Author: Emily Steel

Sustainable Apartments – Nightingale Housing

An artist's impression of the Nightingale housing development for sustainable apartments.The Nightingale Housing project in Melbourne has captured the imagination since its inception in 2014. Founder, Jeremy Mcleoad, suggests an architecture of reduction, which provides moderation of these housing models. Using architecture as a catalyst to engage and generate interaction, Nightingale housing supports communication and community with sustainable apartments.

Jeremy also explains how they side-stepped the property developer control of design and put it back in the hands of architects. Through a triple bottom line approach – financial return, sustainable and liveable, Jeremy’s vision provides a universal design approach to the housing product.

Watch Jeremy’s TEDxStKilda talk below:

“As a not-for-profit, we build apartments ‘at cost’, without adding meaty profit margins. Reducing the long-term cost of ownership is also a key consideration in every Nightingale building. Rooftop solar, an embedded GreenPower network, no gas connection, and a shared, super-fast commercial internet connection mean lower ongoing costs.”

Universal design for apparel products

Picture of a rack of dresses in all kinds of fabric designs. Universal design for apparel products.How can clothing design be inclusive and allow individual expression at the same time? Design for many, design for me: Universal design for apparel products reports on a study examining just that question.

The article begins with an explanation and application of universal design principles followed by two case studies. Slow Design and Thoughtful Consumption enter the discussion as well as the concept of co-design. It is good to see clothing design joining the universal design movement.

From the abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore the use of universal design principles as guidance for developing innovative design solutions that accommodate ‘inclusivity’ while maintaining ‘individuality’ regarding the wearer’s aesthetic tastes and functional needs.

Two case studies of design practice were conducted, and the principles of universal design were evaluated through practical applications. This study suggests that universal design provides an effective framework for the apparel design process to achieve flexible and versatile outcomes. However, due to product proximity to the wearer, modification of the original definition and principles of universal design must be considered in applications for apparel design.