As designers of custom homes, we are dedicated to creating solutions that improve our clients’ lives, whatever their needs may be. Aesthetics and accessibility should work together to create a home that makes life better. That was the standard our team applied when designing a recently completed home in Iowa where accessibility was a prime concern.
Un leader dans le domaine
When thinking about accessible buildings and universal design—the principle that an environment should be usable by the largest possible number of people—architect Michel Graves (1934-2015) is an inspiration. Known for his prominent buildings and product designs, and as one of the “New York Five,” Graves emerged as a leading voice for universal design after becoming paralyzed from the waist down in 2003. Frustrated with the aesthetic and practical qualities of the spaces he occupied as a person with a disability, he spent his later years designing hospitals and rehab facilities.
“I believe well-designed places and objects can actually improve healing, while poor design can inhibit it,” he Raconté Le Washington Post en 2010.
Mouvement accessible
We share Graves’s belief that when a home combines accessibility with aesthetics, life will be better for the people who live there. In fact, our design language promotes accessibility, and this Iowa project demonstrates how.
Par exemple, nous croyons en l'élimination des seuils pour des transitions en douceur entre l'intérieur et l'extérieur. Et les maisons Turkel Design ont des zones de mouvement généreuses, avec des espaces propices au repos et à l'habitation, au lieu de simplement passer.
Ce vestiaire sans seuil, avec un espace pour le rangement des fauteuils roulants, est aussi ouvert et lumineux que le reste de la maison.
Armoires accessibles
Custom cabinetry played a significant role in providing accessible solutions that enhance the home’s aesthetic appeal—the warm wood casework throughout is a Turkel Design trademark. Throughout the kitchen, cabinets were designed at a reachable height for a wheelchair user, with accessible pulls of a shape that’s easy to grasp, while the multi-level island provides work surfaces for all users.
Dans son Poste de Washington interview, Michael Graves recalled his own experiences when he said that “an accessible bathroom can give a patient a sense of normalcy and motivation.”
With these words in mind, we paid particular attention to the bathrooms in this Iowa house. In the primary bath, this double sink is open below for wheelchair access, and the cabinets adjacent to it have handles at a height reachable from a sitting position. The shower is curbless and equipped with adjustable features. Adjacent to the bath, across a flat threshold, is a laundry room—with low, front-loading appliances.
De même, dans une autre salle de bain, le lavabo en dessous est construit avec un espace en dessous pour accueillir une personne en fauteuil roulant, avec un tiroir de rangement au même niveau.
Conception surélevée
Parce qu'il s'agit d'une maison à deux étages, nous avons inclus un ascenseur discrètement placé pour le mouvement entre les étages. Nous concevons également régulièrement des maisons de plain-pied et pouvons personnaliser les conceptions existantes destinées à la vie de plain-pied.
Tout te revient
Graves savait que l'empathie est essentielle dans la conception d'espaces accessibles et inspirants pour tous.
At Turkel Design, we apply that empathy to every project, listening to the needs of our clients and ensuring that every detail of their home supports the lifestyle they are looking to create. Regardless of a homeowner’s specific needs, a beautiful, warm, livable home is our goal—a goal achieved, we believe, with this project in Iowa.
Entrer en contact
If you’re thinking about building a custom home, Turkel Design can find creative, graceful ways to meet your specific requirements. Please Nous contacter pour démarrer la conversation.
