Universal Design Charrette at the World Congress on Environmental Design for the New Millenium

Seoul, Korea
November 12, 2000

Abir Mullick, Associate Professor and Beth Tauke, Associate Professor
Department of Architecture, University at Buffalo,
State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA

The Fall 2000 World Congress on Environmental Design for the New Millennium in Seoul, Korea was unique in that it held several workshops and day long charettes within the conference itself. Students from around the world were invited to participate in the conference sessions and these special learning opportunities. Some students were sponsored by their governments, others by their schools, and still others participated as individuals.

This charrette emphasized the notion that universal design, which is user-centered, considers the range of users, provides choices for different needs, and accommodates everyone. Primary emphasis was placed on the study of human-environment interaction to learn about user requirements and design limits. Students explored the link between research, observation, development and evaluation to create design proposals that offered a high degree safety, security, usability and independence to all users. They simulated conditions other than their own to learn about the various ways people navigate through their environment, interact with everyday products and places to experience barriers, assess environmental fit to determine user needs, develop design proposals that meet the needs of a broader population, and evaluate safety, usability and convenience of the proposal. User needs drove the explorations resulting in innovative designs that supported design flexibility and divers ity, different designs for different users within the same system.

Twenty-two international students at the junior and senior levels participated in the full day charrette. During the first hour, the professors gave an introduction to universal design, and discussed some of the current challenges in the field. Subsequently, a presentation on the value and cautions of simulation exercises was given followed by a discussion. Students spent the remainder of the morning undertaking the simulation exercises in the vicinity of the Seoul International Hotel. The design project was assigned after the exercise. Students were asked to redesign one aspect of their environment that was difficult to maneuver. They were given three hours to develop their proposals. Finally, students presented their work and participated in a three-hour review in which the principles of universal design were used as the evaluation criteria.

One of the most interesting aspects of the charette was the way in which students from Korea, Japan, Greece, Italy, Germany, and France communicated with each other and with instructors from the United States. A language interpreter was present for the full day in addition to a Korean student assistant. However, the 'language of design' was so fully operational, that it bypassed more verbally oriented ways of communicating.

Charette Objectives

to study the meaning of inclusiveness

to gather and analyze information about human needs and aspirations

to evaluate objects/environments in terms of meeting basic standards of human safety and comfort

to extract implications for design from behavioral information and criteria

to discriminate between and to evaluate design alternatives on ethical, aesthetic, and technical grounds

to convey the essentials of a design through a variety of means such as freehand drawing, diagrams, and models

Charette Requirements

1. Form two-person teams.
2. Ask your partner to simulate an impaired condition of your choice. Examples: low vision, hearing impairment, limited range of hand movement, limited hand sensitivity, limited range of leg movement
3. Perform the following activities:
• Drink a glass of water.
• Wash your hands in the bathroom sink.
• Write a note to your partner.
• Ask someone in the hallway for directions.
• Climb stairs.
• Use the elevator.
• Open and close a door.
• Take off and put on shoes.
• Take an object off a high shelf.
• Sit in a chair and get up from a chair.
• Read a newspaper in a dim light.
4. Note/photograph observations.
5. List and/or sketch five expected and five unexpect ed findings.
6. Design an improvement of one object or environmental feature that increases ease of use.
7. Generate at least six design concepts for this proposal.
8. Using drawing instruments and/or model making materials, communicate your design concepts.
9. Choose two of these concepts to present to the entire group.

Charette Submissions

List or sketches of expected and unexpected findings

Two final design concepts in model and/or drawing form

Schedule

09:00 - 09:15 Introductions
09:15 - 10:00 What is Universal Design?
10:00 - 10:15 Assign Simulation Exercise
10:15 - 11:15 Conduct Simulation
11:15 - 12:00 Discussion
12:00 - 12:30 Lunch
12:30 - 01:00 Discussion
01:00 - 01:15 Assign Design Project
01:15 - 04:15 Work on Design Projects
04:15 - 04:30 Pin-up
04:30 - 06:30 Design Review

Evaluation Criteria

Preliminary Research
Quality of observations
Communication of observations
Effective teamwork
Design
Response to problem
Implementation of principles of universal design
Physical/visual manifestation of underlying concepts
Innovation

Readings:

Mullick, Abir and Steinfeld, Edward. "Universal Design: What It Is and Isn't." Innovation, Spring 1997.
Story, Molly. "Is It Universal?" Innovation, Spring 1997.
Newell, Alan and Cairns, Alistair. "Desig ning for Extraordinary Users." Ergonomics in Design, October 1993.

For more information, contact Beth Tauke at tauke@ap.buffalo.edu.

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Citation:Mullick, Abir & Tauke, Beth (2001). Universal Design Charette at the World Congress on Environmental Design for the New Millennium ©. Retrieved (Enter Date), from Universal Design Education Online web site: http://www.udeducation.org/teach/shortevents/charette/korea.asp