Universal Design: Kitchen

“The design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to

the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized

design.”- Center for Universal Design Universal design is an important

approach to designing for the future. With new methods of designing coming out all the time, being able to design a space that can be used by anybody is a good way to make sure your design will last and be functional. For my space I took influences from a few different sources. From these I created a kitchen that could be used by many people comfortably. The first thing I looked into was making sure there was enough room for people to move around the space, this is why I set the distance between the center island and the counters at 3’6” min and 4’ max. This makes it easy for multiple people to be in the kitchen, or for someone with a mobility aid to move around the space. I set all of the counters at a 34” height, so it is at a comfortable height for people who are standing or sitting. On the wall with the upper cabinets, I set them 19” above the counters, to allow for adequate workspace and to keep them lower to the ground to make them easier to reach. The cabinets over the dishwasher and oven at 45” from the ground plane, making them very accessible. Another important aspect of design I added to my kitchen casework was adding a 9” toe kick, as to account for mobility aids hitting them.

Universal Design: Floor Plan and Sections

A

B Section AScale: 1/2”=1’

Section BScale: 1/2”=1’

Floor Plan Scale: 3/4”=1’

cale: 1/2”=1’

The next step I took was placing the appliances. I started with the largest appliance, the refrigerator. I chose a side-by-side fridge to allow people who have gripping issues or people in mobility aids to be able to access both the fridge and the freezer. I also set the fridge so there were no obstructions to the front of it, allowing a user to open it fully and still be facing it. The next appliances I looked at were the dishwasher and the oven. For these I knew I wanted to lift them higher off the ground. I did this to make it easier for the user to load them, as for many people it is difficult to bend so low to use the appliance. I put them on the ends of my counterspaces because I wanted them to “cap” the counters and give the kitchen a feeling of being grounded. For the microwave I situated it under the counter to eliminate the possible issue of not being able to reach it, due to mobility issues or for people of short stature. For my last appliance, the sink and the stovetop, I set them so they were essentially “floating”, or in other words, I did not put any cabinets or drawers below them. I did this so people in mobility aids could roll under them and use the appliances without having to reach too far out of their chairs.

Case Study: Six North

Details

4055 Laclede Ave, Saint Louis, MO

I visited Six North Apartments in the Central West End of Saint Louis. They claim to be the only apartment complex in the world that is totally universally designed. Each of the apartments are universally accessible, and they said that out of their 80 apartments, 20 of them were being rented by people with disabilities. The manager that gave the tour mentioned that they specific area for the complex was chosen because it is both close to a hospital and close to a grocery store. Their kitchen held the most innovative design in my opinion. The center island in the kitchen had one area that was fixed at 36” and one area that had an adjustable counter that could go as low as 30” or as high as 48” so the user could decide what height was comfortable for them, but also have the ability to change it. Under their kitchen sink the cabinets were able to open up and slide into the cabinet and the top kick was removable, allowing a user in a mobility aid to roll under the sink if they wanted to. Another feature that influenced my design was the elevated oven and dishwasher to accommodate people with mobility issue. They also chose side-by-side refrigerators and and a separate stove top. The microwave for the kitchen was located under the countertop in the center island. Any cabinet in a corner had a lazy susan in it to allow for easy accessibility to the space. While there were some things that could make their designs even better, I really appreciated the complex taking into account and executing a universally designed space.

Universal Design: Materials

Walls: Sherwin Williams SW 7100 Arcade WhiteCasework: Welborn Cabinets in Shadow Backsplash: Daltile RetroSpace in Modern White

Countertops: Daltile Marble in Calcutta Gold Honed

Flooring: Porcelanosa Antique Acero

Brass Hardware and Accents

For my materials I kept the palette pretty neutral. The most important aspect I looked at was to keep the change in materials very noticable. To do this I made the cabinetry a very dark wood and made the hardware, floors, counters, and walls very light. I did to make the face feel sophisticated, but more importantly I wanted the change in planes and surfaces to be drastic to the eye to accommodate people with visual issues. The dark of the cabinets will also help hide any scuff marks left by mobility aids or by wear and tear. I chose for all the appliances to be stainless steel to they would also stand out from the dark casework. For the upper casework I chose to have a glass front cabinets to allow for the users to see what was in each shelf. And for the lower casework I chose all drawers to give the users the ability to reach the entire area by pulling it out, instead of having them reach to the back of the lower shelves. The center island has a clearance underneath of 11” on three of the sides, the forth side having three large drawers.

Universal Design: Research

I looked at the Center for Universal Design’s guide “Universal Design Principles” since I used their definition for my universal design. I took what they talked about along with some other resources to inform my design. They talked about equitable use, so for that I made sure my design was attractive but also able to be used by anyone. I believe my design has flexibility for the user because they are able to decide how they want to use the space, they can add to it whatever they want and the material choices could easily be switched out with other materials that follow the same principles. Next they talked about a simple and intuitive design, and this informed the color palette and appliances for my kitchen. Making a kitchen with a tolerance for error had me make sure the kitchen was easily maneuverable and easily accessible, which also was informed by their principle for having a space that requires low physical effort. I kept the counters lower and the appliances higher and gave them knee clearance. Lastly for the size and space for approach and use I made sure everything was ADA compliant, meaning the heights for the counters and appliances, but also made all of the hardware for the cabinets were large pull handles, along with the hardware on the appliances themselves.