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Designing Facilities that Improve the Lives of Those with Autism for the Better

Autism is a pervasive developmental disability with a wide range of symptoms that affect a child's language, social, cognitive, and sensory development. Although there is no cure for autism, early intervention and structured teaching enable students to maximize their skills and learning potential. The built environment can also play a significant role and contribute to the overall success of their education, care and development.
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SPECIFIERS

Who are the specifiers of today? Many are viewed as reformed hippies from the 60’s or early 70’s, generally over the age of 50.
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New Construction at Mid-Atlantic Equine Medical Center; Personal Meets Professional

When I was young I spent many hours brainstorming with one of my best friends, attempting to come up with a way to convince our parents to buy us a horse. We figured if we shared one, our chances went up considerably, right? From riding lessons and horse shows, to my high school job as a groom and trail guide, to my college job as a stable hand, to volunteering at Mylestone Equine Rescue in Phillipsburg, NJ, I’ve spent the last 20 years working with horses.
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SCHOOL FOR AUTISM RANKS AMONG AMERICA'S LARGEST GREEN POWER PURCHASERS

The Center for Lifelong Learning (CLL), an 89,000-square-foot special education school in Sayreville, NJ, opened for the 2009-10 school year. USA Architects was retained to design a one of a kind High Performance School serving up to 175 students, ages 3 to 21, with autism and other developmental disabilities. The facility combines both an emphasis on energy performance and an inclusive design that enables and empowers students with special educational needs to participate fully in life at school and in the wider community. Utilizing a dual-solution approach, USA Architects was able to design a facility that protects occupant health, provide a productive learning environment, connect students to the natural world, increase average daily attendance, reduce operating costs, improve teacher satisfaction and retentions, and reduce overall impact to the environment.
Architecting Insights

How to Ensure Your Facility is Compliant with the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design

It has been 20 years since the Department of Justice adopted revised Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Standards. On July 26, 2010 the Obama Administration announced the adoption of the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design. The adoption of the 2010 Standards is a victory for Americans with disabilities who have struggled to navigate spaces designed many years ago but has created a somewhat complex path for business owners, facility operators and designers in their understanding of the implications of the new Standards.
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Front Page News!

USA Architect's Media Center project at the Joyce Kilmer School in Millton,NJ made front page news in the Community Tribune on April 15, 2010.
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Feed Your Mind, Fight Hunger

September is “Hunger Action Month” – a smart time to learn that nearly 49 million people in America face hunger. With the help of Canstruction® − a charity that holds annual design-build competitions worldwide, resulting in fantastic, giant sized, structures made entirely out of canned food, millions of cans are donated to community food banks. This can-do attitude in the fight against hunger is a perfect fit for this year’s design theme of “Back to School.”

Egg-nite the Fight Against Hunger

September is "Hunger Action Month" − an egg-cellent time to promote Canstruction® − a food charity that holds annual design-build competitions worldwide, resulting in fantastic, giant sized, structures made entirely out of canned food. At the close of every competition, all of the food is donated to local food banks.

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