IIDA Houston City Center Barrier-Free CEU Last Night

Always, always, always a pleasure to listen to the incredible Mr. Lex Frieden present on the principles of Universal Design at the annual International Interior Design Association (Texas Oklahoma Chapter, Houston City Center) Barrier-Free CEU event!  This year we were hosted at the newly renovated TIRR Memorial Hermann Research Center in the Texas Medical Center.  Delighted to say that this was a project I collaborated on with the awesome folks over at Curry Boudreaux Architects!  

After a review of universal design importance and principles and a brief on the new space by architects Richerd Palumbo and Steve Curry, we were treated to a quick tour of the facilities to see some of the design principles put into place first-hand.  These included wider than average doorways / openings at every possible opportunity, automated door openers, reflective surfaces in the elevators for greater visibility, zero or minimized thresholds at changes in flooring materials, adjustable height desks and tables, censored lights and more!  This building sat empty and unused for decades, so it was inspiring to see what happened when a great design team with vision and focus repurposed and updated the facility to meet and exceed clients' needs!

As a lasting reminder, we were encouraged to take design beyond the ADA Standards for Accessible Design.  ADA is the minimum requirement, but most of the time, we can better serve the end users by focusing on best practices not bare minimums!

Mr. Lex Frieden presenting on the principles of universal design.