Ronald Lawrence Mace, FAIA
(August 3, 1942 – June 29, 1998) was an American architect, product designer, educator, and consultant. He is best known for coining the term
universal design
Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability, or other factors. It emerged as a rights-based, anti-discrimination measure, which seeks to create design ...
and for his work advocating for people with disabilities.
Early life and education
Ronald L. Mace was born in
, and grew up in
Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 249,545, making it the List of municipalities in North Carolina, fifth-most populous ...
.
He was the youngest of 2 children. In 1950, at the age of nine, he contracted polio,
which led to him spending a year in the hospital.
After contracting polio, he used a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
Mace studied architecture at the
North Carolina State University
North Carolina State University (NC State, North Carolina State, NC State University, or NCSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. Founded in 1887 and p ...
's School of Design,
where he encountered inaccessible facilities that limited his ability to use campus facilities.
He graduated with a degree in architecture in 1966.
Architectural and design career
After his graduation, Mace worked for four years as an architect before becoming involved in advocacy for accessibility in building design.
He was instrumental in North Carolina's March 13, 1973, adoption of Chapter 11X, which was the first accessibility-focused building code to be adopted in the United States.
This code served as a model for other states
and was one of the foundations of the later movement to pass federal legislation prohibiting disability discrimination, including the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
He also worked on the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
Mace was the president
and registered agent
of Barrier Free Environments, Inc., which was founded in 1974.
It was a consulting firm focused on accessibility and universal design.
He was also a Principal at BFE Architecture, P.A.
In conjunction with his alma mater, North Carolina State University's School of Design in Raleigh, he founded the Center for Accessible Housing in 1989.
It later became the Center for Universal Design.
This center, which received federal funding, became “a leading national and international resource for research and information on universal design in housing, products, and the built environment.”
He was also a research professor in the Architecture Department at the School of Design.
Honors and awards
Mace was a
Fellow
A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of the
American Institute of Architects
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...
.
In 1992, Mace received the Distinguished Service Award of the President of the United States
from President Bush
“for promoting dignity, equality, independence, and employment of disabled people.” In 1996, Mace received a Presidential Citation from the American Institute of Architects.
He also received the 1997 North Carolina State University Distinguished Alumni Award.
Personal life
Mace was married to Lockhart Follin-Mace, who served as the first executive director of the Governor's Advocacy Council for Persons with Disabilities
from its creation in 1979.
Follin-Mace died in 1991 from cancer.
Mace was survived by his nephew William H. Mace, III and his partner Joy Weeber.
Death
Ronald L. Mace died at his home in
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...
, on June 29, 1998.
The cause of death was a heart arrhythmia caused by polio.
References
External links
Ronald L. Mace Papers 1974-1998at NCSU Libraries
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mace, Ronald
1941 births
1998 deaths
20th-century American architects
Fellows of the American Institute of Architects
North Carolina State University alumni