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UNIVERSAL DESIGN FOR SOCIAL INCLUSION: COMMUNITY BASED MODEL HOMES Escola de Arquitetura U.F.M.G. PATROCINIO DA APRESENTAÇÃO POSTER PRESENTATION FUNDED BY Marcelo Pinto Guimarães, Ph.D. – Director of ADAPTSE LAB – Professor in School of Architecture at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais social inclusion occurs in a dead end street The first design project is located on a site that was donated by Belo Horizonte city administration. The site shape is irregular: a nearly flat, but narrow and long piece of landfill next to a dead end roundabout. The design approach was to preserve the pedestrian connection but also to avoid public use of cars in the dead end section of the street. Therefore, a request to transform the roundabout traffic space as part of the project is underway so that the external area will serve as a recreational park for the community. On site, the design idea has included twin one-story houses on each end of a three building complex that also provides a service center between those houses and a playground yard at the original roundabout area in front of them. The former roundabout area includes a community playground that will be the recreational area in the neighborhood along with a coffee-shop at the service center. The recreational area may break traditional preconceptions about social life of people with intellectual disabilities and their families. Each of the twin houses provide a large room with partitions and sliding doors acting as flexible walls: that accommodate two bedrooms, a bathroom and an open kitchen in the living-room. Universal design as applied in accessible environments to everyone may serve well as the basis for empowering people with intellectual disabilities and making them involved to play active roles for socialization in the neighborhood. Rather than development of simple design of wider doors and expanded rooms for wheelchair turning spaces, accessibility may also include careful planning of common areas among neighbor homes as well as flexible furniture and storage areas. The porch in the back yard estimulates social interaction among neighbor families since it connects the twin houses and the service center where there are other provisions and facilities such as dining, bathroom and laundry areas. triplet houses on a hill In another project, APAE-BH raised donation money to purchase a hilly site in a flat street. The ADAPTSE Lab had to adopt a different marketing strategy in designing three model homes.The APAE-BH homes are in two blocks of twin houses that are connected by both ramp and stairs. A long but shallow ramp is the main circulation for the front entrances that are located in reverse direction so that the back doors link service areas with the stairway that is between the two blocks. Joined home entrances in front and back porchs offer environmental conditions for neighbors to engage in daily socialization. Thus, providing ramp and stairs as means of access allow residents and visitors to choose the easiest way for low-cost mobility according to their abilities. At front entrances, a small terrace that is corrected to a ramp and landings serve to define territorial boundaries for residents but to stimulate social interaction. The back doors in the triplet home approach create a comunal extended laundry area that is also linked to the kitchen/dining- room in each unit. At street level, the housing complex provides the security room with a doorman who controls the entrance and a large parking area underneath the front block of twin houses. The parking area will be useful for APAE-BH staff as the place for the service center as well as an activity room for socialization of residents. The first block of twin houses is at the second floor level in the front side of the site. The second block is located on higher level in area that is farther back on the hilly site. Each of those houses are wheelchair accessible and include two bedrooms, a small living-room, a bathroom and a large space for dining-room, kitchen and laundry. A keyfactor for success in construction of the model homes is the public dissemination of the universal design concept by participation of manufacturing companies of building materials, installation, equipment and furniture. That will provide free samples of accessibility products and technical assistance for installation and maintenance. Since 2009, APAE-BH (Associação dos Pais e Amigos de Excepcionais em Belo Horizonte), a local branch of the nation wide non-government institution for care and social support of people with intellectual disabilities hired ADAPTSE the laboratory at the School of Architecture of UFMG (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais) to develop some conceptual design plans of demonstration homes to be exemplar buildings of universal design applications. Two projects of model home complexes with two and three units each share facilities for community oriented activities and a supportive research and extension program. The idea is to prepare residents with mobility problems to develop economic and social resources in order to live independently in public housing settlements. An interesting discussion here is related to universal design features of model homes as they may be powerful tools to promote behavioral changes and residents´ understanding about the benefits of accessible environments. Behavior-environment research tests will assess effectiveness of daily usage of universal design solutions in the model home plans. A potential result of research about living patterns in model homes is the expansion of minimal standards for accessibility features included in production of low cost housing for poor settlements along with educational initiatives for socialization of residents. The model houses will be explored as laboratory for usage testing of building components in temporary homes that could be described as similar to units of a free hostel system for poor families of people with intellectual disabilities. Selected families from APAE-BH social service database will live for a one-year period (maybe less time in some cases) in accessible environments and they will learn self-help skills and social activities during that time. At the service center, larger activity spaces offer residents a communal room where they may learn cooking, washing and other daily life management skills as they may be assisted by intern students of occupational therapy, psychology and social work. NPGAU EAUFMG International Conference on Best Practices in Universal Design
