New England Condominium May 2021

Universal Design & the ADA
Design for Every Body
BY A. J. SIDRANSKY
May 2021
NEWENGLANDCONDO.COM
out New England as well. “It was the brainchild of a working group
of architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design
researchers led by Ronald Mace at North Carolina State University.
Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment
so that it can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent
possible by all people regardless of their age, size, and ability. It is a
fundamental process of good design.”
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NEW ENGLAND
Interior Design
Responds to COVID
Flexibility, Technology,
Nature, & Gratitude
BY DARCEY GERSTEIN
Using Color to
Create Mood and
Make a Statement
Your Palette Makes a
Difference
BY A. J. SIDRANSKY
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Th e idea that ‘form follows function’ is one of the basic concepts underlying nearly every
design discipline—but function for whom? For many people living with disabilities, it oft en
seems that ‘function’ covers a very narrow range of ability—rendering many forms clumsy at
best, and completely useless at worst. While a cascading stairway might provide drama to a
public space, for example, it may present an insurmountable obstacle to anyone making use of
a wheelchair or other mobility aid.
While in the past accessibility for diff erently-abled individuals may have been an af-
terthought (if it was a thought at all), in recent years, architects and designers have begun
to change their view of how to best achieve form and function for everyone, regardless of
age or ability. Two key drivers of that change were the adaptation of the theory of Univer-
sal Design, and the passage and implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA).
Universal Design
“Universal Design was developed in 1997,” says Eric Cohen, senior associate principal at Ethe-
lind Coblin Architect, an architecture and design fi rm based in New York with clients through-
As the biggest global health crisis of mod-
ern times continues to impact the world, it
leaves a wake of changes to the way we live,
eat, work, play, learn, plan, and even how we
dream. Humans—a species well-known for
our adaptability—are fi nding ways to adjust
our lifestyles to this new environment.
In many cases, however, we are adjust-
ing our environments to suit these new life-
styles—and no one knows more about the
trend than interior designers. In speaking
to many who work in multifamily build-
ings throughout the Northeast, as well as in
the Chicagoland area, the common refrain
among interior experts was how busy they’ve
been in the last year-plus. Whether carving
out space in private homes to accommodate
remote working and schooling, or reimagin-
ing common areas to allow co-op and condo
residents to enjoy amenities safely, interior
designers have been hard at work using their
skills and imaginations to adapt our living
environments to the post-COVID reality.
Flexibility Is Key
Across the board, interior designers work-
ing in residential buildings express the need
for fl exibility in domestic spaces. Especially
in urban areas where vertical living domi-
nates, many homeowners can’t expand their
footprint due to having neighbors above, be-
low, and next door in all directions. Recon-
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Design is what makes the diff erence be-
tween a space looking like a seductive bou-
doir… or the interior of a cardboard box.
Neither may be appropriate for a condo or
co-op lobby, but somewhere in between lies
the comforting, welcoming common space
we hope to encounter when we arrive home.
Th e key to creating that welcome lies largely
in the use of basic elements of color, texture,
and light. While all three interlock to create
a unifi ed, coherent aesthetic, color is at the
heart of the puzzle.
Defi ning Color & Palette
“Words are always a challenge for design-
ers to describe when seeking to create a spe-
cifi c mood,” says Marilyn Sygrove, principal
of Sygrove Associates Design Group, based
in New York City. “One person’s ‘dark’ is an-
other person’s ‘rich.’ One person’s ‘light and
bright’ is another person’s perceived mainte-
nance nightmare. So we have to be sensitive
to the perceptions of our clients. It is all about
balance, and selectively choosing what can
be used eff ectively, and where. Accent walls,
fl oors, a piece of furniture, a desk are also to
be weighed against wear and visual impact.”
A community’s population can heavily
infl uence its color preferences; so can its loca-
tion. “Beachfront condominiums in Brook-
lyn and Long Island like to reference water-
colors and sunsets,” says Sygrove. “Urban
communities generally like more edgy com-
binations, or subtle neutrals with deep, rich
contrasts. We are defi nitely seeing colors that
refl ect a ‘sense of place’ refl ecting the geogra-
phy surrounding the property, whether parks
or riverfronts, especially in special setbacks
with respect to their landscaping.”
Ethelind Coblin, architect and principal
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