MAKE SAFE CHOICES

Shiny + Beautiful + Dangerous
Many clients want to create the most high end "look" they can afford. Every room needs a stand-out aesthetic touch. But polished stone or glazed tile flooring is never a good choice if there is any chance of the surface getting wet or forming condensation. Larger size tiles only make the floor area more slippery.


A polished marble floor is spectacular, but dangerous for young and old alike. Instead use large unglazed or rough textured flooring such as a porcelain slate or inset textured flooring with glazed flooring to minimize the ice rink danger. There is no such thing as "non-slip" flooring. Each product has a different coefficient of slip resistance. If you are looking to make safe choices, make sure you compare the coefficient ratings.

Human Centered Design

I recently spent several hours doing research at the Institute for Human Centered Design in Boston. I had heard about IHCD at a Build Boston seminar that presented the blending of the building life cycle with the human life cycle. The library (a branch of the Boston public library system) at the institute is open to anyone along with a retail shop selling items of unique design answering the call of function for all.

The institute promotes the idea of design in all things to be responsive to human diversity. The medium can be architecture, interior design, industrial design, landscape architecture, and information design. They are involved in collaborative relationships around the world.

More information is available at: www.humancentereddesign.org

MIT AgeLab

Photo / Katie Godfrey/MIT AgeLab

In the AGNES suit, engineering student Nathaniel Salazar reaches for a product on the top of a grocery shelf in the AgeLab.

MIT AgeLab has designed AGNES: Age Gain Now Empathy System. AGNES is a bodysuit that gives the wearer first hand knowledge of the ability limitations of aging. The suit simulates aging characteristics of hearing, tactile sensations, motion limitations, and other ways our abilities are affected by the aging process.

Go to MIT AgeLab web site to read about other lab projects.
http://web.mit.edu/agelab/index.shtml