PHASE 1: USER + MATERIALTherese Dernbrant. BAS. Spring 2010.

FIRST REFLECTIONS

Words from the first day

Body

abilitydisabilityhandicapdiversityindividualgeneralnormalidealuniversalspecificemotionalsensoryphysicalcognitiveadaptabilityequalitydignityresponsibilitytoleranceaddictionpersonalityidentityinclusionchallengedconditionfeartime/lifetime

Material

meaningsignificanceassociationmemoryunderstandingthoughtsideas

Body

opportunitycollaboratorpartnerinspirationguidementordwellerenemy friendpeerspecialistresourceemployerinformantexpert drag

Le Corbusiers Le Modulur based on the average len-ght of 175 cm, later 183 cm. If that is tthe definition of normal not many of us would be included.

Normal FearAn article from the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter, about ignorance to various types of disabilities and whether people with disabilities can or should work at the Swedish television.

Weatherconditions

Separation Edges

Obstacles

View from a wheelchair

Typical view when passing people in the street A ”curv canyon” Separation between ramp and stair

MEETING THE USER

First meetingSummary

You have to know the way around town and find spaces that are accessible and stick to them, otherwise you will get into trouble straight away and there will be a lot of detours just to get through. Spacous, flat and open is keywords for a good place if you use a wheelchair. Spaces with these qualities makes it much easier to move, which can be quite hard at times. If the weather is bad, specially in the winter your ability to get outside is equal to zero.

With my disability I have to depend on others. Living with routines makes the daily life work. But making something spontaneus is hard, you have to plan your everyday life.

The environment is not designed for everyone, you always feel that you are one of the others. And even sometimes that you are a problem that needs special solutions. Often the design separates the walking and not-walking with stairs and ramp, which just separates peoples with disabilites from others and makes you stand out from the rest.

My favourite place is near the sea, where I can hear the gulls cry, feel the sent of the salty water, this brings me back to my childhood, when I used to spend my summers close to the sea. This is my dream but hard to achieve. Denmark is one of my favourite places. It’s close to the water, it’s flat and dense, perfect conditions for good accessibility.

Favourite place in Bergen

Spinal muscular atrophyType II

Spinal muscular atrophy is characterized by equilateral muscle weakness and progressive muscle atrophy. The muscles are limp, weak and shows signs of atrophy, especially in shoulders, torso and pelvic muscles and sometimes also in the tongue. The sense of feeling is normal.

Spiis more affected than the fine motor ability. Tremors in the fingers and hands are very common. Sometimes the respiratory func-tion is reduced due to the disease. Other common complications of SMA II is for example scoliosis.

There is no cure for the disease, treatment instead focuses on alleviating symptoms and compensate for impairments. SMA II deve-lops gradually. Physiotherapy is used as a preventive measure.

Bedroom

Bathroom

Entrance

Kitchen

Guest room

Living roomTerrace

Garage

Dream houseOld house in Haugesund

The ultimate dream

STRUCTURE INFORMATION AND IDEAS

Conditions

Flexible.Formable.Soft.

Open.Transparent. Light.

MATERIAL

MaterialSheets

As a wheelchair user you sometimes can feel trapped behind four solid walls. A material that is flexible, formable and light. A material that is shielded but without shutting the environment out and without totally closing the space.

The user can feel that she has the power over the material, that it is flexible and can adapt to her needs.

Sheets as an object gives the sense of safety, associated with the feeling when you cuddle up in you bed at night. An intimate material, soft and protective.

The material also evoke memories from a hot summer day with the sheets hanging from a clothes line floa-ting in the wind. Almost like a sailcloth far out in the sea. A sense of freedom.

Shape and spaceSheets

A test seeing what you can do by using the sheets in itself as the construction only supported by hooks in the edges. By tie the sheets together with one knot the shape is more stretched and stronger in its construction. By tie the sheets with one large knot in the middle and then tie them together in the previous way the shape becomes more loose and more round in it’s shape.