Funding: Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) - 2016 Special Projects Award Grant, $3,000 & Neighborhood Centers Inc.

Project: In a world defined by technological proficiency, technology-oriented spaces to the community is a social/public priority. With advancements in technologies, challenges arise to those who are unaccustomed and economically disadvantaged. Social isolation among the elderly is estimated to be as high as 43%, with 1 in 4 older adults in Harris County TX living alone.

This workshop initiative intends to increase the connectivity of seniors to technology via Interior Design and seeks to develop innovative design solutions for a human-scale mobile furniture installation to facilitate access to technologies for seniors. These “technological infrastructures” are intended to emphasize spatial mobility, ergonomics, and independence at the interior scale with specificity for human needs of their Senior users. This workshop Brings together diverse constituencies and advances the successful collaboration between the students of the Interior Architecture program at the University of Houston, Neighborhood Centers Inc., and the John W. Peavy Senior Center in Houston’s Fifth Ward.

Community Partners: Neighborhood Centers Incorporated brings resources, education and connection to more than 575,000 people at over 70 sites in Houston area. The fourth division of NCI, Sheltering Arms Senior Services, provides seniors with resources to stay engaged in meaningful relationships that give a sense of purpose. The J.W. Peavy Center is one of SASS Centers.