Biography
Lorene Casiez: BScN, MN, BDes
As Team Lead of AccessAbility Advantage, Lorene strongly believes that the principles of universal design provide the basic foundation of good design for all. She is an accessibility and inclusion specialist whose passion for universal design derived from her background in public health and nursing. Lorene has been instrumental in growing A+ into a leader in Public-Private Partnership (P3) Healthcare Projects and also has experience with accessibility audits, guideline development, drawings reviews, user evaluations and group facilitation. At Quadrangle, she coordinates and manages all aspects of A+ operations, business development, and in-house drawing review and consultations. She provides technical expertise on accessibility requirements for various project types.
Casiez, L.
Workshop
Designing for All
Biography
Dev Mehta – Associate, B.A.S., M.Arch., OAA, LEED Green Associate
Dev brings a passionate imagination that leads to progressive designs in his built work. Originally from Calgary, Dev pursued his architectural studies at Carleton University, where he received his Bachelor of Architectural Studies and Masters of Architecture. Since joining Quadrangle in 2013, Dev has continued to hone his design sensibility, supporting teams delivering large scale mixed-use projects like the Yonge Sheppard Centre and award winning mid-rise residential developments like DUKE Condos as well as the studio’s design competition entries, such as the Automotive Training Academy.
Mehta, D.
The Boomer generation is redefining aging and retirement. What was considered sufficient and comfortable a decade ago is no longer enough and the built environment will need to keep up. How are these changing needs being met by professionals in the field?
Lorene Casiez and Dev Mehta are Associates at Quadrangle, an architecture and design firm based in Toronto. Lorene leads the accessibility consultation team, drawing on her background in environmental and interior design, nursing and public health to help public- and private-sector clients realize built environments which are useable and enjoyable for all. Dev is an architect who specializes in
designing residential environments. He is attuned to the demands driving the private sector which is looking to meet the tastes, wants, and needs of a changing Boomer market. In this session Dev and Lorene will provide a holistic vision of why and how the building industry is going beyond minimum legislated requirements to create inclusive, future-proofed spaces. With examples drawn from their work, they will dissect environments where people live, learn, work and play and challenge the audience to question their own environments, and ask what changes could be made to make those spaces more inclusive and useable.
The objectives of the workshop are:
- To provide an understanding of specific strategies that designers and the building industry employ, or could employ, to enhance the usability of the built environment and to foster inclusive communities;
- To open a conversation with professionals and stakeholders in the audience about areas in the built environment that are not commonly addressed and brainstorm solutions for removing these barriers to engagement.
