.
People also need to come to the realization
that they can do things to help themselves
and develop an awareness of how just small modifications,
in some cases, can really enhance their quality of life.
It's not limited to architects.
We all help: caregivers,
elder law attorneys, interior designers.
This is the kind of network that I'm striving to form.
Because we need the help of everybody,
our architectural skills are not the solution
for all the situations resolving what aging people need.
We can certainly be a gateway to the process.
We found that universal design concepts will assist people
in their aging and view of aging.
VISITABILITY, barrier-free design, accessibility,
and adaptability are primary.
I'm striving to make houses homes for a lifetime.
In fact, this is the catchphrase used by CAPS,
make houses homes for a lifetime.
I urge you all to do the same.
>> MARCELA: Thank you so much, Andrew.
That was excellent.
Important to remember that designing a home
for universal design will help the future with Aging-In-Place.
Universal design principles are for all people
and ( indiscernible ) everyone, adds safety
and is not expensive, and adds beauty and value as well.
Some resources that you -- I'm not going to go through all
of them -- there's many resources.
We will have these up on the website as soon as this is over.
We will upload them with the new pdf.
Don't forget to register for the final installment of the series,
Myth Busters: Excellence in Universal Design.
As a reminder to the audience, if you have questions,
please enter them in the chat box.
I did receive a couple of questions
that we can maybe answer.
One of them is, what is your opinion on crushable dams
or thresholds that showers?
I guess, Andrew, you can answer that if you'd like.
>> ANDREW: I have not generally been a fan
of those kinds of things.
I'd much rather see something that doesn't have to move.
It's been a recent experience of mine that when I was
in what was supposed to be an accessible hotel suite
that there were accordion doors and things that were supposed
to stop the water became actually unmovable.
Not have been suited well to a person with a disability.
I'd say in certain situations were you have to use the dam,
by all means, but I'd much prefer to use a --
some of the preformed shower pan units
which do not require even cutting into the framing
but in fact use the depth of the subfloor to gain their slope.
>> MARCELLA: Thank you.
Laura, somebody wanted to find
out how an architect can get involved with Home Free Home
and what kind of services they can provide?
>> LAURA: Okay.
Well, thank you for that question.
We certainly welcome anybody who is at all interested.
Please take a look at our website or e-mail me.
What Home Free Home does is we provide free
and low-cost architectural services.
We know that the demand out here is absolutely huge.
What tends to happen in a middle class family,
when one person becomes disabled because of medical expenses
and also one person losing their income, people quickly,
quickly fall into poverty.
The family is trying to hold on to their home.
What we do is, Home Free Home, we work with homeowners.
Home Free Home does screen applications so you
as the volunteer architect will only be talking with people
who have already been prescreened.
What we ask you as an architect is to go
and do a real home evaluation, and you really are
under no obligation to take the job.
We are looking for small projects.
We always do ramps and bathrooms,
so it's very limited liability.
We are providing a really, really important service.
It's a nonprofit charity.
We are all volunteers.
So please take a look.
>> MARCELA: Great.
Thank you.
There's two more questions.
One for Andrew.
Are there any adjustable surfaces for kitchens
that can be adjusted for a high and a low, a tall person
or a short person easily?
>> ANDREW: I cannot think
of a brand name off the top of my head.
I know that I have seen kitchen and bath units
with the sink built right into the counter
with flexible connections that can be raised and lowered.
I don't have an immediate answer on a product, but if you would
like to e-mail me, I'd be glad to do some research.
>> MARCELA: Great.
Thank you.
Laura wanted to remind you that one
of the graphics didn't have a credit.
It was of Green Lake, Seattle.
It was not done by Zimmerman & Associates;
it was not designed by them.
It was designed, the one AIA small practitioners,
by Emery ( phonetic ) Baldwin ( phonetic ). I'm not sure.
Am I explaining that correctly.
There would be a revised slide that we can upload later.
One last question.
It's for Andrew.
Do you want to explain how one can become CAPS certified?
>> ANDREW: Yes, certainly.
It's very simple.
I assume we are talking with professional architects
so you have experience in business.
The National Association of Home Builders has courses
at various locations throughout the country and not
on a regular basis, you have to go to their website and see
where they are scheduled at a place closest to you.
You take their course and become certified.
>> MARCELA: Great.
Excellent
This concludes the AIA CES course number UD12005.
Remember to complete the webinar survey.
See your report form now.
That's the slide you are looking at now is not --
was not done by Zimmerman; but it was done
by Emery ( phonetic ) Baldwin ( phonetic ),
AIA ( indiscernible ) practitioner.
So that was actually ( indiscernible ) -- anyway --
this concludes the course.
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