Universal Design Handbook

Book Description

*One-stop reference to both American and international universal design standards *CD-ROM includes new American with Disabilities Act code requirements, illustrated standards, checklists, and technical fact sheets, ready for downloading *Covers guidelines from buildings to telecommunications

Customer Reviews:

How Universal is Universal Design?.......2002-04-04

Universal Design Handbook
by Wolfgang F. E. Preiser (Senior Editor) and Elaine Ostroff (Editor)

How universal is Universal Design? Wolfgang Preiser, Senior Editor of the Universal Design Handbook and noted expert in Building Evaluation and Programming, said "Universal Design is not about dimensions. It is an attitude." The impact of that attitude is felt across the world.
The Handbook contains 69 essays from leaders in their fields. Voices from the Third World propose solutions for densely populated regions. Europe and the United States continue to look to technology for labor-saving devices. What they all share is a commitment to design for the greatest number of potential users.
The literary styles are as varied as the solutions they propose. Case studies provide guidelines for professors considering similar studies. Theoretical papers discuss positions and implications. Historical narratives describe accomplishments to date. Topics range from transportation systems to bathroom design, from kitchen gadgets to computers. The authors are extremely candid about their successes and their failures. The common thread is their belief that solutions for one user group often benefit others.
The most remarkable aspect of the Handbook is the list of references at the end of each essay. Almost none of the authors reference the same sources. This is due in part to the fact that there are practitioners in almost every country in the world; however, until the Handbook, there was no keystone, defining text. Future scholars take note!
Elaine Ostroff, editor of the Universal Design Handbook, identifies the start of the Universal Design movement as the landmark legal decision Brown vs. the Board of Education. The resolution of the issue of segregated education led to the demand for inclusion in the classroom for children with birth defects. Activist veterans in turn demanded access to the workplace for veterans maimed in combat. With the support of various Civil Rights groups and the American Association of Retired Persons, the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed a decade ago. The hammer of litigation has codified the gains made by this particular movement, resulting in widespread resentment against it. The philosophy of the movement has been undermined by compliance enforcement. Universal Design as an idea goes beyond the letter of the law to benefit the world.

DESIGN RESEARCH News review.......2002-03-11

...I received a copy of Universal
Design Handbook. On first inspection I thought it was going
to make great door stop, or hold back for the overflowing
collection papers and pamphlets accumulating on my shelves.
However after only a couple of months I already find that it
is regularly dipped into. This massive document is a
fantastic and fascinating resource for researchers who are
interested in the subject of universal and inclusive design
and something of this type has been long awaited by the
design research community. It also provides a good resource
for those who wish to bring universal design into their
design teaching, giving them sound information on which to
base any teaching programme.

This is probably the most comprehensive reference work on
universal design to date. It brings together writings from
an international panel of experts in the field, each being
thoroughly referenced and providing an excellent entry point
for further research. The book, with its 69 international
contributions, addresses a wide selection of universal
design projects that range in scale from an office work
station, to interior architecture, buildings, landscape
architecture, facilities, such as on campus; urban design,
and all the way to parks and wilderness areas. It also
includes some chapters that relate to product design such as
the one on universal design in automobile design.

The research questions, methodologies and findings presented
are focused on how universally designed products and
environments can be created to be usable by most people,
regardless of ability/disability, health, gender, ethnicity,
or cultural context.

Though the emphasis is on the application of universal
design in the built environment, there is a mass of material
that it pertinent to anyone researching or teaching
universal or inclusive design. The fact that it covers a
wide set of issues across the various design communities is
especially useful as it helps designers and researchers
place their own practice and interests in context with
approaches in other design fields.

In my role as a researcher of inclusive design I have found
each contribution to hold something of relevance, which has
added to my body of knowledge and contributed to my own
research activities. As a design teacher I have been able
to draw on the experience of others in framing my own
teaching programme, the parts 7 and 8 on education and case
studies being particularly useful. And as a practising
designer I have been very interested to compare my own
experiences with those of others as outlined in Part 6.
I am sure that in the USA the additional CDROM is also very
useful, enabling readers to access and understand the laws
that have driven some of the universal design activities to
date. Regrettably there is no equivalent disk for European,
UK, Japanese or other country's legislation.

I would not recommend the book as an introductory document
on universal design as it would overwhelm the uninitiated.
It is, however, very comprehensive and in bringing together
the work of the major researchers gives access to this
essential information to a much wider audience than that
which regularly participates in the universal design
dialogue.

Cherie Lebbon, Research Fellow, Helen Hamlyn Research
Centre, Royal College of Art, London

Universal Design Handbook.......2002-03-07

The publication of the Universal Design Handbook makes accessible the breadth of recent research on Universal Design. The editors have produced a remarkable resource, bringing together a collection of readable essays by the world's leading experts on Universal Design, "the design of environments and products that respect the diversity of human beings." (xvii)

The Universal Design Handbook is a clearly organized reference book. It begins by defining its subject, proceeds with its history and accomplishments, presents research and case studies, and concludes with a look to the future. Web accessibility and telecommunications are presented as industries positioned to integrate universal design principles in their own infancies, while the notion of "smart technologies" promises opportunities for a universally designed future.

As an architect and educator, I applaud the arrival of this valuable resource, both its practical, highly-focused research and its theoretical, broad inquiry. I appreciate the extensive case studies linking the theories and research with practice. Principles are illustrated with examples of built environments that go beyond the minimum requirements of codes, showing how accessible design can enhance a space for all users and/or presenting ways accessible features can be integrated into a pleasing spatial composition. These studies suggest the need to include questions about the ways people experience a space or object when programming a project, so that the resulting products are created to be usable by most people, regardless of ability/disability, health, gender, ethnicity, or cultural context. Examples range in scale from simple hand-held industrial pieces such as scissors to transportation systems such as buses and subways to entire landscapes and cities. This range requires the support of individual designers and clients as well as public, governmental support and corporate recognition that the goals of human-centered, universal design benefit both the citizenry and the economy. Various methods for reaching these constituencies are discussed in a number of chapters, primarily in "Part 4: Public Policies, Systems and Issues."

The handbook arrived just as I was teaching a Spring 2001 course entitled "Social Agenda in Design and Architecture." In addition to the important facts discussed in chapters such as "Principles of Universal Design," students responded to many of the case studies I presented, based on readings from the handbook. Students were reassured that social responsibility and aesthetics are not mutually exclusive, particularly when shown examples from high-design cultures such as Italy, France and Japan. One of the goals of the course was to challenge students to see social concerns as design opportunities and as a basis for contemporary theories of form-making. In addition, I was able to document the relationship of Universal Design to the other hot topic: Sustainable Design. The chapter "Sustainable Human and Social Development: An Examination of Contextual Factors" outlines how a sustainable built environment is necessary for sustaining human accessibility as well as for benefiting the natural environment. Conversely, the Universal Design movement reminds the Sustainable Design initiative that together their goals are truly human-centered.

In addition, at one faculty meeting we used the distinction between " injection and infusion" as defined in the chapter "Advances in Univeral Design Education in the United States" as a means of considering strategies for bringing Universal Design and other social issues into the curriculum. The discussion considered examples from other programs and sought ways to adapt these to fit the BAC program. As a result of the approach, our discussion was seen as part of an education-wide paradigm shift toward a user-centered design philosophy.

The Universal Design Handbook is an important, timely text that is a welcome and much needed resource for those committed to making this new century accessible to all.

Sally L. Levine, AIA

An excellent collection of works: 84 international experts........2002-02-15

The Universal Design Handbook (UDH) is an excellent collection of the works of 84 international experts. Many marketing, MIS, architecture and engineering professionals would agree that it makes sense to design products to be usable by people of all ages and abilities to the greatest extent possible.

Unfortunately many people do not know how to achieve this objective. The UDH compiles much of this information for you. The word "handbook" is misleading. You can't hold this book in your hand. It weighs six pounds and contains about 1,200 pages. The UDH organizes information into 69 chapters and ten sections. The CD, included with the book, contains technical and design data.

The first few chapters of the book provide the reader with a rich history of the birth and evolution of Universal Design (UD). The reader soon discovers the term Universal Design has different meaning, to different people, in different parts of the world. Gaining familiarity with many new dimensions of UD helped me better understand how my knowledge of accessible information technology design, fits into the "big picture."

The big picture in this case incorporates UD guidelines, public policy, accessibility standards, residential environments, UD practices, education, research, and many case studies from every corner of the world.

I found chapters 65 - 68 interesting. These chapters focus on information and telecommunications technologies including the worldwide web, film and media and even smart card technology.

The final section of the book addresses, "The Future of Universal Design." It discusses how the legacy of the twentieth century is defining the challenges and opportunities that facing all of us in the coming decades.

There is a natural attraction that causes consumers to buy one product over another... that transcends status, cost, quality and service. If manufacturers were able to identify, capture and integrate the spirit of this "attraction" into their products and services they would have a mine of gold. Understanding the essence of what UD is all about will move them one step closer to making this a reality.

Book Description

Universal Design is Selwyn Goldsmith's new authoritative design manual, the successor to his internationally acclaimed Designing for the Disabled. A clear and concise design guide for practising and student architects, it describes and illustrates the differences there are between universal design and 'for the disabled' design

Universal Design presents detailed design guidance for architects in an easily referenced form. Covering both public buildings and private housing, it includes informative anthropometric data, along with illustrative examples of the planning of circulation spaces, sanitary facilities, car parking spaces and seating spaces for wheelchair users in cinemas and theatres. It is a valuable manual in enhancing understanding of the basic principles of 'universal design'.

The aim - to encourage architects to extend the parameters of normal provision, by looking to go beyond the prescribed minimum design standards of the Part M building regulation, Access and facilities for disabled people.

*Learn about the opinions of Selwyn Goldsmith, a highly respected author in this field
* An essential reference for practising and student architects and designers, international appeal - 'Universal' relevance
* A clear and concise guide with invaluable easy-to-use diagrammatic information

Standard Handbook of Architectural Engineering, Network

Average customer rating:

Not good reference for Arch Engineering PE Exam
Standard Handbook of Architectural Engineering
Excellent resource for practicing professional engineers
Excellent resource for practicing professional engineers
i like it

Standard Handbook of Architectural Engineering, Network
Robert Brown Butler
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: CD-ROM

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Reference | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

Architectural Standards | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0071347526

Book Description

Now part of McGraw-Hill's time-saving, state-of-the-art Core Handbook CD-ROM series, this indispensable handbook enables architects, designers, builders, and engineers to design virtually any functional component for any architecture anywhere in the world. Key features:
* Contains the complete content of the Standard Handbook in a fully searchable Adobe Acrobat format
* Offers a complete collection of structural, mechanical, electrical, lighting, and acoustical data
* Includes 450 universal design scenarios, each of which describes the sizing of a different functional part of a building
* Provides more than 900 fully interactive formulas, tables, and calculations, enabling users to size each component perfectly and effortlessly
* Features extensive indexing that allows for instant access to specific data
* Both Mac- and PC-compatible

Customer Reviews:

Not good reference for Arch Engineering PE Exam.......2003-06-14

DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU ARE STUDYING FOR THE NEW ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING PE EXAM - IT IS NOT USEFUL AT ALL. I bought this book as reference to study for and take the newly established Architectural Engineering PE exam and was sorely disappointed. The author fails in his self-proclaimed attempt to distill engineering design formulations into an easy-to-read format. The equations throughout the book are simply "dumbed down" linear statements of esoteric symbols with next to no regard to engineering notation conventions. The example problems may resemble some types of common design problems, but are rarely general enough to apply to varying situations. I didn;t refer eveon one time to any equation or example problem in this book when studying for or taking the actual PE exam in April 2003.

Standard Handbook of Architectural Engineering.......2000-06-23

This book is very helpful for the architects understanding of structures with its companion CD, is a unique problem-solving tool and provides solutions to difficulties as they arise on the job.

Excellent resource for practicing professional engineers.......1999-12-22

Excellent resource for professionals who need ready access to common architectural design issues. Provides excellent emperical techniques not available in academic texts. Real time saver. One disappointment - the computer disk of calculations was for the P. C. computers and not usable by the MacIntosh community which I am a part. Even without the computing aid, the book was well worth it's price.

Excellent resource for practicing professional engineers.......1999-12-22

i like it.......1999-09-06

Me gusta mucho la manera como se expresa el autor, y las muchas posibilidades de investigacion que se pueden encontrar en ese libro

Average customer rating:

Universal Design Handbook
Wolfgang Preiser Elaine Ostroff
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OG20W6

Average customer rating:

Excellent reading.... unequalled aviation artist!

A new standard for aviation art

Excellent collection. A best buy- priced right. Entertaining

The Art of William S. Phillips: The Glory of Flight
Edwards Park , and William S. Phillips
Manufacturer: Greenwich Workshop Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
Aviation | Military | History | Subjects | Books
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Into the Sunlit Splendor: The Aviation Art of William S. Phillips

The Aviation Art of Michael Turner

Aviation Art of Frank Wootton

War in the Air: The World War Two Aviation Paintings of Mark Poslethwaite GAvA

Nicholas Trudgian: Air Combat Legends

ASIN: 0867130229

Customer Reviews:

Excellent reading.... unequalled aviation artist!.......1999-03-14

Edward Parks has done a masterful job of interpreting the art of Bill Phillips. Mr. Parks was a fighter pilot (P-39's) in New Guinea at the start of WWII and after the war became a nationally recognized writer for the National Geographic and later, for the Smithsonian Institute. His first hand knowledge of flying combined with an incredible gift for prose makes "The Glory of Flight" a perfect match between artist and writer. Bill Phillips is undoubtedly America's premier aviation artist. His ability to capture the experience of seeing the world from aloft is truly inspiring. "The Glory of Flight" is a must for any aviation enthusiast. The title says it all!

A new standard for aviation art.......1998-12-08

Bill Phillips is a superb landscape artist who captures aircraft in moments of aviation history on the richest backgrounds imaginable. I was priviledged to attend his showing of major works in the National Air & Space Museum in September, 1987; and have been an avid collector since

Excellent collection. A best buy- priced right. Entertaining.......1998-03-07

No one paints aviation sunsets like this man! Classic aircraft, biplanes, WW II fighters all the way to rocket planes. A great collection from the same artist who brought you the July '97 classic aircraft postage stamp collection. Bill Phillips' work is entertaining for the aviation enthusiast/perfectionist, as well as being satisfying fine art. Painting is his calling and he is faithful with his gift. The text stops short of explaining some of the most significant, and encouraging, aspects of Bill's biography.Closely examine his signature and you'll discover the driving force that sustains Bill and his work. This is a wonderful book that would have rated a 10 if the art was not split across the page gutters. As is the price is right, but I'd gladly have paid another $20 to have a larger book with the images on one page. It violates every user-friendly layout rule of coffee table art books- but this is NOT the fault of the artist! Don't get me wrong, I'm still happy to have this book. But it could have been even better. J. Campbell Martin

Art of William S. Phillips, the: The Glory of Flight

Average customer rating:

Art of William S. Phillips, the: The Glory of Flight
Edwards Park
Manufacturer: Greenwich Workshop Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OGSOYE

The Art of William S. Phillips: The Glory of Flight

Average customer rating:

The Art of William S. Phillips: The Glory of Flight
William S [illus.] Phillips
Manufacturer: Greenwich Workshop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J3FMLA

Book Description

Ansel Adams's magnificent photographs of the American wilderness are recognized and admired the world over. Adams is also a major cultural figure in American history, shaping many of our current views of the natural world through his compelling and accessible images. Despite his significance, little scholarly attention has been paid to Adams's contributions as an artist or his place in photographic history. This handsome book addresses this gap by taking the first look beyond the photographer's reputation as a Sierra Club environmentalist and examining in depth his life as an artist and the complexities of his creative vision. Photo historian Anne Hammond provides a nuanced discussion of the evolution of Adams's landscape art and the aesthetic significance of his work. To set his landscape photographs in historical and philosophical context, Hammond traces the development of Adams's prints in relation to his artistic consciousness. She also offers insightful background on the contributions of scientific, literary, and artistic individuals who inspired Adams's journey in the arts, including scientists and philosophers Joseph LeConte and Alfred North Whitehead, writers Edward Carpenter and Ella Young, and photographers Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Weston, and Minor White. The concluding chapter of the book provides a detailed criticism of the photographer's best work and shows the relation between these images and their maker's ethical and artistic commitments. Admirers of Adams's photography as well as enthusiasts for the history of American photography and landscape studies will find this an essential volume for their libraries.

Customer Reviews:

Ansel in a new light!.......2006-05-12

Here you will find information and insight you simply won't find in other books about Ansel. This is not a biography as such but rather a selective investigation into what made Ansel tick. Hammond has brought to bear formidable research talents and excellent writing skills to expose the inner workings, development, aesthetics and strivings of Ansel Adams in fascinating detail. Most highly recommended.

not what you think.......2005-04-26

This book is NOT a biography of Anselm Adams or a "how-to take your own Anselm Adams-like photos" DIY. It has minimal biographical information (e.g., only 2 pictures of AA, including the cover photo, no information on his marriage or children, etc.). It does have a lot on the philisophical background of AA and his friends that led them to take and value the kind of images they made and admired, and reproduces many images made by AA and friends. It's a good book for what it is, but before you buy it, make sure that this is what you want.

ansel adams as artist--at last !.......2004-04-27

To be an artist a great many thoughts have to pass through your head -in the case of photography, through the lens first into your eye. What this book shows,like no other before it on Adams, is that he was not just( ! ) a master craftsman ,but also a person with a true philosophical turn of mind, carrying him into a spiritual realm to put him on the heights with Scriabin, William James, Edward Carpenter, Alfred Stieglitz, and other leaders in the non-doctrinal world of humane and progressive traditon of turn-of-the-century theosophy. A mind-opener!

Average customer rating:

Ansel Adams : Divine Performance
Anne; Adams, Ansel Hammond
Manufacturer: Yale University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Book Description

An informative guide to knowledge-the ability to do particular things for markets and customers-plus a variety of practical advice and insights from real - life organizations to maximize knowledge potential.

Customer Reviews:

From Dumb to Smart.......2000-08-10

This book is writen from the know how of this man. This book is a starting point for any business man just starting there carrer.

Customer Reviews:

Attention all Real Estate Sales Professionals.......2002-02-04

If there is such thing as a "Bible" for real estate sales professionals, this is it. This is absolutely the best book I've ever read on the art of selling real estate. Weaver starts out with the basics, tried and true methods, that are a must for any sales professional. He takes the reader from interview to closing and everything in between. These easy to master techniques will make you money! Believe me. I've been very successful in real estate sales for over 15 years and Weaver's book is an incredible piece of work that you will be so glad you found.

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