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

Building Team Awards | Apr 10, 2015

New arts venue reinvigorates Virginia Tech's campus

The STV-led Building Team creates a world-class performance and arts venue with learning and entrepreneurial dimensions.

BIM and Information Technology | Apr 9, 2015

A carboard box by Google can bring virtual reality to architecture

The global search engine giant has launched a new product, Google Cardboard, that easily allows users to experience virtual reality.

Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015

Multifaced fitness center becomes campus landmark

A sloped running track and open-concept design put this Building Team to the test. 

Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015

Nation's first LEED-certified bus depot

A bus garage in Harlem shows that even the most mundane of facilities can strut its environmentally sensitive stuff.

Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015

Setting the bar for port-of-entry design

Whenever you eat a tomato from Mexico, there’s a one-in-three chance it came through this LEED Gold gateway.

Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015

Big D’s billion-dollar baby: New Parkland Hospital Tops the Chart | BD+C

Dallas’s new $1.27 billion public hospital preserves an important civic anchor, Texas-style.

Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015

IPD-driven fusion facility serves science and student life in Chicago

In dire need of modern science labs and a student union, North Park University built both—in the same building.

Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015

‘Prudent, not opulent’ sets the tone for this Catholic hospital

This Building Team stuck with a project for seven years to get a new hospital built for a faithful client.

Building Team Awards | Apr 9, 2015

9/11 museum triumphs over controversy

The Building Team for this highly visible project had much more than design, engineering, and construction problems to deal with.

Building Team Awards | Apr 7, 2015

Unique test facility will help make wind power more feasible

A new facility at Clemson University makes it possible to test the huge stresses that large-scale wind turbines must be able to withstand.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category


Urban Planning

Bridging the gap: How early architect involvement can revolutionize a city’s capital improvement plans

Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) typically span three to five years and outline future city projects and their costs. While they set the stage, the design and construction of these projects often extend beyond the CIP window, leading to a disconnect between the initial budget and evolving project scope. This can result in financial shortfalls, forcing cities to cut back on critical project features.



Libraries

Reasons to reinvent the Midcentury academic library

DLR Group's Interior Design Leader Gretchen Holy, Assoc. IIDA, shares the idea that a designer's responsibility to embrace a library’s history, respect its past, and create an environment that will serve student populations for the next 100 years.

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