Developing a Checklist of Universal Design Features, Materials and Products for New Construction in HousingSandra Hartje, Associate Professor, Seattle Pacific University, USA AbstractA challenge for promoting universal design in housing is the lack of a prioritized list of universal design features, products, and materials. Without this list, it is difficult for housing professionals to know which features, products, and materials are most important, and just how many should be included for a house to be considered universally designed, rather than just containing universal design elements. Although there is some resistance to prescribing universal design elements in this way, builders and developers are asking for the specific direction that would be provided by prioritized lists of universal design features, products and materials. Working GroupA goal of universal design advocates worldwide is to accelerate the adoption of universal design until it becomes the standard for design and construction in housing, rather than the exception. The industry wide adoption of universal design in housing faces some challenges. One such challenge is that promotion of universal design is difficult because a standard of measurement does not exist. What does exist are lists of universal design features, products and materials that are not prioritized. To incorporate universal design in housing, professionals are requesting prioritized lists of universal design features, products and materials that would be contained in a house that was universally designed. A survey is currently being developed to answer the question "which universal design features, products, and materials are essential for a house to be considered universally designed?" The survey will list universal design elements for new construction in the three categories of design features, products and materials. Within each of those categories, features, products and materials will be grouped by room in the house or space, such as entrance, vertical circulation, bathroom, etc. Respondents will select whether each feature, product and material would be an essential element (level 1) or an advanced element (level 2) of universal design. The purpose of the survey is to develop a prioritized list of universal design features, products and materials for use by housing professionals. The survey will be administered in the summer of 2004, with preliminary results available for presentation at the conference. In addition, a checklist of universal design features is also under current development for a housing group in Seattle, Washington. This housing is affordable, multi-family new construction. The working group setting will provide an opportunity to present the preliminary findings from the first survey, share the checklist developed from the second project, and most importantly, to have participants prioritize the lists of universal design features, products and materials as part of the interactive session. The goal of all three activities is to produce a tangible, prioritized list of universal design elements to be used by housing professionals to promote the incorporation of universal design in housing until universal design becomes the standard for design and construction, rather than the exception. |