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Building a Home Considering Universal Design

Building a Home Considering Universal Design. Presentation by Albert E. Graf, AIA AEG Associates, Annapolis, MD. Who am I and why am I here?. 35 years as an architect focused on health care facilities: hospitals & ambulatory care facilities

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Building a Home Considering Universal Design

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  1. Building a Home Considering Universal Design • Presentation by Albert E. Graf, AIA AEG Associates, Annapolis, MD AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  2. Who am I and why am I here? • 35 years as an architect focused on health care facilities: hospitals & ambulatory care facilities • I am featuring my own home as an example of a practical application of Universal Design principles • We chose to use many of these principles in designing our new home because my wife & I watched our parents age in their homes with physical disabilities and recognized the need to address this in our future aging AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  3. What are the Principles of Universal Design? • Allow enough floor space to accommodate a stationary wheelchair and also enough room for a smooth U-turn: at least 1965 mm (78 inches) by 1525 mm (60 inches). • Include tables or counters that are a variety of heights to accommodate standing, seating, and a range of different tasks. • Provide shelves and a medicine cabinet that can be reached by persons seated in a wheel chair. • Make sure entry doors to rooms are at least 815 mm (32 inches) wide. AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  4. Principles of Universal Design (cont’d) • Mount bathroom sinks no higher than 865 mm (34 inches) from the floor. • Install grab bars in the shower and beside the toilet. • Provide a full-length mirror that can be viewed by all people, including children. • Avoid shag carpets, uneven brick floors, and other floor surfaces that could pose slipping and tripping hazards. AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  5. What does our house look like? AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  6. How did we apply these principles? • Experience in hospital design gave me lots of knowledge of ADA standards • Key among our design principles was wide halls & doorways & as much open space as possible. • The next slide shows the first floor plan so you can get a sense of how it works… AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  7. This is what the floor plan looks like. We’ll focus on the first floor, since the second floor is not accessible. We specifically chose a single level plan as opposed to an elevator. . AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  8. The house is post-and-beam construction AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  9. Principles in action • We used Post & Beam because it would give us maximum flexibility in applying several key principles: • It’s one of the best ways to get an open floor plan • It provided enough floor space to accommodate a wheelchair, both stationary and moving • It allowed us to design the kitchen so that it was part of the great room (main living space) and gave us room for wide aisles around the center work island. • Making sure there were wide room entries – or very few doorways. AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  10. Kitchen & Great Room views AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

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  13. Other aspects of the house that are accessible: the main hallway AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  14. Master Bedroom Entrance AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  15. Master Bathroom AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  16. Master Shower AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  17. Getting In & Out of the House The rear deck is set up so that it can be easily changed to a wheelchair ramp – and not disfigure the front of the house. AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  18. Front Access Front steps can easily accommodate a temporary or portable ramp. AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  19. Closing Thoughts • Universal Design Principles are becoming more important as the world grays. • It is also important not to “let the tail wag the dog”, so be judicious in selecting those principals that will most likely be of future benefit to each individual. • This approach does two things: It saves money, particularly in the short term and provides decision making flexibility as we age and change. AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

  20. How to contact me • Albert E Graf AEG Associates PO Box 3324 Annapolis, MD 21403 410-271-3441 algraf51@cs.com AEG Associates for the LTC Discussion Group

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