"The houses we build--the homes
we live in--represent a vast amount of the material resources
and the energy consumed in this country.
Given the overwhelming evidence that human
activities--including home building, as well as the heating,
cooling, illuminating, and maintenance of our homes--are contributing
causes of global climate change--we as design professionals
have a compelling responsibility to build wisely and sustainably.
Professional organizations are already
playing important roles in this process of study, development,
education and influence. It is crucial that our members of
AIBD to accept this responsibility, and to actively consider
measures to participate in these processes."
Alan Abrams
|
So why should we care about all this
Green stuff? Well our world is changing - the old adage of "that's
the way we have always done it" just does not cut it any
more. For example how many of you have switched to engineered
lumber? Or drywall? Or Trusses? Have you put insulation in your
designs? If you have ever remodeled a home of 100 years ago
these things have changed. From buildings built in Europe with
3 withes thick of masonry to wood frame structures in the "Americas"
we have changed. Another buss word that is appearing in our
media is Building Science. As we have evolved though our materials
are stronger and building are tighter but making us sick with
mold and air quality. Building Scientists are groups and individuals
who have discovered many solutions to mold problems, air quality
and efficiency in material use as well as energy resource usage.
We use electricity at an alarming rate - did you know even if
you turn your TV off it is still using electricity? We hear
from the media how as a society we are getting more obese -
have you ever drove round and round the parking lot to get a
close in parking place - at the gym?
The point of Green Building goes beyond
just the materials. It deals with how to properly use those
materials, create the proper permeability to enable these
new products to stay dry, mechanical and electrical systems
that actually work the way they are intended. And yes consideration
to the places we build that can offer us exercise with out
going to the gym. Having just the new home construction industry
switch the lighting types we use to energy efficient lighting
can save such substantial amounts of electricity that it actually
defers the building of new power plants. In fact many power
companies are actually paying builders to put energy efficient
lighting in new home construction. The next several newsletters
will walk you through what is entailed to design for the future,
and it's not a bunch of old hippies living off the land.
As professionals in the design industry
we need to consider where we stand. Do we embrace this movement?
As baby boomers age and new gens enter the housing market
will we be ready to step in and properly design homes that
area efficient, sustainable, accessible and durable? The challenge
lies before us-a quarterly news letter will bring information
, links and editorial. This position of the web site will
be updated periodically for links, resources and editorial.
So chime into the forum or contact a member.
Larry Gilland - Author, Chairman
|
Universal section of the news letter:
Are you a Type A or a Type B? Type A or
Type B what? Well, a Type A personality "has a set of
characteristics that include being impatient, excessively
time-conscious, insecure about one's status, highly competitive,
aggressive and incapable of relaxation", while a Type
B personality in contrast "is patient, relaxed and easy-going"…..BUT
this is not about personalities, and that is for a different
newsletter.
This is about Type A and Type B units
as defined by the International Building Codes. They address
spaces in residential housing, primarily multi-family, however,
this portion of the code pertains to accessibility and function
of units within a residential setting. As designers I think
we need to address the issues of an aging population and take
these Type A and Type B units to heart. If we all take a look
at what we are currently designing, and realize that our population
is aging, especially with the baby boomers we should consider
the minimum requirements of a Type A dwelling unit.
Type A Units: What that basically
means to us is that the main level of a home, which would
generally have a powder room or half bath of some sort would
need to be large enough to accommodate a person with disabilities.
The main level entrance of that home also needs to be accessible
from one primary entrance, allowing a person to independently
come in and visit the occupants of that home on that main
level. In that space it also needs to have wide enough doorways,
hallways, and pathways that a person would be able to be reasonably
accommodated throughout the space while in a wheel chair.
When you think about it, having space where a person with
a cane, walker, or even a visually impaired person to be able
to walk through the structure and enjoy the space with as
much independence as possible is simply good design practice.
An example of this happened recently when
a window manufacturer sales rep that I know, who was injured
in a motorcycle accident some five years ago was visiting
an Open House that utilized timber frame construction. Since
he had lost both of his legs in this accident he has an electric
wheelchair. The problem was that the front door of the home
had several stairs to get into the entrance and was totally
inaccessible to him. His goal is to build a new accessible
home for himself and to design it using timber frame structure
principals, so he wanted to come to the open house to see
what the timber frame manufacturer was offering. With a little
bit of innovation and Colin's own ramps we were able to maneuver
him around the grassy slopes, and up into a rear patio of
the structure. Once we actually got to the patio a couple
of small obstacles occurred. They may seem small to most of
us, but to a person in a wheel chair they become almost insurmountable.
First the patio was lowered approximately 7" from the
level of the inside floor, and the second obstacle was a threshold.
The threshold itself was approximately an inch tall. That
doesn't seem like much, but when you are a 175 lb person in
a 300 pound wheelchair which has a guiding locking device
on the bottom of the wheelchair that hangs down, that extra
½ inch to raise up and over that non-ADA threshold
was a little bit of a feat. So, as part of our duty as designers,
we need to take these things into consideration for our clientele
and aging population, and even those veterans returning from
the war.
Type B Units address people who
are physically challenged by being in a wheelchair also. They
need to find housing or have housing retro-fitted to them.
In a multi-family complex as part of the fair housing act,
and also in compliance with the International Building Codes,
a percentage of the amount of units to be sold or occupied
must be accessible units as in Type A, and a certain number
of those units need to be Type B units. The type B dwelling
unit is a unit which would allow a wheelchair bound person
not only accessibility to a bathroom that they can use, but
also bathing facilities, kitchen space where they can maneuver
around and be able to cook and also sleeping quarters. As
the Universal and Sustainable Design committee one of our
considerations is accessibility for our population. Simply
being aware of these provisions that are in the IBC, and being
aware of the Fair Housing Act we challenge you to consider
these principles in your new designs, even if not required
by code.
For further information or reading on both
of these subjects you can go to the following websites for
design standards for these types of units.
Larry Gilland - Author, Chairman
|
|
The information published on this website is behalf of the
Universal and Sustainable Design Committee. Any questions
corrections or problems connecting to the web links noted
please feel free to contact Larry Gilland at: lga studios
- 1331 West Colorado Ave. Colorado Springs, CO 80904 719.635.0880,
fax 719.636.1573, email-larry@lgastudios.com
AIBD is the: American Institute of Building Design, whose
national headquarters are located at 7059 Blair Road NW, Suite
201, Washington, DC 20012
Opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors
or persons quoted and are not necessarily those of the AIBD.
This publication is not an official publication of the AIBD.
The Design Lines newsletter and Home Design Journal are the
only official publications of the American Institute of Building
Design.
|
