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News Release from: Best Bath Systems | Subject: Universal design bath and showers
Edited by the Buildingtalk Editorial
Team on 08 December 2005
Universal design bath and showers
showcased
Universal design bath and showers showcased in ultra-efficient BASF 'Better Planet' House
The often challenging building principles of Universal Design, Eco-Friendly Construction, Energy Efficiency and Home Automation are coalescing in an unprecedented manner at a new BASF-sponsored prototype residence in Paterson, NJ Known as the Better Home, Better Planet, Paterson Showhouse, the three-story, 2,900 sq.ft.dwelling will initially serve as a design 'clinic' for homeowners, builders, architects and government officials
This article was originally published on Buildingtalk on 15 Aug 2005 at 8.00am (UK)
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The home is later destined for a local charity, St.Michael's Church, which plans to house a local paraplegic teenage boy and his family.
The many access and safety benefits of universal design, increasingly desired by physically impaired and senior occupants everywhere, have been enhanced to meet the special needs of the paraplegic boy (disabled in a car accident), enabling his family to provide everyday care.
A special hoist has been installed in boy's bedroom and runs on a ceiling-mounted track to an adjoining bathroom that is outfitted with a track- and wheelchair-accessible shower.
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An elevator, accessible kitchen accommodations, extra-wide hallways and other universal design features provide access, comfort and inclusiveness to the disabled boy and his family throughout the dwelling.
Overall comfort is ensured by superbly energy-efficient heating and cooling, ergonomically enhanced amenities and 'Smart Building' controls.
Universal design, the art of planning homes to be inclusive of everyone, regardless of age, ability or physical stature, is the wave of the future and architects, physical therapists and others involved with the needs of the handicapped and the growing senior population.
Several of the dozens of premier supplier partners to BASF in the Paterson project are committed to setting the high standard for such inclusiveness, including accessibility.
Meeting a mixture of requirements "The BASF Better Home, Better Planet Paterson house is an energy efficient, environmentally friendly home that demonstrates basic principles of universal design," says project champion Gary DeSantis, Senior Architect for BASF, The Chemical Company.
"We are building this home for a quadriplegic teenage boy, so we've included specific elements for him that may not be necessarily for, let's say, senior housing," DeSantis explains.
"But in addition to these special amenities, the house intends to give practical universal design options that can and should be incorporated in any home".
"With an increasingly aging population, including some practical universal design means that more that people can live in their homes longer." The features and benefits of universal design depend on the application and technologies involved.
In the shower, the need may be for wheelchair access, which requires removal of the traditional entry curb.
But safety should also be a major consideration; if an occupant falls, serious injury can occur.
If the occupant is a senior or disabled person, the consequences could be life changing.
"One of the areas where this certainly applies is in a home's bath and shower facilities," says Jeff Mooney, Director of Marketing for Best Bath Systems, whose fiberglass shower enclosures were used in the project.
"Our increased awareness of the growing population of people who are elderly, frail or infirm has expanded our awareness of the need for showers that are safer, more comfortable and more accessible." In the kitchen and laundry areas of the house, which include the latest appliances from Whirlpool Corporation, universal design was also an important consideration.
Mark Johnson, FAIA, Manager of Architectural and Design Marketing at Whirlpool Corporation, says this reflects principles that his company has been applying to many of its home appliances beginning in the early 1980s.
"We began by offering special covers for appliance knobs, making them easier to grasp, Braille overlays for controls, large-print instruction manuals and audio tapes were provided for users who were visually impaired," Johnson says.
"Our thrust is in three basic areas," he explains.
"The first is ergonomic, especially concerning height, reach and all of those things that make an appliance physically more accessible".
"Secondly, we try to maximize visual comfort".
"As we all get older reading small print is a challenge, so we've made sure that visual cues are easier to view".
"Thirdly, we consider users' cognitive requirements".
"Older people, for example, tend to slow down a bit and take their time to process information, either in learning about an appliance or in actually operating it".
Incorporating universal design into bathing Providing access, comfort and safety is the whole idea behind the fiberglass shower enclosures made by Best Bath Systems, which are included in three areas of the Better home, Better Planet Paterson house.
The shower adjacent to the disabled boy's room is a special 2-wall design that allows the track of the special overhead hoist to pass through the enclosure if desired.
Alternate wheelchair entry is facilitated by a neoprene "water dam," a popular Best Bath feature that eliminates the need for a cumbersome curb to keep water from flowing onto the bathroom floor.
The water dam consists of a gasket that collapses as a person or wheelchair passes over it then reshapes to prevent the water flow problem".
"In many cases, we provide an adjustable shower head or hand-held shower wand in order to make bathing areas more accessible," Mooney explains.
"They enable maximum flexibility for use with the disabled or seniors, but children and adults also love them." Mooney says benches or stools can be a great aid for infirm or fragile people and their caregivers.
Another important universal design feature of shower enclosures is suitable safety rails, or 'grab bars'.
A wide variety of safety bar styles are available, and in many cases these should be installed to meet the physical requirements of the disabled or elderly user.
Best Bath shower enclosures are constructed with extra-heavy plywood backing to facilitate the installation of safety rails and hand grips, and also to enable the relocation of such hardware in a very secure manner without causing leaks.
Helping out in the kitchen One of the other rooms of the house that can benefit most from universal design is the kitchen, and the BASF Paterson project kitchen includes Whirlpool brand appliances with many universal design features.
The new Whirlpool Gold side-by-side refrigerator with formed door includes several thoughtful features that may be especially useful to seniors and the disabled, but are designed to be beneficial to all.
In the door is the Whirlpool Gold Fast-FillDispensing System, which offers a pullout shelf that allows people to rest containers, including pots, while they are being filled".
"This can be extremely helpful to people who have difficulty holding a steady hand while filling a glass, or who are uncomfortable with the weight of filling a larger container," says Johnson".
"An aerated water spout fills twice as fast while reducing splashing, and is activated with a touch sensor rather than the usual push paddle".
"There is also a simple water measurement control that allows you to extract the exact amount of water desired in ounces, cups or liters".
The Paterson Project kitchen also includes the new WhirlpoolVelos SpeedCook Oven, which is a combination of quartz, halogen light and g2 SpeedCook technology that provides the ability to grill, brown and even bake in a fraction of the time.
Additionally, a heating coil provides the option of convection cooking".
"While the Velos provides the conveniences of a traditional microwave, an added technology allows people to steam, melt, defrost easier and with more perfection," says Johnson".
""Also, the controls run across the bottom of the appliance door, making it easier to reach and easier to read the controls." Additionally, Whirlpool Corporation has donated a Whirlpool brand Duet Washer and Dryer pair, which are pedestal-mounted to alleviate bending and stretching and feature front-mounted controls for easier reach and setting".
"In keeping with the 'green' requirements of the Paterson house, the ENERGY STAR qualified washer allows homeowners to save 69 percent of water and 61 percent of energy, compared to average traditional top-loading washers.
"Accessible" can also be beautiful One of the setbacks in designing houses with accessibility features has been the likelihood of an unwanted "institutional" look.
Going beyond mere accessibility requirements, universal design should look good, and be aesthetically appealing to people in general.
If done correctly, universal design features should add value to residential real estate".
"My mission was to ensure not only accessibility needed by boy, but also that the house is cheerful and does not have that institutional look that is common with facilities that have traditional handicapped access," says Pat Gaylor, interior designer for the Paterson house".
""With this project we've incorporated the functionality of the handicapped access along with the new style and standards of universal design." Gaylor's thrust was to make this home a pleasant, family surrounding.
Part of this thrust is in the bathrooms, where she used color schemes that would be appropriate for the boy, his parents and also guests".
"I'm doing a lot of designing for people who are middle-aged and planning to age in place during their senior years," she explains".
"They often want their master bedroom on the first floor".
"They don't want to have to walk up the stairs".
"They might want to safety and convenience of a three-sided shower with a water dam and all of these great accessories, ranging from very nice safety hardware to benches and stools".
"They often want lots of exotic controls, shower heads and water wands and so on." For those situations, Gaylor favors the fiberglass shower units that were contributed by Best Bath Systems".
"They are attractive, easy to keep clean, and are available in wide range of colors, enabling you to create designer tile effects," says Gaylor "I used burgundy tile in the boy's room so give it a youthful feel".
"And then one is sage green in one room and hunter green in another with biscuit-colored fixtures including the toilet and sinks".
"So these colors go with any type of ceramic tile you want to put on the floor or anything you want to do for accents".
"And they do not look institutional at all - they are beautiful units".
A comprehensive, creative project BASF undertook the Better Home, Better Planet, Paterson project aligning with some of the world's most creative thinkers and planners, by forming strategic partnerships with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, The US Department of Energy and manufacturers of innovative eco-friendly products, and by taking a leadership role in designing and building demonstration homes that inform and educate about smart building practices.
The new technologies and envelope upgrades are used throughout to improve the home's energy performance.
The combined use of advanced HVAC, solar hot water, mechanical ventilation, and photovoltaic systems make the house one of the most energy-efficient dwelling in the state of New Jersey".
"This project is a vision I've had for quite a while," DeSantis says.
Built as a template for the city's aggressive 3,000-unit urban- renewal project, BASF brought together more than 50 companies and organizations, which made significant contributions to the project".
"The best part is all of the technologies used in the Paterson demonstration home are available to homeowners right now.".
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