David R Hoover, Architect, NCARB

Here is a home designed for Universal Design in Washington D.C that was sponsored by AARP: http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek08/0627/0627p_aarp.cfm I know that it is tempting to design homes with doors that are less than 3'-0" or bathrooms that are not wheelchair accessible, but after taking care of my grandmother in my 1970s home, I will make sure that my firm will at least follow fair housing guidelines and at most go with the ANSI 117.1 standards or a Universal Design. Most of the design elements that are in Fair Housing Guidelines are not cost prohibitive and actually make good design sense, so for any type of residential construction this should be required. For the Fair Housing Design Manual, please go to this HUD link: http://www.huduser.org/Publications/pdf/fairhousing/fairintro.pdf Here is a link for Universal Design: http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/pubs_p/docs/UDinHousing.pdf

The AIA released some findings from their Home Designs Trends Survey from the first quarter of 2008, which discusses how, due to the weakened housing market, there is a trend to build smaller homes, which have greater accessibility for an aging populace, and a desire for spending money on improvements on the outside areas, which may be easier to do than improvements to the interior. The story is located here: http://www.aia.org/aiarchitect/thisweek08/0606/0606b_htdsq2.cfm For information on accessibility in homes, please review the design manual for the Fair Housing Act located here: http://www.huduser.org/intercept.asp?loc=/Publications/PDF/FAIRHOUSING/fairfull.pdf