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Collection by Andrea Smith

Universal Design: How Accessible Homes Incorporate Ramps

These modern homes were designed with easy access in mind.

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Boxy white volumes with plenty of glass are the order of the day, with a winding courtyard and a ramp down to the ground. Photo courtesy of Thom Abel.
Boxy white volumes with plenty of glass are the order of the day, with a winding courtyard and a ramp down to the ground. Photo courtesy of Thom Abel.
The front facade, covered in Minerit HD fiber cement panels, is muted save for a bright-green entrance ramp and red door. The entire project came in at about $225 per square foot.
The front facade, covered in Minerit HD fiber cement panels, is muted save for a bright-green entrance ramp and red door. The entire project came in at about $225 per square foot.
Another great move, and one that felt very Barragan, is this ramp that leads out of the entryway upstairs. The textured concrete has a real gravity, and like Barragan, Muniain deftly uses skylights to offer all kinds of indirect light that only enhances the surface of the soaring concrete wall.
Another great move, and one that felt very Barragan, is this ramp that leads out of the entryway upstairs. The textured concrete has a real gravity, and like Barragan, Muniain deftly uses skylights to offer all kinds of indirect light that only enhances the surface of the soaring concrete wall.
A maple tree grows through an ipe deck in this garden that Mary Barensfeld designed for a family in Berkeley, California. A reflecting pool separates it from a granite patio, which is furnished with a Petal dining table by Richard Schultz and chairs by Mario Bellini. The 1,150-square-foot garden serves as an elegant transition from the couple’s 1964 Japanese-style town house to a small, elevated terrace with views of San Francisco Bay. Filigreed Cor-Ten steel fence screens—perforated with a water-jet cutter to cast dappled shadows on a bench and the ground below—and zigzagging board-formed concrete retaining walls are examples.
A maple tree grows through an ipe deck in this garden that Mary Barensfeld designed for a family in Berkeley, California. A reflecting pool separates it from a granite patio, which is furnished with a Petal dining table by Richard Schultz and chairs by Mario Bellini. The 1,150-square-foot garden serves as an elegant transition from the couple’s 1964 Japanese-style town house to a small, elevated terrace with views of San Francisco Bay. Filigreed Cor-Ten steel fence screens—perforated with a water-jet cutter to cast dappled shadows on a bench and the ground below—and zigzagging board-formed concrete retaining walls are examples.
The gradually inclined entrance ramp and open plan help make the house accessible to a range of users.
The gradually inclined entrance ramp and open plan help make the house accessible to a range of users.
Farther down on the site is a dock whose ramp is lowered by hand via weight-laden pulleys. The residence is accessible by private boat or water taxi only.
Farther down on the site is a dock whose ramp is lowered by hand via weight-laden pulleys. The residence is accessible by private boat or water taxi only.
Outdoor meals are a frequent occurrence in good weather.
Outdoor meals are a frequent occurrence in good weather.
The entrance is reached via a long ramp perforated by uplights.
The entrance is reached via a long ramp perforated by uplights.
A footbridge connects the Floating House to the island.
A footbridge connects the Floating House to the island.
In a similar scenario, architect Eric Höweler and Meejin Yoon devised a layout for Yoon’s parents, Hannah and Jason, in Arlington, Virginia. The pair incorporated a gently sloping ramp and an open kitchen for the single-level house.
In a similar scenario, architect Eric Höweler and Meejin Yoon devised a layout for Yoon’s parents, Hannah and Jason, in Arlington, Virginia. The pair incorporated a gently sloping ramp and an open kitchen for the single-level house.