The Green Lakes Residence features accessible features on all levels.

When Seattle-based ZAI Inc. began designing the 3,300-square-foot Green Lake Residence, the architectural firm set out to create a home for all ages and abilities and livable for an entirelifespan. 

It also wanted to design a home that easily demonstrated that universal design can be beautiful and marketable to a broad cross section of the population — and that the home could be functional on more than a single level.

A multi-story structure on an urban lot in Seattle’s Green Lake neighborhood north of downtown, the Green Lake Residence met all of its targeted goals and then some — by unambiguously confirming that universal design homes need not be single-level ramblers in the suburbs.

The dining and living room areas.

The Green Lake Residence is one of four winners of the NAHB and AARP 2009 Livable Communities Awards recognizing the development, construction and marketing of livable homes and communities that improve daily comfort, ease of use and safety for residents. The home won the award in the architect category.

The home sits atop gently sloping, accessible paths that connect its main floor to a front sidewalk and its basement to a rear alley. The residence's 3-foot-wide doorways provide enhanced ingress, egress and maneuverability and well as well as level thresholds at all exterior doors and lever handles.

Inside the home, three stacking closets are framed, sized and wired for a future elevator so that the house can accommodate any of the residents’ changing needs and abilities. Stairs also wrap around three sides of the future elevator shaft and are divided into short runs of five or six steps each.

In the foyer, visitors are greeted by closets that can accommodate the needs of different generations.

In addition, tread lights illuminate each section of stairs, giving enough ambient lighting to enable the home owner or guest to safely navigate the stairs at night, even if they cannot find the light switch. Both of these features reduce the risk of falling.

All the bathrooms feature curbless showers as well as base cabinets on lockable casters that roll away to allow greater accessibility. The shower controls are also offset so that a caregiver can easily operate them without getting wet.

The wall oven in the kitchen is mounted at an accessible height.

Universal design elements in the kitchen include a wall oven mounted at an accessible height — with the controls at a maximum 48 inches above the floor.

Other kitchen features include open counter space adjacent to the oven to more easily transfer food trays. A wide clearance between the island and counter increases maneuverability and a sink with a pull-out spray is near the stove for filling pots. A smooth glass energy-efficient induction cook-top was also installed to allow pots and pans to be transferred easily.

Efficient radiant heating under the floor was added to create comfortable, even temperatures and eliminates the need for ducts and vents — and also making it easier to arrange furniture.

An ultra- efficient boiler heats the water for both the floor heat and the domestic hot water. All thermostats and other controls are between 48 inches and 54 inches above the floor. In addition, they also boast large numbers and lettering in order to make them easier to read.

For more information, e-mail Blake Smith at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8583.

A gently sloping paths leads from the nearby sidewalk to the front of the house.