Architecture and Accessibility

I think it goes without saying that Architecture plays a huge role in accessibility. The infrastructure that we interact with every day will affect our lives immeasurably.

We can get an immediate sense of satisfaction, frustration or neutrality on the approach of a building just by assessing how easy it will be for us to get into it.

Just imagine - and tell me if this sounds familiar - you are walking through a square in a campus, city or university. You have an important meeting in 10 minutes and you have arrived expecting to be in the waiting room with 5 minutes to spare. Dressed nicely, best fragrance on. It's a warm day - summer in JHB, sun beating down on your face and before you, a large square building emerges. Along with the full flight of stairs in front of it. You look to the left and there are dense and fenced off hedges from the edge of the staircase to the end of the building. To the right, grass as far as you can see - with no paths through it. You have to transcend. How do you feel?

AI Rendered image of stairs to building entrance

For most people - getting sweaty is the worst outcome. Not ideal. If it is the day after leg day, on your 7th month of pregnancy, a week after you sprained your ankle, just after running from the parking, in your tightest heels, if you're actually late, if you tripped halfway up, if you had a big lunch, if you can't see the steps very well, if you're in a wheelchair, if you're a smoker or even if you just couldn't take one more obstacle in your day. How do you feel?

In the scheme of Architecture there are many reasons why you would have a grand staircase into your building. Stairs are beautiful features - functional, storytelling and just necessary. For some buildings they are completely unavoidable. Inevitable. But they don't have to be the only.

You know that part of you that looked left and then right was scanning for a sneaky entrance, a bit of shade, or a ramp to make it just a bit easier to get through with all dignity intact. The second time you looked left and right was to see how many people were watching.

Inclusive design strives to make places for people for all people. Inclusive design is in everything - Architecture, Interiors, Graphic design, Industrial design, Web design, Typology, Marketing, Agriculture etc. That is how important it is. It has a central role in Architectural design today and encompasses the designs and interventions needed to make a building or place accessible.

Everyday examples of inclusive design include:

• That yellow strip you see on steps to show the edge

• The bumps on sidewalks as they come to an intersection

• Beeping walk signals at those intersections

• Ramps into buildings

• Big words on food labels

• Male and female toilet symbols on signage

The best inclusive design examples are the ones you never noticed. When you seamlessly found the bathroom at the mall, when you could read the price tag without thinking, when you could move through a crowded space without touching anyone else, when you didn't slip on the wet pavement, when you spent 12 hours at your desk without a stiff butt and when you walked in and out of your office without any obstacles.

I want to take a deeper look at where these designs shine and where we could use more of them.

My reviews of different spaces include an assessment broken down into 5 key areas and some of the most common inclusive design elements you can expect to see in them are:

• Mobility

  - Ramps accompanying stairs, non-slip flooring, level floor surfaces, doorways wide enough for walking aids and wheelchairs, accessible bathrooms, wide isles in stores, shelving at head height or below, counters at different heights, common passages wide enough for a wheelchair to turn around, easy to open doors, easy grip pens

• Visual

  - High contrast signs, easy to understand symbols, large and clean font, few shapes and distracting images around words, signs in obvious places, obstacles highlighted clearly, contrasting surfaces for ease of differentiation, colour coding, good lighting, softened edges

• Hearing

  - Ambient noise is controlled, used spaces are free from general noise, normal speaking in all spaces is possible, sounds for important information is loud enough, weather does not affect these

• Cognitive & Neurodiversity

  - Sensory friendly material use, inclusion of plants and water to calm spaces, privacy considerations

• Overall user experience

  - General feeling of a space, function, impressions.

  
  

There is an interplay between all of these that must be considered. Often ideal conditions can be met when a design or intervention is done well. Sometimes it can hinder another key area while still being successful for one. This balance is where the built environment needs to be to thrive and create comfortable and well used places.