New Products and Trends in Universal Design

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As a nation, we're getting older. Harvard University's Joint Center for Housing Studies says 20 percent of the U.S. population will be classified as elderly by the year 2030. Planning for the different stages of life makes aging-in-place a wonderful and viable option for homeowners who love their homes. As we age, it becomes more of a challenge to do the simple things, like open a can if you have arthritis. When a smart product designer developed the automatic can opener, the problem was solved. All-Inclusive Design It’s the same with universal design. It’s all about convenience, accessibility and the ability to stay in our homes—otherwise known as  “aging in place”— which is made possible by a few alterations in layout and design. In the last decade, aging in place has not only become the most desirable way of aging, but it is also the most cost-effective way. Universal design is a concept born out of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to accommodate as many people as possible, regardless of age, size or ability. Ron Mace, who uses a wheelchair, is an architect who created the term “universal design.” In 1989, he established the Center for Universal Design at the School of Design at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. In residential design, universal design means a home that works as well for a 4'8" wife as her 6'5" husband, a person using a wheelchair, a senior or someone dealing with a temporary physically challenge. Take the simple doorknob. Not everyone can twist its round shape. The solution: lever handles that are easier for most people to press down. "I want my home to have lever door handles when I have two bags of groceries in my arms," says Bruce Goff, a member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASIDP) and principle of Domus Design Group in San Francisco and Reno. "It's simple—I need to open the door," Goff says, which he can't do without putting down his groceries. However, with a universal design lever door handle it would be possible. "Everyone needs to be comfortable and safe in their own environment," he says. For example, if you're 30 years old, in good physical shape and healthy, your house works for you now. But later, you might feel locked out of your house if you break a leg, need a wheelchair and can't reach the sink in the bathroom. And here's something else to think about: In 30 years, you’ll be 60, and it won’t be so easy to search for a favorite baking pan in the kitchen cupboard when you have to get down on the floor.

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