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| Windows Fashions Magazine, September 2007 |
Smart Shades
Empowered with Universal Design in the Windy City
By Kelly Westhoff
Window treatments are rarely factored into construction budgets. They are a design element, after all. They don’t shape a building’s integrity. Or do they? Welcome to the recently unveiled Access Living headquarters, a shining example of a new breed of construction: one that considers window treatments a vital element in determining the functionality of a space.
Access Living is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization that offers education, leadership training and advocacy for people with a wide range of disabilities. Because of the success of its programs, Access Living needed a new building, one that could house its expanding operations and provide a user-friendly environment for its clients and staff—most of whom dealt with varying degrees of physical disabilities.
Jack Catlin, a partner with LCM Architects in Chicago, worked on the Access Living project. To create a space that would fit the organization’s needs, he incorporated universal design. “Universal design is design that works for the greatest number of people,” Catlin explains. “All types of people might interact with an environment—children, elders, people in wheelchairs. These are groups that aren’t normally considered in a building’s creation, but universal design address them.” Accessibility was key in Access Living’s blue print, Catlin says, because, “…even the CEO, uses a wheelchair.”
The new headquarters features extra-wide elevators that accommodate two wheelchairs. Plus, the elevators open on both sides so the wheelchair bound can simply roll out upon reaching a floor without having to turn the chair around in a traditionally tight space. Another universal-design element of the space is the flooring. The floor surfaces were taken into account long before they were laid. “Surface transitions are a very big deal for people in wheelchairs,” stresses Catlin, noting that those who use walking devices or are visually impaired also experience difficulties when moving from carpet to tile. “We spent a lot of time making sure all the materials on the floor were flush with one another,” he says. This meant flooring was chosen ahead of time so that concrete levels underneath could be managed accordingly.
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Similarly, window treatments were also selected and written into the budget before construction was complete. “For people with limited dexterity, it’s harder to pull a window chain,” said Michael Linek, a senior sales representative with Lutron, an automated lighting and window treatment company. “Universal design is all about helping people feel empowered. The staff at Access Living used to joke that the CEO couldn’t reach her window pulls and had to ask her secretary to adjust her blinds,” he said. “That certainly wasn’t empowering.”
Automated roller shades that move according to settings on a wall panel were installed. The system functions like a remote. If sunlight is interfering with visibility, a quick push of a button is all it takes to remedy the situation. Additionally, explains Linek, “There was an open office area where cubicles would be up against walls and would prevent people from getting close to the windows. No one wants to climb up and over a cubicle to reach a shade. That’s not fitting of anyone’s needs.”
The remainder of this article can be found in the September 2007 issue of Window Fashions Magazine. http://www.window-fashions.com/
To learn more about Access Living, visit www.accessliving.org.