Welcome to Accessible Milwaukee Idea Home’s image gallery. Below are images representing the various phases of MIH construction. The first phase is the development phase. Images represent various stages within this phase from model plans to construction. The second phase is the unveiling and tours. In this section images are presented that depict the ribbon-cutting ceremony and tours given of the completed MIH. The final phase represents the completed MIH. Images here show various rooms of the home. Some images depict accessibility and universal design features.
MIH Development
The photograph shows the exterior of a model house display. The model is fairly large and spans the entire length of a rectangular table top. The roof, first and second floors and a porched-in front section of the house are featured in the photo. Several opaque windows are also seen on the first and second floors of the house.
This photograph shows a stairway from the first floor of a model house display to the second floor. The stairway zigzags along the side of the wall and contains a landing halfway up. There is no furniture, windows, or doors in the photograph because the photo is mainly showing the interior layout of the house.
The photograph demonstrates various building materials that are used in the construction of a wall of a house. The wall is cut away on both the side and the top exposing the various layers of material and insulation in the wall. Numbered labels are seen on the different materials within the wall; however explanation of the numbers is not found anywhere in the photograph.
This photograph shows the Milwaukee Idea Home bathroom layout. The location of the toilet and the sink are featured in the bathroom showing an accessible toilette that is low to the ground and a sink with space beneath for use while seated.
The purpose of the photograph is to show the construction phase of the kitchen in the Milwaukee Idea Home. Several parts of the kitchen reveal open pipes, not fully assembled pieces, and the basic appliances that are used in the kitchen. The viewer is able to see the basic layout of the kitchen and how close it is to completion. The layout is similar to the mock-up that was shown in an earlier picture.
MIH Unveiling & Tours
This photograph shows the construction site of the Milwaukee Idea Home with the building structure completed on it in the background and a sign explaining what it is, the project partners, and program sponsors in the foreground.
The photograph displays a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony for the completion of the Milwaukee Idea Home. The owner and those in charge of the project are featured in this photograph and are seconds away from cutting a ribbon that symbolizes that the house has been completed. The ribbon is in front of the backside of the model house and attached to the small porch area by the back door. An audience has gathered to observe the event. A large “Independence First” sign is attached to a portion of the ribbon advertising the ownership of the organization that directed the project.
This photograph shows a tour of the exterior of the completed Milwaukee Idea Home. Four people are in the front of the house looking around. The front lawn, first and second floors, and pathway with a staircase are visible in the photograph. One of the persons in the photograph appears to be the tour guide and she is speaking with an older lady.
The photograph shows a tour being given outside of the model home. The view is from the backside of the house and the tour guide and members are standing around by the back door. The entire back and side of the house can be seen in the photograph as well as the back yard.
The photograph shows a tour being conducted inside of the model house. The view is from the top of the stairway and the camera is aimed downwards displaying the living room and several people within it. The people appear to be listening to a person, most likely a tour guide who is not shown in the photograph. The view that the camera angle creates from the second floor, gives the viewer a unique portrait of the lower level room and the basic lay-out of the room. The room includes a couch, a chair, a kitchen or dining room table, a couple windows and lamps and a rolling cart.
MIH Universal Design & Unique Aspects
The purpose of the photograph is to show how to the Milwaukee Idea Home will construct the kitchen more accessibly. A sink, countertops, above counter cabinets, dishwasher, and clothes washer/dryer are featured in the photograph. The picture demonstrates the accessibility of the kitchen set-up with a large open space beneath the sink for easy access by a wheelchair and the washer and dryer side-by-side on the floor for easy access while seated.
This photograph, taken from the first floor, shows a near-completed stairway during the construction of the Milwaukee Idea Home. The stairway zigzags from the first floor to the second floor. The stairway extends upwards from the first floor to the right where it meets a landing and then switches back to the left before it reaches the second floor. The viewer is able to see how sturdy and well constructed the railings on the sides of the stairway will be and what the stairway looks like. Tools, construction equipment, boxes, and a protective floor covering surround the stairway.
This photograph shows a close-up of the bathroom sink in the model home. The uniquely designed sink has space beneath for wheelchair accessibility and lever handles for easy manipulation of on-off controls.
The photograph shows that a lawn drain has been installed in the ground outside, to drain rain water into the sewer system below. The drain will prevent the lawn from becoming flooded and has been constructed somewhere in the yard of the model home. The viewers are able to see that the model home includes this feature.