If there is one thing we can all count on, it’s the inevitability of the numerous decisions we will navigate daily. From the moment we decide when to get out of bed, the average person will make thousands of decisions throughout the span of their day. Most of us love having options, but we commonly make our best decisions earlier in the day when we haven’t been inundated with countless, weighted choices. The same logic is applied to a custom home or renovation project and avoiding decision-making fatigue is achievable. Our team has collectively designed over 1,500 projects and we are here to offer guidance on how to avoid the inevitable creep of anxiety caused by making too many decisions.
First, it’s important to create a plan with a solid vision and commit to it (this might be a collective commitment if you are designing with a spouse or partner). This process of working out the plan to fit your vision for your dream house is the foundation of why you hire an architect. Our team has a process of asking questions to figure out the solutions to bring your dreams to reality.
One of the most important components in creating a plan is to develop a realistic budget. Often in the planning stage, the average homeowner doesn’t always know the cost of their design selections. This is where our experienced team brings huge value to your process. We can help guide you towards your budget and help you pick out the special elements in just the right places and elements to conserve on budget in others.
Your ability to make decisions can directly influence the length of time it takes to complete your project and therefore, the budget! During the design process testing options early on is relatively inexpensive, but simple changes made late take a lot of coordination and budget. In the same line, testing out design options on paper is way less expensive that doing it during the construction process.
Time is valuable; therefore, we recommend trusting an expert who has already put in the time and has up-to-date knowledge on the best and most efficient selections. Professional designers and architects are trained to focus on the details and guide you in the decision-making process. Experts will also often utilize industry-specific software that will allow you to see renderings of your space with your design selections. The ability to visualize a space can greatly help you make decisions and ease worries over how a project will turn out.
There are thousands of decisions involved in creating a dream design. Planning ahead, prioritizing decisions that emphasize function, and seeking guidance from a professional are critical in avoiding decision burn-out and completing a successful project.
We understand residents who are seeking accessible homes already face numerous challenges in their day-to-day lives. Our goal is to design accessible spaces that minimize these challenges and promote the highest quality of life and a sense of independence in everyday living. We prioritize creating both indoor and outdoor spaces that are conducive to varying gathering sizes and movement abilities while minimizing excessive ramping or paved surfaces.
There are a variety of standards that regulate the requirements for designing spaces that promote equal access for varying abilities including Fair Housing regulations, ADA, ANSI 117, Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS), and Universal Design standards. Meeting these regulations can often be challenging, but we believe they can be an excellent opportunity to provide housing equality to all residents and visitors. Following and adapting to these regulations inspires our architects to be creative in the design process and deliver solutions that serve all abilities.
The above sink has been lowered in a clubhouse kitchen for increased accessibility.
Although the different classifications of accessible homes can vary within a multifamily community, most homes do not require much more space than a standard kitchen or bathroom. The clearances required for these homes make the space more adaptable for people of all abilities, ensuring a functional arrangement that can be well utilized by everyone. Designing spaces that are adaptable to changing needs allows residents the ability to remain in their homes despite changes in health and mobility.
These are removable cabinets with a shallow roll-under sink. The adjacent cabinet is removable and can be lowered into a work surface.
The biggest challenge in designing for accessibility in multifamily projects is creating accessible routes throughout the community. It is critical to provide easy access for people of all abilities to fully utilize all amenity spaces. One of our team’s favorite challenges is designing a swimming pool that can be used by many different ages and abilities. This is an example in which we consider specific pool depths, layouts, and entry points. In a previous project, the first apartment leased was a fully accessible home because the resident fell in love with the ramp access to the pool!
Accessible pool entrance at the Goose Creek Apartments Project in Fishersville, Virginia.
I have the honor of presenting at #YAWS2022 on Sunday. #YAWS2022 is an innovative architectural conference focused on helping architects be better people hosted by Young Architect. My topic is Empathetic Design or how to use empathy as a design tool to serve your clients while serving your community. This is an approach that I have grown into over the last 23 years and even more over the last two years. As the world seems to be ruled now by loud voices that control the narrative I feel that we need architects to step forward with elegant and equitable solutions to solve some very complex problems. After all, through design, we can build a better future for all.
We are all born with empathy in our hearts, but not always able to access it. As architects, we are taught to form judgments and opinions that can cloud our ability to absorb opinions from others. Without intentionally using empathy we miss opportunities to build better designs. There are some simple tools that can be used to infuse architecture with empathy. It does require you as the architect to let go of ego and listen fully to others, your own experiences, and the community.
If we all use empathy in our daily lives, even outside of architecture, the world would be a little bit brighter. As an incredible 9 year old said yesterday – we could have a world built on kindness if we change our priorities a bit.
That is the challenge, how can we ignore the loud voices that are pushing us to hate one another and embrace the 9-year old that thinks we can act with kindness. How do we solve really big complex problems? I think we do it by working together for a common goal. #serviceaboveself #YAWS2022
I have been working on creating a resources page for Home Schooling. Here is the start of the list:
Coloring PagesChesapeake Western Railroad DepotChurch AdditionEastern Mennonite SchoolVirginia FarmhouseGeographyOnline Architectural ToursOh the Places We Go – identify the locations where our swag has been found on google maps
Identify a work of architecture, architect, year built, location and write a brief summary of why it is important. Here is an example, click HEREArchitectural BingoVocabulary Challenge
Want to challenge your student with new vocabulary? Here is a list of Green Terms Defined.
Architectural Shapes
Have a young one learning shapes – get them to find the shapes in these architectural photos: Architectural Shapes15 Week Architecture Construction and Engineering Course
When I was in Charlottesville I taught a 15 week course to introduce high school students to the construction industry. Here is the syllabus for the program. ACE Mentor Program Design ChallengeClass Activity – Draw this room to scale
Gather supplies of a ruler (or any straight edge), graph paper (paper with squares on it) and a pencil, or a pen if you are desperate.
With the paper on the table, use your FEET and measure out the length and width of the room where you are located by walking from one wall across the room to the other side of the room.
Using the squares on the paper, where one square equals one footstep, mark the paper, and use the ruler to make straight lines. This is NOT easy for some people, so make sure that you are using the straight edge to make straight lines and ask for help if it keeps getting messed up.
Origami House
Build and decorate a quick house. Make a few and you can have a small village full of Origami Houses
Our friends at NEED.org always have cool resources. Here is a list of Distance Learning Resources that are hands on. NEED.org
If you know of links I should include, let me know by adding to the comments below.
Oh the Places We Go – identify the locations where our swag has been found on google maps
Identify a work of architecture, architect, year built, location and write a brief summary of why it is important. Here is an example, click HERE
Architectural Bingo
Vocabulary Challenge
Want to challenge your student with new vocabulary? Here is a list of Green Terms Defined.
Architectural Shapes
Have a young one learning shapes – get them to find the shapes in these architectural photos: Architectural Shapes
15 Week Architecture Construction and Engineering Course
When I was in Charlottesville I taught a 15 week course to introduce high school students to the construction industry. Here is the syllabus for the program. ACE Mentor Program Design Challenge
Class Activity – Draw this room to scale
Gather supplies of a ruler (or any straight edge), graph paper (paper with squares on it) and a pencil, or a pen if you are desperate.
With the paper on the table, use your FEET and measure out the length and width of the room where you are located by walking from one wall across the room to the other side of the room.
Using the squares on the paper, where one square equals one footstep, mark the paper, and use the ruler to make straight lines. This is NOT easy for some people, so make sure that you are using the straight edge to make straight lines and ask for help if it keeps getting messed up.
Origami House
Build and decorate a quick house. Make a few and you can have a small village full of Origami Houses
Our friends at NEED.org always have cool resources. Here is a list of Distance Learning Resources that are hands on. NEED.org
If you know of links I should include, let me know by adding to the comments below.
