flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

TOTO tests universal design at the AIA conference

TOTO tests universal design at the AIA conference


May 25, 2011

If you could be 80 years old for 30 minutes—and have to readjust everything you think you know about your own mobility—would you do it?

That was the idea behind TOTO’s Universal Design experience at the AIA National Convention, in which participants donned Velcro bands intended to mimic muscle and joint stiffness. Once assembled, the suit challenged participants to do simple bathroom tasks like get out of a wheelchair and onto a toilet, or wheel up to a sink to wash their hands. Weights around the ankles, stiff bands around the major joints and torso, vision-impairing goggles, and ear plugs that muffled high-frequency sounds ensured that even the act of turning around proved difficult.

Full story

Source: AIA

Related Stories

Senior Living Design | May 16, 2016

Perkins Eastman releases white paper on biophilic design in senior living

The paper highlights some of the firm's top projects that feature biophilic design, a sustainable architecture strategy that connects people with nature. 

Architects | May 16, 2016

3 strategies to creating environments that promote workplace engagement

VOA's Pablo Quintana writes that the industry is looking for ways to increase engagement through a mix of spaces suited to employees' desire for both privacy and connection.

Architects | May 11, 2016

AIA to create a resilience curriculum for architects

The program will teach resilient design and decision-making on hazard mitigation, climate adaptation and community resilience.

Retail Centers | May 10, 2016

5 factors guiding restaurant design

Restaurants are more than just places to eat. They are comprising town centers and playing into the future of brick-and-mortar retail.

AEC Tech | May 9, 2016

Is the nation’s grand tech boom really an innovation funk?

Despite popular belief, the country is not in a great age of technological and digital innovation, at least when compared to the last great innovation era (1870-1970).

Sports and Recreational Facilities | May 6, 2016

NBA’s Atlanta Hawks to build new practice center with attached medical facilities

The team will have easy access to an MRI machine, 3D motion capture equipment, and in-ground hydrotherapy. 

Big Data | May 5, 2016

Demand for data integration technologies for buildings is expected to soar over the next decade

A Navigant Research report takes a deeper dive to examine where demand will be strongest by region and building type. 

Urban Planning | May 4, 2016

Brookings report details how different industries innovate

In the new report, “How Firms Learn: Industry Specific Strategies for Urban Economies,” Brookings' Scott Andes examines how manufacturing and software services firms develop new products, processes, and ideas.

Architects | May 3, 2016

Study finds engineering, architecture among the best entry-level jobs

The results balanced immediate opportunity, job growth potential, and job hazards.  

Architects | Apr 25, 2016

Notable architects design mini-golf holes for London Design Festival

Visionaries like Paul Smith, Mark Wallinger, and the late Zaha Hadid all helped in designing the course, which will be integrated into London’s Trafalgar Square.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Urban Planning

The magic of L.A.’s Melrose Mile

Great streets are generally not initially curated or willed into being. Rather, they emerge organically from unintentional synergies of commercial, business, cultural and economic drivers. L.A.’s Melrose Avenue is a prime example. 


Curtain Wall

7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks

It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021