Able is a boutique hotel at 66 West 12th Street in New York. The client is Bezgraniz Couture, a clothing company that creates new collections of functional modern clothes for people with disabilities. They find solutions to make the world more convenient for those who really need it. They are not your regular adaptive fashion brand, they focus on three main goals: provide fashion that improves the quality of life of people with disabilities; re-brand disability by developing new communications about disabilities and create educational projects such as fashion shows designed to break through barriers of the perception of beauty. Bezgraniz Couture was the perfect client to design Able for because they created a clothing company that allows people with disabilities to feel confident, which helps them to achieve success and is a getaway to inclusion. That is precisely what Able is designed for - to make its guests feel confident and included. Able’s mission is to inspire and educate others with and without disabilities by bringing the mainstream factor that universal design was missing in the hospitality field.

A curved runway is placed in the center of the lobby as a main attraction. When used, it will host fashion shows for hotel guests and other influential persons invited to the hotel. The runway also serves as a ramp for visitors to travel from the lobby to the bar. All the architectural structures of the landmark building are kept preserving the history of it. Colored glass cubes of different sizes surround the runway and serve as a rearrangeable seating for guests with different abilities. A small retail store is also placed behind the arcs of the lobby exhibition area. The bar is lined with stools of different heights and shapes which also are designed to accommodate the many necessities of our guests. Wheelchair users are also welcome to use our custom double height bar, with a clearance for feet and knees.

The restaurant is located in the atrium of the hotel and it's open to the public all year round. It features a green house structure that allows natural sun light to feed the trees that surround the restaurant. A chef's table is one of the main attractions where guests can enjoy looking into the kitchen while dishes are being prepared.

An arc art installation is placed immediately after exiting the elevator. The primary colors that light the art installation are designed for users with partial vision impairment to help them navigate throughout the space while creating an aesthetically pleasant environment.

Bethany's suite features a textured wall, custom closet inside of the restroom, an adaptive bathtub and a private dining room. When designing Able, I focused on and used for inspiration the materials and tools that people with disabilities utilize in their daily life. Fiber carbon used in the wheelchairs, braille, primary colors and lighting are some of the techniques used throughout the hotel.