The local Universal Design Coalition is presenting a public forum from noon to 2:30 p.m. Monday, June 15, at the Realtors Association of Manatee and Sarasota at 2320 Cattlemen Road in Sarasota. Admission is free.
The panel includes John King, president of Rampart Homes; Greg Hall of Hall Architects; Kathleen Houseweart, geriatrics manager for SMH Healthcare System; and Tracy Lux, president of Trace Marketing. I will be the moderator.
The guest speaker is Wanda Gozdz, president of Golden Age Living and an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers.
If green building benefits people and the planet by conserving resources, then universal design benefits individuals by making their homes more comfortable and functional.
The house that allows its occupants to thrive regardless of their age or mobility is one that is truly sustainable, said Sarasota architect Larry Hale, chairman of the UDC and a local architect.
“You need it before you need it,” Hale said of UD. “We age, and our mobility changes.”
By including universal design concepts when a house is built or remodeled, homes can be useful for a longer time, delaying the occupants’ need to move, he said.
Like green building, which saves homeowners money by lowering their utility bills and creating healthful indoor air, universal design also comes down to economics, said Hale. “It keeps you in your home longer.”
