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

| Jun 13, 2014

Grocery stores, restaurants make neighborhoods most desirable [infographic]

John Burns Real Estate Consulting ranks the top 25 housing amenities by generation, based on feedback from more than 20,000 home shoppers.

| Jun 12, 2014

Zaha Hadid's 'gravity defying' Issam Fares Institute opens in Beirut

The design builds upon the institute’s mission as a catalyst and connector between AUB, researchers and the global community.

| Jun 12, 2014

Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects' design selected for new UCSC facility

The planned site is a natural landscape among redwood trees with views over Monterey Bay, a site that the architects have called “one of the most beautiful they have ever worked on.”

| Jun 12, 2014

Austrian university develops 'inflatable' concrete dome method

Constructing a concrete dome is a costly process, but this may change soon. A team from the Vienna University of Technology has developed a method that allows concrete domes to form with the use of air and steel cables instead of expensive, timber supporting structures.

| Jun 11, 2014

David Adjaye’s housing project in Sugar Hill nears completion

A new development in New York's historic Sugar Hill district nears completion, designed to be an icon for the neighborhood's rich history.

| Jun 11, 2014

Bill signing signals approval to revitalize New Orleans’ convention center corridor

A plan to revitalize New Orleans' Convention Center moves forward after Louisiana governor signs bill.

| Jun 11, 2014

5 ways Herman Miller's new office concept rethinks the traditional workplace

Today's technologies allow us to work anywhere. So why come to an office at all? Herman Miller has an answer.

| Jun 11, 2014

Koolhaas’ OMA teams with chemical company to study link between color and economy

Dutch company AkzoNobel is partnering with Rem Koolhaas' firm OMA to study how the application of colorful paints and coatings can affect a city's economic development.

| Jun 11, 2014

Oceanic oases: Two new luxury condominiums under construction in South Beach

Slated for completion in 2015, both the seven-story, 275,141 square-foot One Ocean and six-story, 190,654 square-foot Marea will offer landscapes by Enzo Enea and interiors by Yabu Pushelberg.  

| Jun 11, 2014

Esri’s interactive guide to 2014 World Cup Stadiums

California-based Esri, a supplier of GIS software, created a nifty interactive map that gives viewers a satellite perspective of Brazil’s many new stadiums.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Museums

The Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a $110 million expansion

In Tampa, Fla., the Tampa Museum of Art will soon undergo a 77,904-sf Centennial Expansion project. The museum plans to reach its $110 million fundraising goal by late 2024 or early 2025 and then break ground. Designed by Weiss/Manfredi, and with construction manager The Beck Group, the expansion will redefine the museum’s surrounding site.


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