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book cover for The Accessible Home

The Accessible Home

Designing for All Ages and Abilities

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Pub Date Oct 23 2012 | Archive Date Sep 14 2013
Taunton | Taunton Press

Description

The Accessible Home: Designing for All Ages and Abilities by architect Deborah Pierce is your comprehensive guide to creating a living environment that supports independence and enhances quality of life.

By embracing the concepts in The Accessible Home, you can design a home that not only meets physical needs but also reflects your personal style. Use this approachable book to help make a living space a place of comfort, beauty, and functionality for everyone.

Key Features:

  • Universal Design Principles: Go beyond basic modifications like ramps and grab bars. This book introduces you to the principles of universal design, providing a holistic approach to making your home accessible without sacrificing beauty or style. Learn how to create spaces that are functional and pleasing to the eye.

  • Step-by-Step Guidance: Pierce expertly guides you through the entire design process—from selecting the right architect to understanding how to implement thoughtful design choices that meet diverse needs. This invaluable advice is applicable whether you’re designing a new home or renovating an existing space.

  • Inspiring Case Studies: Discover 25 real-life case studies that showcase innovative solutions for accessible living. These examples illustrate that accessibility can be seamlessly integrated into any home, proving that function and aesthetics can coexist harmoniously.

  • Empowerment Through Design: The Accessible Home encourages readers to take control of their living spaces. It empowers individuals of all ages and abilities to create environments that promote independence, comfort, and dignity, ultimately restoring the grace of daily living.

  • Thoughtful Details Matter: The book emphasizes that the best designs are built in, not tacked on. From selecting the right materials to making strategic layout decisions, every detail plays a crucial role in enhancing accessibility.

The Accessible Home: Designing for All Ages and Abilities by architect Deborah Pierce is your comprehensive guide to creating a living environment that supports independence and enhances quality of...


Advance Praise

Deborah Pierce tackles the small problems along with the large in her quest to make wonderful places where people with disabilities can live comfortably and safely. Her thoughtful case studies are full of helpful ideas, many of them little things that make a world of difference to a disabled person. More than that, however, she sets her sights on creating houses that are beautiful, comfortable, and convivial for the entire family and their guests. That is one of the most gratifying accomplishments for any architect. I commend her on this insightful book, which will prove useful--and accessible--to the public and professionals alike. --Michael Graves, FAIA

The home of the future will be a place for people of all ages and abilities - designed with transparent functionality and an inviting, universal aesthetic. Until then, The Accessible Home stands as the roadmap to the universal home. Deborah Pierce presents an elegant overview of the accessibility basics to show homeowners a menu of options -- urban, suburban and even rural. The book celebrates independence, comfort and graceful living; it empowers people to become involved in the evolution of home design. Sam Maddox, Knowledge Manager, The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation

Deborah Pierce has created an inspired, beautiful, and practical book. The Accessible Home will be appreciated by the person/family newly struggling with the realities of changes in her, his, or their abilities as well as the experienced designer needing guidance. I've been reviewing and critiquing books on accessible design for 30 years; this is the most complete home design book I've ever seen. It illustrates the alchemy that occurs in a respectful partnership between designers and their clients. --Elaine Ostroff, Hon. AIA, Founding Director, Institute for Human Centered Design (Adaptive Environments)

Inspiring, visionary, and yet totally down to earth. This is a must-read for anyone designing the home of a lifetime. --Hugh Delehanty, co-author of "Caring for Your Parents: The Complete AARP Guide


This book shows us that an accessible house can incorporate beautiful design and meet the functional needs of the people who live there through their lifespan. It's refreshing to see that access is interpreted widely and includes design for better hearing. 17% of Americans have hearing loss and they will love the acoustical treatments, natural light, round tables, and looped spaces that make communication easier and entertaining fun again. --Brenda Battat, Exec. Dir, Hearing Loss Association of America

The Accessible Home is a comprehensive approach to designing living spaces for people with disabilities from an individualized perspective. It is especially gratifying to see detailed attention paid to the often misunderstood or overgeneralized needs of active lifestyle wheelchair users. I've been waiting to see a book like this for a long time. --Tim Gilmer, Editor, New Mobility magazine.

With The Accessible Home, Deborah Pierce has delivered the evidence that well-designed homes can integrate function without forfeiting style. She not only shares a practical framework for thinking differently about how our homes can minimize limitations, she also inspires us with detailed case studies from across the nation. We all relish the fantasy of a home that expresses our best selves. In The Accessible Home, Deborah Pierce delivers abundant proof that the dream is very much available for anyone with a functional limitation. She illustrates the practical steps to guide a fresh way of thinking and shares the details that are key not only to homes that work but also delight. --Valerie Fletcher l Executive Director, Institute for Human Centered Design

Architect Deborah Pierce gives us a book full of beautiful photographs and creative plans that heralds an exciting future for home design. She dispels many misconceptions and explains clearly how accessible homes are elegant, more functional, and safer for people of all ages
and abilities. --Laura Montllor, Architect, AIA, Executive Director, HomeFreeHome.org

This book is a gem. It provides an excellent framework for the design of living spaces that accommodate the practical needs of people with various special needs in a dignified, functional, and stylish manner. The case studies presented are inspiring examples of how creative, thoughtful design can be both beautiful and empowering for individuals with physical and other limitations. --Eileen Komanecky - Founder, simpleHome, technology resources for smart homes

Deborah Pierce tackles the small problems along with the large in her quest to make wonderful places where people with disabilities can live comfortably and safely. Her thoughtful case studies are...


Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781600854910
PRICE $39.99 (USD)
PAGES 224