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

| Sep 3, 2014

Ranked: Top local government sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]

STV, HOK, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest local government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report.

| Sep 3, 2014

WSP to acquire Parsons Brinckerhoff in $1.35 billion deal

The deal, which has been approved by the boards of WSP and Balfour Beatty, has an enterprise value of $1.243 billion, plus another $110 million in cash retained by PB.

| Sep 3, 2014

The coming architect/engineer brain drain, or 'Curse of the Baby Boomers'

Architecture, engineering, and (presumably) construction firms will face difficulties with management succession, as tens of thousands of Baby Boomers leave the AEC industry. Who will fill the knowledge gap?

| Sep 3, 2014

New designation launched to streamline LEED review process

The LEED Proven Provider designation is designed to minimize the need for additional work during the project review process.

| Sep 2, 2014

Ranked: Top green building sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]

AECOM, Gensler, and Turner top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest green design and construction firms. 

Sponsored | | Sep 2, 2014

A smarter way to manage projects

Understanding effective project management helps many big and small organizations to carry out large-scale projects on time, on budget and with lesser commotion.

| Sep 2, 2014

Extreme conversion: 17-story industrial silo to be converted to high-rise housing

As part of Copenhagen's effort to turn an industrial seaport into a bustling neighborhood, Danish architecture firm COBE was invited to convert a grain silo into a residential tower.

Sponsored | | Sep 2, 2014

Judson University’s Harm A. Weber Academic Center resembles copper, but its sustainability efforts are pure gold

The building’s custom-fabricated wall panels look like copper, but are actually flat metal sheets coated with Valspar’s signature Fluropon Copper Penny coating.

| Sep 2, 2014

Melbourne's tallest residential tower will have 'optically transformative façade'

Plans for Melbourne's tallest residential tower have been released by Elenberg Fraser Architects. Using an optically transformative façade and botanical aesthetic, the project seeks to change the landscape of Australia's Victoria state. 

| Sep 1, 2014

Ranked: Top federal government sector AEC firms [2014 Giants 300 Report]

Clark Group, Fluor, and HOK top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest federal government design and construction firms, as reported in the 2014 Giants 300 Report. 

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