| Description: | The Wounded Warrior Home Project at Fort Belvoir is the result of efforts by the U.S. Army and Clark Realty Capital to drastically improve the quality of life for wounded warriors returning to active duty. A diverse team of stakeholders, including the IDeA Center, was assembled and collaborated on two new single-family homes at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. The project sought to move beyond accessible design and incorporate universal design features in order to provide enhanced usability for everyone. The design team built two demonstration houses (Patriot House and Freedom House) at Fort Belvoir that implemented numerous universal design features such as stepless entrances, open floor plans, home automation, adjustable sinks and cabinets, low windows, and roll-in showers. IDeA Center researchers then evaluated the Patriot House using guided tours and structured interviews with four wounded, active-duty soldiers, as well as members of the design team. Post-occupancy data on the Freedom Home was gathered using a detailed walkthrough and semi-structured interviews with an active-duty soldier and his family living in the home at the time. The research indicated that the design team successfully reinvented accessible housing for wounded warriors and their families. The evaluations confirmed that the soldiers generally think very favorably of the aesthetics and universal design features in the two demonstration homes, but they also highlighted some opportunities for improvement. For example, due to a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries among returning soldiers, many soldiers recommended including additional features to enhance perceptions of safety and privacy. A detailed report of the findings, including an extensive review of the value engineering, will be used by members of the design team and the U.S. Army to help refine the prototype homes for future phases of construction, which will include an additional 19 homes at Fort Belvoir. |
| Project/Activity Leader(s): | Danise Levine, Senior Research Support Specialist and Assistant Director, Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA) |
| Unit: | School of Architecture and Planning |
| Department: | Architecture |
| City: | Buffalo |
| State: | NY |
| Country: | United States |
| External Funding: | Yes |
| Funding Source: | National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services |
| Start Date: | 2010-10 |
| End Date: | 2015-09-30 |
| External Partners: | Clark Realty Capital; Fort Belvoir; Michael Graves Architecture & Design |
| Are UB students involved? | No |
