Cost Effective Solutions
Cementitious fiberboard is applied to light gauge metal framing in various orientations to add a rich texture to the neighborhood, and reduce the construction of the house's envelope to one trade. The fiberboard wraps the volume of the living spaces as panels, and pulls back to allow light to filter in through the pockets of glazing along the front of the house. Large swaths of light pool into the fully glazed central light court. The accommodating, low-maintenance fiberboard is oriented as siding around the core utility spaces in a cost effective manner.

Challenges In Design
The universal experience focuses on one's need to grow and change with one's home. A quiet, peaceful living area in which to read the morning newspaper, can be connected to the frenzy of activity across the court space during the dinner hour simply by sliding the glass walls open at either end.

The home not only transforms itself over the course of a day, but over the course of a lifetime. A parent and child can interact within the living spaces of the home, yet still maintain personal space. Space for future stair lifts or elevators will provide every user with freedom of movement within the home. Many years later, an aging inhabitant will have the autonomy to experience the changing skies through the central light court even as her mobility diminishes.

A Celebration of Light
The way one inhabits the universal home is affected not only by the flow of interior spaces, but also how the home engages its surroundings. Regardless of physical features, a person must be able to inhabit the universal home as a member of the human community. The site and home are clearly layered into zones ranging from public to private, yet the user can choose to let the zones bleed together for an afternoon or for years at a time.

The front entry is accessed at either side of the yard, providing the opportunity for periodic meetings with one's neighbors. While the front facade of the home regulates the extent of glazing to provide privacy along the streetscape, the central light court celebrates the abundance of light with larger expanses of glazing.

The court becomes an exceptionally private outdoor space connected to almost every space inside the house. Natural light will permeate through each part of the inhabitants' day.

Being Universally Human
Light, dignity, human connection and human observation at each space within the universal home can embody any one or all of these qualities. The universal experience celebrates human dignity in all stages.