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Universal Design in Architectural Education - Community Liaison on 'Live Projects'
1Cork Centre for Architectural Education (UCC/CIT).
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
|October 30, 2018
Summary
Architecture students integrated Universal Design (UD) principles into age-friendly housing projects through a live project collaboration. This initiative connected academia with community needs, fostering innovative, inclusive design solutions.
Area of Science:
- Architecture
- Urban Planning
- Gerontology
Background:
- Universal Design (UD) principles are increasingly integrated into architectural education.
- Live projects offer students practical experience with real-world stakeholders and user-experts.
- Promoting age-friendly housing is a key initiative for local authorities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To integrate Universal Design (UD) principles into architecture curriculum via a live project.
- To explore the design of age-friendly housing solutions through student projects.
- To assess the effectiveness of live projects in teaching UD and inclusive design.
Main Methods:
- Collaboration between an academic institution (CCAE) and Cork County Council.
- Second-year architecture students engaged in a live project focused on age-friendly housing.
- Application of Universal Design principles, considering Vitruvian concepts of 'commodity, firmness, and delight'.
Main Results:
- Students identified disabling aspects of aging and applied UD principles to housing design.
- The project facilitated the exchange of innovative ideas between students and the County Council.
- Student projects demonstrated imaginative and viable housing solutions incorporating age-friendly features at various scales.
Conclusions:
- Live projects effectively integrate UD into architectural education, preparing students for real-world inclusive design challenges.
- The approach successfully fostered the development of age-friendly housing designs without stigmatizing users.
- This educational model benefits students, academic institutions, and community partners by promoting accessible and desirable living environments.
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