Just outside of Sonoma town center, a new development has opened. It's not for the vineyard tourists; Sweetwater Spectrum is a community for adults with autism, built with careful attention to minimizing unnecessary stimuli. The three-acre site will house 16 residents total. With high demand, the organization is looking for the best way to replicate Sweetwater.
In other news, fund a sleek dock for your Macbook, and would you move a Frank Lloyd Wright house to Italy to save it? See the headlines after the jump.
• The First Housing Community For Autistic Adults Has An Organic Garden, A Greenhouse, And Hot Tubs | Co.Exist
• Kickstarting: A Super-Simple MacBook Dock, From Richard Sapper’s Sons | Co.Design
• Die-Hard Fan Wants To Save Frank Lloyd Wright House By Moving It To Italy | Architizer
(Image: via Co.Exist)
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I have always said that if I win the lottery I will set up condo complexes for disabled adults who need assistance to live independently. My brother has disabilities but is extremely social and would love to be in a community where someone would organize simple social events, like game nights. It is really hard for him to make friends with non disabled people and he has to keep in touch by phone with his friends because they can rarely get a ride and organize a get together. These kinds of organized, supportive group living situations would really help a lot of disabled adults lead high quality independent lives and ease the burden on their families a little. With the high rate of autism and other disabilities, we aren't thinking enough about what will happen to these people in adulthood when their parents are too elderly or die. The lucky ones have caring siblings but not all do. And not every sibling can afford to be a full time care giver and resource manager for an adult brother or sister.
What a great idea!
Gorgeous - but with only 16 residents, many many more of these will be needed.
Expensive, segregated housing is not revolutionary at all.
I think it's awesome that architects are looking at ways that design can help people with autism live independently, but I think our communities would be better served if those techniques/principles were applied to ALL housing, so that any person (with or without) a disability can live comfortably in any home. Universal design principles (see, e.g., http://www.nahb.org/generic.aspx?genericContentID=89934) allow communities to be integrated-- people with and without disabilities can be neighbors. That is revolutionary.
For an example of a really neat project that used universal design to create an integrated community, check out the ElvenSted apartments in Stoughton, Wisconsin. The buildings are beautiful, green, and accessible to everyone. The units are marketed as 1) market rate, 2) workforce housing and 3) to people with disabilities. There's even a wheelchair-accessible raised-bed community garden! http://host.madison.com/news/local/grassroots/grass-roots-elven-sted-lays-out-welcome-mat-in-stoughton/article_4018d4ce-0cba-11e1-8b0f-001cc4c03286.html