TRANSGENERATIONAL DESIGN EXPERT JOINS AIPatHOME ADVISORY TEAM

Internationally acclaimed and award-winning author and educator James J. Pirkl, FIDSA has joined the advisory team of AIPatHome.com – specialists in age in place technologies, universal design homes and products education.

James J. Pirkl, FIDSA

James J. Pirkl, FIDSA

Pirkl is regarded as “the father of transgenerational design.” His first book on the subject was published in 1988 and he has lectured, published and consulted on the topic since that time. He is Professor Emeritus of Industrial Design and Past Chairman of the department of Design at Syracuse University and Executive Director of Transgenerational Design Matters, a consulting firm dedicated to promoting, supporting and inspiring the design of consumer products and environments that accommodate people of all ages and abilities.

Meres McCarroll, AIPatHome principal said, “James Pirkl’s knowledge and experience will be invaluable in furthering our mission of letting all those concerned know that they or their loved ones have remarkable and affordable options and services for aging in the place.” AIPatHome.com has an Idea Center that showcases housing, assistive technologies and features the most comprehensive directory of age in place related services and products on the Internet.

“Working with the AIPatHome Advisory Team is a new and needed way to extend my life’s work of encouraging more friendly age-in-place environments, products and services,” Pirkl said. “The key issue is showing designers, architects, manufacturers and home builders that there is a growing demand for them to design and provide transgenerational products and environments.”

The Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt Design Museum describes Pirkl as a “key figure in universal design”. He has been published in a wide variety of international journals and periodicals. An occasional guest on National Public Radio, he has been sought out and quoted by the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Machine Design, Mechanical Engineering Design, ID Magazine, Dwell, and Metropolis, and others.

A former Senior Research Fellow at Syracuse University’s All-University Gerontology Center, he co-authored the influential book, Guidelines and Strategies for Developing Transgenerational Products (Copley, 1988). His latest book, Transgenerational Design: Products for an Aging Population (John Wiley & Sons, 1997), was awarded a Gold Industrial Design Excellence Award (IDEA) co-sponsored by the Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA) and Business Week magazine.

A Fellow of the Industrial Designers Society of America, he served as a director and as regional vice president. He chaired its education, accreditation, and universal/ transgenerational design committees, and in 2001 was awarded the Society’s prestigious Education Award. He is a member of the Author’s Guild, life member of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, and an accreditation evaluator for the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Other AIPatHome.com Advisory Team members include: Glenn Campbell, Dr. Kevin Doughty, Richard Duncan, Drue Lawlor, Charles Lowe, Laurie Orlov, Chris Pederson, Mary Jo Peterson, John Piazza, Sr., Eliot Sefrin, William Slease, Louis Tenenbaum