Reporter Volume 26, No.20 March 9, 1995

By LISA WILEY
News Bureau Staff
The UB School of Architecture and Planning has received a grant to conduct a universal criteria and product-evaluation project that will address universal design issues for household products.
	The $29,700 grant from the Center for Universal Design at North Carolina State University was awarded to Edward H. Steinfeld, UB professor of architecture, who directs the school's Adaptive Environments Laboratory. He will be principal investigator, with Abir Mullick, UB assistant professor  of architecture,  co-principal investigator.
	The project's goal is to promote affordable, independent living for people who are elderly or disabled, according to Steinfeld.
	"The idea behind universal design is that products are designed to be used by as wide of a variety of people as possible -- so you don't have to have special products for people with disabilities," Steinfeld says. Specialized products usually are more expensive and are less readily available, he explains.
	"We would like to influence mass production in the marketplace for general consumers," Steinfeld said. "The aging of the population is driving an expansion of manufacturers' target markets. The design of everyday items can be modified to be more easily used by the 'silver market.'"
	Researchers will select several products for detailed analysis, starting with bathroom products such as the bathtub, sink, faucets and shower sprays. They also will develop universal design criteria by which to evaluate the products, and disseminate the design criteria to industry and standards-development organizations.
	The results should be applicable to design standards for accessible housing, giving guidance to architects and interior designers on how to facilitate universal design of household products like appliances and plumbing fixtures. The project marks the beginning of a long-range research program to evaluate products currently on the market.