CooperatorNews Chicagoland Summer 2021

Summer 2021 CHICAGO.COOPERATORNEWS.COM CHICAGOLAND THE CONDO, HOA & CO-OP RESOURCE COOPERATORNEWS Universal Design & the ADA Design for Every Body BY A. J. SIDRANSKY continued on page 9 205 Lexington Avenue, NY, NY 10016 • CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED continued on page 8 Chicagoland's Biggest & Best VIRTUAL Condo, HOA, & Apartment Expo Th e Annual Must-Attend Event Goes Digital BY COOPERATOR STAFF continued on page 8 Over the past year, you may have been one of the many people who tuned in to Coop- erator Events’ popular webinar series—but did you know that Cooperator Events also pro- duces Cooperator Events Expos, a series of must-attend annual and biannual trade shows in markets from Chicagoland to South Florida to Las Vegas? Th ousands of board members, managers, condo owners, and co-op shareholders attend Cooperator Events trade shows every year, making personal connections, learning about new products and services, and gathering invaluable information and insight from the best and brightest professionals in the industry—all at no cost to them. For 2021, Cooperator Events has expanded its range of educational and informational off erings yet again—this time to include our new Chicagoland Virtual Expo, taking place on Wednesday, May 26, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. CDT, and ursday, May 27, from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. CDT. Th is latest addition has been in the works for a while, says Yale Robbins, president of Co- operator Events and publisher of CooperatorNews : “We’ve worked hard to deliver a virtual experience that’s immersive, educational, and provides attendees and exhibitors alike the ability to meet, engage with people, and ask questions of experts in the fi eld, either one-on-one at their booth, or in the group seminar setting.” Th e virtual exhibit hall is a graphical environment accessed via a web browser that attendees can explore by clicking the signs post- ed for diff erent events, or on the booth of an exhibitor they wish to visit. While the idea of an all-online expo may be new territory for attendees who make a point to visit Cooperator Events’ on-site trade Th e idea that ‘form follows function’ is one of the basic concepts underlying nearly every design discipline—but function for whom? For many people living with dis- abilities, it oft en seems that ‘function’ covers a very narrow range of ability—rendering many forms clumsy at best, and completely useless at worst. While a cascading stairway might provide drama to a public space, for example, it may present an insurmountable obstacle to anyone making use of a wheel- chair or other mobility aid. While in the past accessibility for dif- ferently-abled individuals may have been an aft erthought (if it was a thought at all), in recent years, architects and designers have begun to change their view of how to best achieve form and function for every- one, regardless of age or ability. Two key drivers of that change were the adaptation of the theory of Universal Design, and the passage and implementation of the Ameri- cans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Universal Design “Universal Design was developed in 1997,” says Eric Cohen, senior associate prin- cipal at Ethelind Coblin Architect, an archi- tecture and design fi rm based in New York City with clients in Chicago and elsewhere around the country. “It was the brainchild of a working group of architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental de- Interior Design Responds to COVID Flexibility, Technology, Nature, & Gratitude BY DARCEY GERSTEIN As the biggest global health crisis of mod- ern times continues to impact the world, it leaves a wake of changes to the way we live, eat, work, play, learn, plan, and even how we dream. Humans — a species well-known for our adaptability — are fi nding ways to adjust our lifestyles to this new environment. In many cases, however, we are adjust- ing our environments to suit these new life- styles — and no one knows more about the trend than interior designers. In speaking to many who work in multifamily build- ings throughout the Northeast, as well as in the Chicagoland area, the common refrain among interior experts was how busy they’ve been in the last year-plus. Whether carving out space in private homes to accommodate remote working and schooling, or reimagin- ing common areas to allow co-op and condo residents to enjoy amenities safely, interior designers have been hard at work using their skills and imaginations to adapt our living environments to the post-COVID reality. Flexibility Is Key Across the board, interior designers working in residential buildings express the need for fl exibility in domestic spaces. Especially in urban areas where vertical liv- ing dominates, many homeowners can’t ex- pand their footprint due to having neighbors above, below, and next door in all directions. Reconfi guring a limited interior space—es- pecially within the confi nes of the condo as- sociation’s or co-op corporation’s alteration rules and parameters—requires a particular set of skills and ideas. Ximena Rodriguez, Principal and Direc- tor of Interior Design for New York design fi rm CetraRuddy, says that even before the pandemic, new construction clients like the Rockefeller Group, developers of the Rose CHICAGOLAND’S BIGGEST & BEST VIRTUAL CONDO, HOA & CO-OP EXPO WEDNESDAY, MAY 26, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM THURSDAY, MAY 27, 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM FREE REGISTRATION: CHICAGO.YREXPOS.COM