Universal Design Living Laboratory
When a three-and-a-half ton tree came crashing down on Rosemarie Rossetti on June 13, 1998, her world seemed to crumble all around her as well.
Rossetti and her husband Mark Leder, long time web designer for the Central Ohio IFMA Chapter, had been out biking that day to celebrate their wedding anniversary. But in an instant, her life was changed. The weight of the fallen tree had left her paralyzed from the waist down with a spinal cord injury, altering her life – and outlook -- forever.
After six weeks of inpatient treatment, Rossetti returned to her home to learn to cope with all the things most people take for granted – washing the dishes, doing laundry, cooking, even showering.
“It was all she could do just to get into the master bedroom even though that was on the first floor,” Leder explained to a group of Central Ohio IFMA Chapter members during a recent tour of their new Universal Design home near Gahanna. “And there was no privacy in any of the rooms.
“The house was not very functional in terms of an accessibility standpoint. Suffice to say,” Leder concluded, “our house was pretty unworkable for us.”
As the two struggled to adjust to their new life, they decided to build another home that would be more accessible to both of them. It struck both Rossetti and Leder that Universal Design was the way to go. But very little existed in the way of actual product. The idea of Universal Design -- a framework for the design of living and working spaces and products, benefiting the widest possible range of people in the widest range of situations without special or separate design – had not really hit the housing market yet. And it’s time is still coming, said Leder.
“It’s a glaring problem that’s just going to get bigger as the population in the United States ages, and as you see a shift from more nursing-based care to home-health care because of cost issues.”
So, in 2004, Rossetti and Leder began a new journey – looking to modify an existing design with an existing builder in the Columbus area. They explored numerous options, but that road just was never meant to be. After many turns and stumbles – often the result of an unstable housing market at the time – their journey ended with the piece of property they now own on Clark State Road, and their personally constructed Universal Design Living Laboratory, completed in May 2012.
“And I’ve been doing punch-out ever since,” joked Leder.
But even as the couple shapes and molds their home, with the support of over 200 corporations, into the Universal Design example they’ve grown to envision, they never lose sight of their ultimate goal – education.
“As part of this game plan, it’s always been in the back of our minds – a function of education,” Leder told his fellow Central Ohio IFMA Chapter members, some of whom have known him since his journey began. “It’s great that Rosemarie and I have a house, but a lot of people need to be doing this – maybe not on this scale, but they need to be thinking about this either for their parents, for themselves, or maybe for a son or daughter whose had some kind of injury or been disabled since birth.
“This is all about learning and facilitating some kind of change.”
Hundreds of visitors have toured their home, said Leder. But the foot traffic is about to get much heavier as the couple, along with a number of corporate contributors, launches a self-guided audio tour this summer which will benefit the Rosemarie Rossetti Spinal Cord Research Fund. Rossetti launched the fund in 2001 in order to raise funds to advance the cure for spinal cord injuries.
The tour involves much more than just a look at the art and wallpaper. It took Central Ohio IFMA Chapter members some two hours to navigate the home, both inside and out, while soaking up the magnitude of its design and functionality.
The home has received numerous accolades including platinum certification by both Livable Design (a first in North America) and Life-Flex Home, along with gold certification from Zero Step. Leder also expects to achieve at least silver-level certification through the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED certification process, and a potential gold certification through the National Association of Home Builder’s ICC 700 National Green Building Standard.
A 3,500 square-foot ranch-style home, the Universal Design Living Laboratory was designed by Patrick Manley of Manley Architecture Group. The kitchen and bath were designed by Mary Jo Peterson of Mary Jo Peterson, Inc.
The home incorporates an unobtrusive universal design, resource and energy efficient “green building” methods, advanced automation technology, a healthy home construction approach, and the design principles of feng shui. The prairie-style home includes a step-free entrance (a gradual/ level grade with no conspicuous ramps); wider doors and hallways; lever handles on doors and faucet; multiple kitchen counter heights; full extension drawers and shelves in kitchen base cabinets; open knee space around cooktops and countertops; an elevator to the basement, lower rocker style light switches and higher electrical outlets; large bathroom with decorative grab bars; wood/non-slip tile; large bathtubs with plenty of grab bars; 17-19 inch high toilet seats; adjustable hanging closet rods and shelves; a front loading washer and dryer; and open knee space under all sinks – just to name a few.
Outside, an accessible eating area and sloping waterfall make time spent outdoors more enjoyable.
“You don’t want to go where I did, but you can learn from it,” Leder told the group. “And just maybe, you can take away a few good ideas too.”
For more information about the Universal Design Living Laboratory and its sponsors, visit www.UDLL.com.
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