SWA’s Victoria Lanteigne Co-leads Effort to Relaunch the Center for Universal Design

February 8, 2024 | Raleigh, NC – Steven Winter Associates, Inc. (SWA) is excited to announce that Dr. Victoria Lanteigne, Principal of Research, is leading an effort with Dr. Traci Rose Rider, assistant professor of architecture in the College of Design at North Carolina State University, to re-envision the Center for Universal Design.

The Center for Universal Design (CUD) at North Carolina State University was established in 1989 to build upon the understanding of accessible design for people with disabilities. One of the most prolific deliverables from the CUD was the Seven Principles of Universal Design, a guiding framework for designing accessible, usable, and inclusive environments for all people regardless of ability, age, or status in life. Despite its lasting impact, the CUD has been inactive for more than a decade.

North Carolina State University and SWA have been awarded a grant to reinvest in the CUD given increasing interest in related efforts such as inclusive design and building equity.

Dr. Rider and Dr. Lanteigne will host “In Pursuit of Equity: A Symposium to Re-envision the Center for Universal Design” on March 21, 2024 via Zoom.

This symposium intends to collaborate with like-minded peers and colleagues as we lay the foundational roadmap for the future of the CUD. Professionals, academics, researchers, and others working in the fields of universal design, inclusive design, and building equity are invited to attend via Zoom. Learn more and register at go.ncsu.edu/cudsymposium.

The symposium will include a mix of informational panels and breakout sessions, during which the following questions will be addressed:

• How do we incorporate emerging efforts related to inclusive design and building equity with traditional models of universal design?
• Should future iterations of universal design aim to address race, gender, LGBTQ+ identity, as well as disability status and other personal identities? If so, how can this work be achieved?
• What is the role of equity in past and future iterations of universal design?

Dr. Rider is Associate Professor of Architecture, Doctor of Design faculty, and PhD Faculty at North Carolina State University’s College of Design. Dr. Rider’s research has focused on the relationship between the design culture and the notion of sustainability, exploring factors impacting environmental attitudes of designers including environmental education, learned associations, and informal influences. Learn more here.

Dr. Lanteigne has been developing resources to support architectural practitioners in implementing more equitable design processes for the past 20 years. Dr. Lanteigne, in alignment with SWA, recently launched the Building Equity Standard (BEST), a pilot resource with eight goals and corresponding design guidelines for operationalizing equity in the design of our buildings, spaces, and communities.