Many people want the same things as they get older: to stay in their own homes, to maintain independence for as long as possible, and to turn to family and friends for help when needed. But many older adults and their families have concerns about safety, getting around, or other daily activities. All of this requires special planning. Incorporating the principles of universal design when building or renovating a home lead to a better quality of life now and also provides insurance against any future mobility issues people may face.
But the benefits of universal design extend beyond households by supporting sustainability and inclusiveness. The environment and the larger community reap the rewards too.
Parallel Goals: Sustainability and Universal Design
A well-designed and constructed home can last over 100 years. Universal design plays an important role. When elements of universal design are embraced, from wide circulation paths to curbless showers, future needs are anticipated, but also lengthen the useful life of the structure.
While current owners may not need to address aging, its future owners could have more urgent accessibility needs. Having the thoughtful features already in place will eliminate the environmentalcosts of redoing what’s already been done to retrofit them. In this sense universal design directly supports sustainability.
Universal Design Helps Build Community
Teass \ Warren, a residential architect in Washington, DC, designed a duplex project currently under construction in Arlington, Virginia. The site plan approval hinged, in part, on accessibility. The county’s rigorous process shined a light on the concept of “visitability” — how to design the residences so that they could be visited by people with limited mobility or in a wheelchair. “In the past, most residential accessibility measures focused on the inhabitants’ needs. Visitability guidelines, on the other hand, encourage us to consider our wider community,” said Will Teass, AIA of Teass \ Warren Architects.
“The trend is gaining traction. A visitable home welcomes friends, colleagues, and family members, regardless of their mobility. A zero-step entry is a key requirement; doorways with 32-inch clearances and a main-level bathroom are other requisites. During this review, we increased the size of the powder room and included blocking for grab bars and plans for a future ramp to access the first level”.
For a recent project in North Chevy Chase, Teass \ Warren specified wide doors, and kept the first floor close to grade so a ramp could be retrofitted from the front door if needed in the future. Embracing universal design and planning for aging in place are smart strategies when building or renovating a house, whatever your current circumstances may be. Visitors to the home, its future owners, and the environment all stand to benefit from a forward-thinking approach.
What Is Universal Design?
To get the definition of universal design, Teass \ Warren turned to Erin Loftin Serventi of E. L. Designs. Serventi is a Certified Interior Designer with a degree in Construction Management who is certified in universal design.
“Universal design,” Serventi said, “looks at all inhabitants — from toddlers to aging parents.” The main focus is serving all occupants of a home and managing both current and future circumstances. (This differs from aging in place, which focuses on future circumstances, rather than current ones.) “An easy way to remember universal design,” said Serventi, “is to ask how a toddler and a grandparent can both use the same space.”
Remodeling With Universal Design in Mind
“In Northern California, where I live, starter homes are $900,000, which is really tough for young families,” said Serventi. Families are solving that problem through multigenerational living. “We see retired Baby Boomers living with their kids and grandkids under one roof,” said Serventi. “The kids will say, ‘We have my parents living with us, so we want the bathroom to be safe for them.’”
Some Basic Ideas to Remember When Designing an Accessible Home
Wide Open Spaces: Make it easier for people with wheelchairs, canes, walkers and strollers to move around the house by widening doorways and aisles.
Lighting: Putting lighting on dimmers gives the occupants control over light levels. Everyone has a different sensitivity to light, and studies show our productivity increases when we can control our own lighting.
Room Transitions: Transition from hard flooring to carpet to let people know they’re moving between rooms. Use carpet in bedrooms with at least a quarter-inch pad beneath — if someone falls, there’s less of an impact. Speaking of carpeting, area rugs can be unsafe with a walker, cane or wheelchair. Instead, use wall-to-wall carpet or stick-down carpet squares.
Bathroom Safety: Create a bathroom the whole family will love using. Instead of using a standard vanity, install a wall-mounted (floating) vanity with room for a stepstool or wheelchair underneath.
Barrier-free showers are good options for users of wheelchairs, canes, and walkers. And everyone loves a big tub, so build one in with a tub deck and surround. Design it without steps at comfort-toilet-seat height (17-19 inches), and it’s easy to climb into or transfer from a wheelchair.
Add extra framing or plywood in the walls around tubs, showers and toilets. This allows the flexibility to install grab bars now or in the future.
Kitchen Features: One of the biggest universal design features in the kitchen is not a hands-free faucet or undercabinet appliance (though those are great). It’s an induction range. “Induction ranges only heat up and cook when there’s a pan on the surface,” said Serventi. “So, you can turn on the cooktop, but until you put on a pot, you don’t have a hot surface. It’s a nice safety feature.”
Try the one-finger test: If you can’t open a door or drawer by using just one finger, change to handles or levers. If that still doesn’t work, look for tap-open options that let you bump into the cabinet and the door or drawer pops open.
A standard countertop is 36 inches. A lowered countertop is typically 30 inches. Integrate those two heights throughout the kitchen — a main sink at 36 inches and a prep sink at 30, for example — and this lets everyone participate in cooking or working.
For families with a wheelchair user, lower the cooktops and appliances to make them accessible. Put a microwave/convection oven in a base cabinet and install dishwasher drawers. Speaking of drawers, install refrigerator or freezer drawers in a bar. They’re great for kids, too.
The Seven Principles of Universal Design and Why They are Important
- Equitable Use: The design does not disadvantage or stigmatize any group of users and is marketable to people with diverse abilities.
- Flexibility in Use: The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences (i.e. left or right-handed) and abilities, and provides choice in methods of use.
- Simple and Intuitive Use: Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level; eliminates unnecessary complexity.
- Perceptible Information: The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user, regardless of ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities; uses pictures, audible, or tactical methods.
- Tolerance for Error: The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental or unintended fatigue; elements most used should be most accessible or have fail-safe features included.
- Low Physical Effort: The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum level of fatigue.
- Appropriate Size and Space: The appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation, and use, regardless of the user’s body size, posture, or mobility.
If multiple generations are living under one roof, consider applying these principles when renovating any room in the home, from the kitchen to the bathroom.
Remodels should last through the ages and function well for many types of people. It should accommodate the homeowner’s need and also appeal to future buyers. Universal design can be used to attain these important goals.
About Teass \ Warren
Teass \ Warren Architects is a Washington, DC-based architecture and interior design practice which focuses on empathetic, well-detailed buildings that enhance and complement the built environment. The studio approaches a wide variety of project types, including single-family, multi-family, mixed use, commercial, and institutional buildings with a rigorous design process that incorporates program, site, organization, wellness, sustainability, and form. The firm is a DC Certified Business Enterprise. To learn more about Teass \ Warren Architects, visit www.teass-warren.com.
