8 Smart Universal Design Features For Small Spaces

In these award-winning Canadian designs, multipurpose elements and ergonomic storage bring UD to small areas.

1 MIN READ

This article originally appeared on BUILDER’s sister site, Remodeling.

Three Canadian designers won awards recently showing you can fit a lot of Universal Design features into a small amount of space. Quebec graduate student André Jacques and Charles Laurence Poulx and Gil Hadry-Groleau of Montreal-based NÓS Architectes were announced as the winners of the Richelieu Awards for Young Designers. The contest challenged designers to create a Universal Design layout for a 450-square-foot condo.

Here are some Universal Design features included in the winning designs:

  • A kitchen table on wheels allows the unit to serve multiple purposes beyond dining.
  • A Murphy bed, when closed, converts to an office space.
  • The bathroom’s vanity sink has an easy-grip faucet handle, an adapted, walk-in glass shower and a 17-inch-high toilet.
  • Storage units feature tip-on openings and Blumotion-sliding drawers rather than doors to allow access for people with reduced mobility.
  • The second winning design’s open layout keeps wheelchair users in mind. Note the all-wood cabinetry and partitions throughout the condo.
  • A flexible bathroom partition rather than a door separates the adapted bathroom from the rest of the condo.
  • The proposed design has a foldaway bed to provide more open space in the multipurpose kitchen/office/bedroom area of the condo.
  • The second winning design also utilized a simple hanging system for storage and work spaces, enabling the adjustment of surface heights as needed by potential residents.

About the Author

Vincent Salandro

Vincent Salandro is an editor for Builder. He earned a B.A. in journalism and a B.S. in economics from American University.

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