RESEARCH BASED DESIGN

GLOBAL AWARENESS

THE INVASION OF UKRAINE BY RUSSIA LED TO ALMOST 8 MILLION PEOPLE FLEEING THEIR HOMES TO OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, ACCORDING TO THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES. AMONG THEM WERE ABOUT 5,000 HEARING-IMPAIRED UKRAINIANS, PER WORLD FEDERATION OF THE DEAF.

HEARING IMPAIRMENT IS NOT VIEWED AS A DISABILITY BUT AS A DIFFERENCE AND AS A CULTURE WITH LANGUAGE, VALUES, TRADITIONS AND BEHAVIORS OF ITS OWN

• THOSE THAT ARE DEAF “INHABIT A RICH SENSORY WORLD WHERE VISION AND TOUCH ARE A PRIMARY MEANS OF SPATIAL AWARENESS AND ORIENTATION”

• SPACE AND PROXIMITY, MOBILITY, SENSORY REACH, LIGHT AND COLOR AND ACOUSTICS

• THREE FACTORS: RELATIONSHIP NETWORKS, WHICH IS THE INVOLVEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS IN SOCIAL CIRCLES, THE TRUST BUILT OUT OF THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE BENEFITS THAT STEM AS A RESULT

INTERIOR LAYOUT, PROXIMITY AND VISIBILITY

THIS POPULATION EMPLOYS SEVERAL WAYS TO COMMUNICATE, INCLUDING SIGN LANGUAGE, WRITTEN LANGUAGE AND ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY. BUT ACCORDING TO THE AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, LIP READING HAS A LOW UNDERSTANDING RATE, WITH ONLY ABOUT A THIRD OF THE SPOKEN WORDS BEING RECOGNIZED

PEOPLE THAT USE SIGN LANGUAGE NEED MORE SPACE THAN PEOPLE THAT CAN HEAR: NEED TO HAVE ENOUGH SPACE TO BE ABLE TO FACE EACH OTHER WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, HANDS NEED TO BE FREE TO COMMUNICATE INCLUDING WHILE STANDING AND WHILE WALKING (AUTOMATIC DOORS AND WIDE RAMPS AND HALLWAYS)

TO INCREASE VISIBILITY:

• ROOMS TO BE PLACED ON THE PERIMETER OF LARGE OPEN AREAS

• LAYOUT THAT IS SIMPLE TO NAVIGATE

• PROJECTING CORNERS TO BE CURVED INSTEAD

• WALLS THAT ARE GLAZED INSTEAD OF SOLID

• ROUND FURNITURE AS OPPOSED TO LONG RECTANGULAR PIECES

• FLEXIBLE, MOVABLE FURNITURE PIECES: MOVABLE ARMREST

• HAVING CLEAR LINES OF SIGHT WITHOUT SIGHT BARRIERS

• USE OF SYMMETRY, BALANCE AND ORDER

COLOR

• USING CONTRASTING COLORS TO DEFINE SPACES, FOR CHAIR RAILS, HALLWAYS, STAIRS, RAMPS AND DOORWAYS

• FLAT FINISHES ARE MUCH BETTER AT ABSORBING REFLECTIONS THAN GLOSSY ONES

• BOLD PATTERNS AND CONTRADICTORY COLORS CAN BE DISTRACTING

• USE COLORS THAT ARE IN CONTRAST WITH SKIN TONES; COOL PALETTE OF GREEN, BLUE AND GRAY IS BEST TO CREATE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE BACKGROUND AND THE PEOPLE SIGNING

SOUND AND ACOUSTIC OPTIMIZATION

NOISE NOT ONLY CAN CAUSE LOSS OF HEARING BUT CAN BE DISTRACTING OR PAINFUL TO THOSE THAT USE ASSISTIVE DEVICES. NOISE CAN BE DISTRACTING TO THOSE THAT USE ASSISTIVE DEVICES OR BE PAINFUL DUE TO SOUND WAVES THAT HAVE HIGH REVERBERATION AND ARE REFLECTED BY HARD SURFACES.

• HIGHLY ABSORPTIVE MATERIALS: SOFT FLOOR COVERING, ACOUSTIC CEILING TILES, WALL BOARDS THAT ARE COVERED IN FABRIC AND ACOUSTIC ABSORBENT PANELS

• AVOID MATERIALS THAT UPON CONTACT WILL CAUSE NOISE OR TRANSMIT VIBRATIONS

• HIGH CEILINGS CAUSE ECHOES

• ADDING RUBBER ENDS TO THE LEGS OF TABLES AND CHAIRS

• TABLECLOTHS AND FABRIC CURTAINS

LIGHT

INADEQUATE LIGHTING CONDITIONS (SHADOWS, DARK AREAS, GLARE, BACKLIGHTING) LEAD TO EYE EXHAUSTION

• AVOID SUDDEN CHANGES AND OVERLY BRIGHT SURFACES

• INSTALLATION OF OVERHANGS AT ENTRANCES TO PERMIT THE EYES TO ADJUST QUICKER

• BLINDS AND TRANSLUCENT FILM ON WINDOWS TO REDUCE GLARE

TECHNOLOGY

• DIGITAL ALERTS, BOARDS, LIGHTED SIGNS

• TECHNOLOGIES THAT PICK-UP SOUNDS AND TRANSLATE THEM INTO IMAGES, COLORS OR VIBRATIONS

• SMART BOARDS – TRANSLATION OF SIGN LANGUAGE

• FIRE ALERT BEACONS UTILIZING DIFFERENT COLORS FOR VARYING SITUATIONS

• KEYBOARD SMART BOARD SYSTEM WITH LARGE TEXT AND CLOSED CAPTIONING

REFUGEES LOSE THEIR SOCIAL CAPITAL, WHICH IS COMPRISED OF THREE FACTORS: RELATIONSHIP NETWORKS, THE TRUST BUILT OUT OF THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND THE BENEFITS THAT STEM AS A RESULT

• PHYSICAL NEEDS: SHELTER, FOOD, HEALTH, SAFETY

• PSYCHOLOGICAL NEEDS: SECURITY, IDENTITY, DIGNITY, SENSE OF BELONGING

• SOCIAL NEEDS: INTERACTION AND SOCIAL TIES

• SENSORY NEEDS: EXPOSURE TO HEALING ENVIRONMENTS

ALSO, INVOLUNTARY MIGRATION LEADS TO SUFFERING. FOR THOSE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA, IMPLEMENTATION OF TRAUMA INFORMED DESIGN IS NEEDED; THE INTENTIONAL CREATION OF HEALING SPACES, WHICH WOULD FOSTER FEELINGS OF TRANQUILITY AND SAFETY. TRAUMA INFORMED DESIGN PROMOTES EMPOWERMENT THROUGH STRENGTHENING IDENTITY, MULTI-SENSORY SPACES AND FOCUSING ON COMFORT

INTERIOR LAYOUT, PROXIMITY AND VISIBILITY

• HAVING LITTLE TO NO BARRIERS AND A CLEAR LINE OF SIGHT

• A CLEAR SPATIAL LAYOUT PROMOTES FEELINGS OF SAFETY, CALM AND QUIET.

• USE OF SYMMETRY, BALANCE AND ORDER TO SUPPORT A STRESS-FREE ENVIRONMENT

LIGHT

• ADEQUATE NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

• DAYLIGHT ENLARGES SPACES, WHICH LOWERS THE DISCOMFORT OF CROWDED ROOMS

COLOR

• COOL PALETTE OF GREENS AND BLUES

• COOL COLORS CREATE A SENSE OF CALM, WHILE WARM COLORS MIGHT PROVOKE FEELINGS OF UNREST SOUND AND ACOUSTIC OPTIMIZATION NOISE CAN BE HARMFUL TO THOSE WHO EXPERIENCED TRAUMA. NOISE POLLUTION IMPACTS HUMAN HEALTH; CAN CAUSE ANNOYANCE, SLEEP DISTURBANCE, NEGATIVE EFFECTS ON THE CARDIOVASCULAR AND METABOLIC SYSTEM, AND COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT IN CHILDREN

• HIGHLY ABSORPTIVE MATERIALS: SOFT FLOOR COVERING, ACOUSTIC CEILING TILES, WALL BOARDS THAT ARE COVERED IN FABRIC AND ACOUSTIC ABSORBENT PANELS

• AVOID MATERIALS THAT UPON CONTACT WILL CAUSE NOISE OR TRANSMIT VIBRATIONS

• HIGH CEILINGS CAUSE ECHOES

• ADDING RUBBER ENDS TO THE LEGS OF TABLES AND CHAIRS

• TABLECLOTHS AND FABRIC CURTAINS

LEVEL 6 ROOF TOP TERRACE

LEVEL

LEVEL 3 LIVING UNITS

LEVEL 2 COMMON KITCHEN AND DINING AREAS