…it’s as easy as ABC!
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Alliance for Building Communities (ABC) is a non-profit organization that provides affordable housing for low-income families and senior citizens in Northeastern Pennsylvania. After securing a Community Development Block Grant to improve their tenant spaces, ABC approached 4/4 Architecture about designing accessibility renovations for their Mountain View Apartments. The ultimate objective of this accessible design project was to maximize residents’ safety and mobility, while ensuring they could independently and successfully function within their living space.
“We were excited to receive the grant to improve some of our tenant spaces,” Austin Snyder, ABC Facilities Director, said. “Gary and I worked well together, bouncing ideas off one another to come up with the final design. The renovated apartments will improve the lives of the current tenants, as well as any future inhabitants of the space.”
Construction Manager Lewis Ernst of Mohawk Contracting and Development agreed. “Thanks to Gary and 4/4 Architecture’s expertise, we were able to upgrade two affordable apartment units to meet ADA accessibility requirements with limited space and on a limited budget, improving the overall quality of life for the tenants,” he said.
BACKGROUND
ABC’s mission goes far beyond housing those in need. For more than 40 years, ABC has provided resources for residents to make educated choices about their living arrangements, such as financial counselors. ABC owns and manages several large properties throughout the Lehigh Valley; among them are the Mountain View Apartments in Slatington. This apartment complex includes 44 one-bedroom, one-bathroom living units.
After receiving the grant, ABC had the necessary funds to initiate some accessibility and ADA improvements to their tenant spaces. ADA refers to the American with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. In architecture, ADA improvements might look like design that accommodates the safety concerns of seniors, the mobility concerns of someone who uses a wheelchair, or the sensory concerns of a person who is blind or deaf. ABC identified two tenants with the greatest need for these types of improvements, and reached out to 4/4 – in part because of our vast experience successfully designing accessible renovations for clients.
OUR PROCESS
4/4 Architecture began the design process by interviewing tenants about the challenges they face in their current space. The meeting allowed the team to identify opportunities to support the tenants’ well-being and quality of life.
“Early on in the process, I met with Gary to do a walkthrough of my space,” Jonathon Videira said. Videira, an ABC tenant, has Cerebral Palsy and uses a walker. His walker is an important part of his daily life – so much so that he’s had it customized by an auto detailer with a design that reflects his love of cars. “When I would walk into and throughout my apartment before the renovations, my walker would bump into the door frames – damaging the door and the walker. I had nowhere to put my walker that was out of the way.”
First floor tenant Donna Shannon echoed Videira’s concerns. Shannon, who has Muscular Dystrophy and utilizes a motorized wheelchair, shared that her doorframes and walls were “chewed up” from trying to navigate her chair through the narrow spaces. In addition, many spaces in her apartment were simply unusable because she could not properly access them with her chair. Over years of struggling to navigate her space, Shannon developed creative, yet inconvenient, workarounds. “I couldn’t use the sinks in my kitchen or bathroom. I essentially had to parallel park my wheelchair to get close. When I brushed my teeth, I couldn’t reach the sink to spit out my toothpaste. I’d have to hold a cup in my lap, spit into that, and reach forward to pour my cup into the sink.”
Following the walkthroughs and client interviews, 4/4 Architecture worked with engineers at Barry Isett & Associates to design renovations. During the design process, the team offered options to the tenants, who then had a voice in how their space was designed by selecting the design that matched their preferences. In addition to improving accessibility in the kitchens and bathrooms, they widened doorframes and upgraded finishes.
“4/4 developed multiple floor plan options of varying levels of modifications, while maintaining the existing footprints of the units… The selected option was not only compliant with the accessible building codes but was a cost-effective approach allowing for multiple units to be completed using the grant funds available to the client,” said the Project Manager and Engineering Liaison for Barry Isett & Associates.
OUR DESIGN
Renovations reconfigured the entryway to help with access in and out of the unit. The team replaced hardware on the entry door, eliminated a large closet with accordion doors, and replaced it with an open foyer and small closet. Opening this space up created appropriate clearance space for the door. While Videira uses this newfound space to store his walker, Shannon hopes to leverage this area as a creative and welcoming entry nook to hang seasonal decorations, coats, and hats.
According to Shannon, the kitchen renovations have had the most impact on her day-to-day life. “The kitchen accessibility has improved tremendously. A couple of years ago, I had the ability to stand without my chair. With the support of the counters, I could slowly move around the space to make myself a sandwich. Unfortunately, I solely rely on the chair now – so the kitchen was barely usable for me,” Shannon said.
In addition to not being able to access the sink, Shannon shared that the cabinets were also unusable. The upper cabinets were too high to reach. The lower cabinets opened into her chair, and she struggled to reach deep into a cabinet to access what was inside.
4/4’s design also called for lowered countertops and a cut out space under the sink for accessibility. We made the upper cabinets taller and included hardware to make them more accessible, even from a seated position. While not required by ADA, 4/4’s design replaced lower cabinets with drawers and a corner cabinet with a turntable Lazy Susan. Shannon, who previously could not access her cabinets, can now open a drawer or rotate the turntable to view and reach everything within.
“The renovations have made everything so much better,” Shannon said. “On top of it all, it looks beautiful, and it makes you feel proud when you’re living in a nice-looking place.”
In the bathroom, the design created appropriate clear-floor areas in front of the fixtures. Prior to the renovations, it was not possible for a wheelchair to navigate past the toilet to access the tub. The team replaced the full-sized tub with a walk-in shower with an adjustable shower head and bench. We added grab bars and towel bars at appropriate heights to ensure the safety and comfort of the residents. It’s Videira’s favorite part of his new space. “The thing that I’m happiest about is the new shower. The tub was really difficult for me to step in and out of, and now I’m able to use my space.”
CONCLUSION
At 4/4 Architecture, our mission is to provide creative, healthy, and high-quality design that solves problems, brings joy to its users, and contributes to the greater good. Serving communities is cornerstone to fully achieving this mission. We strive to contribute to the greater good through designs that truly benefit everyone.
Our process, our services, and our final designs were financially responsible, code-compliant, and accommodated a wide variety of abilities. The team did not assume they knew the answers, but asked and listened. Through the accessible design of their units, residents of Mountain View Apartments are now equipped with the tools they need to navigate their living space.
It doesn’t get much more accessible than that!
Could you use an expert to help you make your living space more accessible? Contact us at gary@44architecture.com to schedule a consultation today!
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