Homing in on survivors’ needs

A group of architects are donating their services to make the homes of marathon bombing survivors more accessible.

Nearly 100 architects and 10 consultants have signed up to help through an effort called Renovate for Recovery, working with engineers, carpenters, designers and dozens of other volunteers to complete one project in New Hampshire, with more than a half dozen others in the works.

"After the bombings, survivors were overwhelmed, physically and emotionally, so their homes were on the back burner," said Dawn Guarriello of the Design Partnership of Cambridge. "But people don't have to be an amputee to take advantage of this. No injury is too small."

Survivors apply for modifications to their homes or businesses through a Department of Public Safety initiative called the Boston Survivors Accessibility Alliance, which assesses requests on a case-by-case basis, said Terrel Harris, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security.

"Those getting help don't need to worry about anything," Harris said. "It's all done free."

Although most of the projects so far have called for redesigning kitchens and bathrooms or installing lifts or elevators, volunteers can modify homes in a variety of other ways, including replacing door knobs with handles for people who sustained neurological problems such as gripping, or installing smoke detectors with strobe lights for those who lost some or all of their hearing, Guarriello said.

"Our biggest need right now is donated materials like garage doors, sinks and tiles, hopefully through local suppliers," she said. "We want to open people's eyes to different ways of thinking about accessibility."

Michael McHugh, a member of the Boston Society of Architects and chairman of Architecture for Humanity Boston, began working with Karen Rand, who lost her leg from the knee down.

Rand lives in a third-floor apartment in Somerville. So McHugh and the firm he works for, Davis Square Architects, designed a new handrail and sturdier steps, which were built by "Ask This Old House" for a segment of the TV show.

To allow Rand to sit outside in nice weather, McHugh and his firm also designed a new roof deck, which was built by S+H Construction in Cambridge.

"As a runner myself, I feel a strong connection to the running community, and it's been really great to reach out in some way," McHugh said.

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