St. Louis University to Host Universal Design Summit4

Chapel Hill, NC, July 29, 2010 --(PR.com)-- The R.L. Mace Universal Design Institute, Chapel Hill, NC, in collaboration with The Starkloff Disability Institute, St Louis, MO, announces its fourth Universal Design conference will be held in St. Louis, MO, October 10-12, 2010. The summit, “Creating Universal Homes and Communities” is the only conference in North America that is exclusively dedicated to universal housing and neighborhoods.

“UDS4 responds to the growing need to accommodate our changing demographic,” says Richard Duncan of RL Mace Universal Design Institute. “The need is great and growing but Universal Design is a superior approach to usability for everyone. And, this summit integrates all aspects of this design approach.”

The conference attracts national leaders in the field: architects, landscape architects, designers, planners, developers, builders, contractors, nonprofit housing organizations, students and faculty in architecture and design, code officials, public health professionals and other related disciplines. UDS4 continues the tradition of providing exceptional educational content, showcasing universal design features in housing, sustainability, community and green design and affordability for lifespan utility.

“As an architect and planner who have worked with architectural and engineering firms for almost forty years, I have attended many conferences. The 2008 Universal Design Summit was an unique event that far exceeded my expectations-better than many others I have attended over those years. The take-away value of this conference included both its important message and the useful handouts. A highlight of this event was the charrette.” - Peter H. Green, AIA, AICP, Manager, Greenskills Associates, LLC, St. Louis, MO.

This year’s conference will provide unique learning opportunities through seminars, informal discussion, breakout and plenary sessions, design charettes, exhibits, as well as tours of universally designed neighborhoods and housing. Experts will discuss critical issues in universal housing in both informal discussions and planned workshops. Featured topics include single- and multi-family housing; community planning and design; design for aging, green/universal design overlap, Global Universal Design Council (GUDC) New Design Standards, and case studies among other invaluable events. Keynote speaker, Elinor Ginzler, Sr. Vice President, Livable Communities Office of Social Impact, AARP, Washington, DC will present the vision and state of the Universal Design Movement.

Sponsors and contributors include Washington University, AARP, AIA St. Louis, Maryville University, Missouri Commission on Human Rights, Partners for Livable Communities, Trivers Associates, Burton Blatt Institute, Syracuse University, University of Arkansas and many others.

Full Conference Registration is $225 (early bird $175). Continuing Education Units are available for architects, occupational therapists, interior designers, landscape architects and planners. Conference information and materials may be found at http://uds4.org.

For Further Contact:

Richard Duncan
RL Mace Universal Design Institute
919-960-6734
rduncan@udinstitute.org

Colleen Starkloff
Starkloff Disability Institute
314-588-7090
cstarkloff@starkloff.org

Related Links:

http://uds4.org
www.udinstitute.org
www.starkloff.org

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