When designing private residences for Baby Boomers, “It’s the equity-of-use principle. What works well for a 4-year old works well for a 90-year old,” says architect Rick Jolson, director of architecture and design for Barrington Venture, owner of The Garlands of Barrington, which won a 2004 American Institute of Architects design award.
Sharon Stangenes, a writer with the Chicago Tribune, reports in "Young, Old Benefit from Home Features Aimed at Baby Boomers":
design elements such as the wider doorways and no-step entry have long been promoted by architects and advocates of the elderly and those with physical handicaps.Posted by rollingrains at November 3, 2004 06:30 PM | TrackBackSuch home features are part of the concept of “universal design,” constructing spaces so they are comfortable and accessible to all ages, the temporarily or permanently physically impaired as well as the healthy. The idea is that residential spaces should work for people not only when they are young and healthy, but as they age and circumstances change as with pregnancy or a broken leg....
Until now, the response by most builders has been sporadic and changes have come mostly in response to government regulation. But with a huge and aging Baby Boomer generation moving toward retirement, builders, big and small, are beginning to incorporate more universal design features into more new homes, especially in housing aimed at buyers 55 and older.