Page 14 - CooperatorNews New Jersey Spring 2022

14 COOPERATORNEWS NEW JERSEY —SPRING 2022 NJ.COOPERATORNEWS.COM DESIGN Universal Design & the ADA Design for Every Body BY A. J. SIDRANSKY The idea that ‘form follows function’ is one of the basic concepts underly- ing nearly every design discipline—but function for whom? For many people liv- ing with disabilities, it often seems that ‘function’ covers a very narrow range of ability—rendering many forms clumsy at best, and completely useless at worst. While a cascading stairway might provide drama to a public space, for example, it may present an insurmountable obstacle to anyone making use of a wheelchair or other mobility aid. While in the past accessibility for dis- abled individuals may have been an after- thought (if it was a thought at all), in re- cent years, architects and designers have begun to change their view of how to best achieve form and function for everyone, regardless of age or ability. Two key driv- ers of that change were the adaptation of the theory of Universal Design, and the passage and implementation of the Amer- icans with Disabilities Act (ADA). How the Law Applies According to David Ramsey, an at- torney with Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis, LLP in Woodbridge, “The law in New Jersey does not require ADA com- pliance for a non-public facility”—which would include co-op and condo proper- ties—“however, the state has adopted, as part of the Uniform Construction Code (UCC), regulations known as the Barrier Free Subcode, which is applicable even in buildings or associations constructed before the adoption of the UCC, and the Rehabilitation Subcode. Under those reg- ulations, the Barrier Free Subcode is ap- plicable to \[building\] alterations.” Ramsey goes on to say that “the Barrier Free Sub- code requires that all common use facili- ties must comply with the requirements of the subcode. Those requirements are applicable through the Rehabilitation Subcode. However, there is a provision in the Rehabilitation Subcode that provides that where complying with the accessibil- ity requirements is infeasible then the re- quirement must be met to the maximum extent that is feasible.” Universal Design “Universal Design was developed in 1997,” says Eric Cohen, senior associate principal at Ethelind Coblin Architect, an architecture and design firm based in New York with clients across the country. “It was the brainchild of a working group of architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers led by Ronald Mace at North Carolina State walker would have access to any space client,” he says. “It is not a one-size-fits- University. Universal Design is the design from a kitchen or bath to common areas all approach. We start by understand- and composition of an environment so such as lobbies and hallways. In the early ing the users and asking questions about that it can be accessed, understood, and 1990s this became a trend. It was the mo- used to the greatest extent possible by all ment where the design industry took on to residents as well as staff. Some of this people regardless of their age, size, and the moral and ethical responsibility of this happens by asking, and some by observ- ability. It is a fundamental process of good challenge. We weren’t going to design just ing. design.” Cohen goes on to explain that there are use. Form follows function. It is a com- seven principles of Universal Design: eq- uitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, a federal statute or mandatory code. The space; differentiating between public, pri- and size and space for both approach and ADA, on the other hand, is the law. Baron vate, service and emergency egress, and use. Taken together and applied, these explains that the Americans with Dis- principles ensure that an environment abilities Act was passed and signed into the varied characteristics and abilities of can be used in the most independent and law in July 1990 by then President George users’ mobility, sensory, cognitive, as well natural way, in the widest possible range H.W. Bush. ADA compliance enforce- of situations, by the broadest array of us- ers, without special adaptation, modifica- tion, or specialized solutions. They can action. Failing to make spaces and facili- be applied to evaluate existing designs, to ties accessible to those with disabilities slippery floor surfaces. You also address guide new ones, or to educate designers was considered discriminatory. and consumers. Jonathan Baron, principal of Jonathan Design incorporate the same principles It’s also important to address the things Baron Interiors, also located in New York and values enshrined in the ADA—and that aren’t as apparent as disabilities, such City, explains the movement in simple according to Cohen, architects and de- terms. “The concept came out of archi- tects’ and interior designers’ concerns the ADA requirements all the time. “We Appropriate furniture and selections to about meeting the needs of everyone, use codes as a guide for compliance with accommodate a range of sizes and abili- including mildly to severely disabled agencies having jurisdiction, but make ties—arms on chairs; seating height and people. Something as simple as a cane or the process specific to the location and anything anymore. It’s about ‘comfortable’ mitment to meet the needs of everyone.” Enter the ADA Universal Design is a movement—not bility impediments. Ease of navigating the ment followed, with failure to meet the selections of flooring finishes, lighting, new requirements resulting in costly legal surface finishes on ceilings, walls, floors, Of course, the tenets of Universal contrast in light/dark, hue, and pattern. signers integrate Universal Design and sues, and to respond to neurodiversity. what they find most challenging. We talk “The design process itself is interactive and layered, and takes many factors into consideration,” Cohen continues, “includ- ing things like spatial clearances and mo- finding direction; an understanding of as what is familiar to them; appropriate and transaction surfaces to avoid glare, acoustics and palate, to provide balanced as mental health issues and cognitive is- continued on page 25