In striving to make the Athene North Shore Recreation Area the most accessible park in the country, designers set in motion another, equally important project.

When design of Athene North Shore began, a universal design team was formed to guide architects and project leads toward their audacious goal. This interdisciplinary team led by Shive-Hattery realized early on that the existing resources for universal design were not practical for real-world, professional applications. So they decided to change that. Through the Athene North Shore project the universal design team developed a process-driven checklist that functions as a guidepost for architects and designers.

“This project has evolved and grown in ways that we never expected. That’s been very rewarding actually. This work will make a real difference in people’s lives,” said Courtney Brown, interior designer from Shive-Hattery.

The newly created universal design check lists focus professionals’ efforts on accessibility before a single measurement is taken or concept is illustrated. It takes the designer through every phase of pre construction, design, development and construction. Ultimately the framework forces the designers to ask themselves specific questions and adjust their approach or solutions so the final outcome is a park or facility that goes beyond ADA compliance to achieve universal access and experience for all.

“We intend on using this in all of our park design and planning efforts moving forward,” said Conservation’s Deputy Director Kami Rankin, who has lead the design team and assisted fundraising on behalf of the citizens of Polk County. “It’s really an incredible tool for Conservation to use and make sure everyone can be immersed in the outdoors on their own terms.”

In fact, Polk County Conservation is doing even more than embracing the checklists internally. The organization is sharing these tools with colleagues in parks and recreation across the country and world, in hopes that recreation spaces everywhere can begin to embrace universal access.