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Monique Reid, a recent architectural graduate of Andrews University in Berrien Springs, MI, won first place in a national, universal design competition sponsored by AARP and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS).

As winner of the Ethel Percy Andrus House of Freedom Student Design Competition, Reid received the top prize of $2,500. Her architectural drawing was chosen from among 25 other entries that illustrated single-family home concepts incorporating universal design elements. Such homes are generally designed to be safe, comfortable, and equally accessible for all people regardless of age and physical ability.

The objectives of this competition included researching, responding to, and highlighting the unique aspects of designing a home that allows a person to age-in-place with dignity, as well as building knowledge about materials, products, and installation related to universal design and design for aging. According to the judges, Reid’s house aesthetically resolved the conflicts between traditionally built homes and universal design principles.

In this AARP article, Reid described her experience as quote, “I had so much fun designing this home! For me, entering this competition was both a learning experience as well as a challenge. I wanted to learn more about universal design and challenge myself to create a home that would be appealing to all regardless of their age, height and/or physical abilities so I could apply the principles in my future practice.”

Reid also noted that personal considerations partly inspired her to enter the competition and design such an accessible house. “…I have watched my aunts and grand-aunts struggle to get into their homes and their baths. It is necessary for me to design a home that they and others can comfortably use through their lifetime.”

Also known as the “House of Freedom” National Student Design Competition—it was named after Freedom Home, a full-scale, model house that was created under the supervision of Ethel Percy Andrus, founder of AARP. Freedom Home was an innovative construction project because it adapted traditional architectural details to better serve the needs of older people. Located in Washington, D.C., it was built specifically for the 1961 White House Conference on Aging. The new building concepts embodied by Freedom Home would later come to be known as universal design. AARP and the AIAS initiated the design competition this year to honor Andrus’s vision and to celebrate AARP’s 50th Anniversary.

Reid concluded her interview with a determination to spread the word about universal design. “I hope that more architecture schools teach the principles of universal design…Eventually I would like to see it become second nature to all architects, maybe even become a part of the building code.”
  
Reid’s and the other finalists’ award-winning entries will be displayed at AARP’s 50th Anniversary Life @ 50+ Member Event and Expo in Washington, D.C. from September 4-6, 2008. The winning designs will also be published in the Fall 2008 issue of Crit, Journal of the AIAS.

For more information and resources about universal design, please visit:  www.aarp.org/families/home_design.