Some environmental research is meant primarily for internal use by the design firm or health care system. Other research has a broader goal of influencing design across a broad array of health care settings.

The Grab Bar Specifications research project that was recently awarded a Platinum Touchstone award fits this latter category. This project reflects the deepest goals of evidence-based design practices.

It reflects the coordinated and on-going efforts of a team of individuals to advance it from its initial stage -- as an AIA Design for Aging Knowledge Community white paper to push for revisions to the Americans’ with Disabilities Act – to a two-phase, comparative analysis study of elders living in nursing homes, and then to efforts to get the results included in revised codes and guidelines.