1 in 6 of us are persons with disabilities. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that around 1.3 billion people – or 16% of the world’s population – experience disability nowadays. Despite the prevalence of disability, available evidence points to a global lack of accessibility to urban environments and services.
The Disability and Development Report 2024 by the United Nations highlights the need to make cities and human settlements more inclusive. This is particularly urgent in developing countries, where 33% of people with disabilities cite lack of accessibility to their dwelling and 43% indicate lack of access to transportation. Gaps in inclusivity of public spaces is especially pressing.
In recent years, the concept of Universal Design has emerged to facilitate the inclusion of persons with disabilities in cities across the world. Pioneered by an architect, Ronald Mace, Universal Design refers to the design of products and environments for all regardless of their status in life. Its principles include equitability, flexibility, and simplicity in use.
These projects highlight how universal design can be incorporated to create disability-inclusive environments.
Singapore
Located in the heart of Singapore’s CBD, CapitaGreen, which opened in 2015, is a 40-storey office tower whose sustainable and inclusive design has won international accolades, including universal design awards, according to its website. Conceived by Pritzker Prize winner Toyo Ito, the tower includes seamless designs for the hearing, visual and mobility-impaired.
Universal design features range from barrier-free access to clear way-finding signs, including sculptures, colours, and surface textures. Braille and tactile directions are embedded in handrails. A concierge counter is lowered and equipped with a hearing induction loop system to cater to persons with disabilities. Lift doors stay open longer, with audio messages.
Similarly, Funan, launched in 2019, is an integrated development that has earned a universal design award, according to its website. Located in Singapore’s Civic and Cultural District, Funan features a retail hub, two office blocks, and an apartment hotel, with a direct underpass linking to the City Hall MRT interchange station.
Universal design features in this building include gentle slopes and handicap-accessible lifts to all levels. Voice-activated interactive directories are equipped at escalators and lift lobbies. Near Field Communication (NFC) technology allows transfer of directions to personal smart phones.
These models are great examples of how the private sector can advance inclusivity through innovative use of technology and design.
Denmark
The House of Disability Organisations is known as the world’s most accessible house, according to its website. Situated in the suburb of Taastrup, the office building was opened for business in 2012. As a beacon of inclusive architecture, it embodies universal design principles, enabling people to move around on equal terms.
Upon leaving a railway station, visitors can follow a separate footpath with a guideline that leads safely to the house without having to encounter traffic. While the parking area is level-free, footpaths to the entrance include a visible raised pattern in the pavement, a special grate designed to help people with guide dogs or mobility sticks avoid getting stuck, and automatic sliding glass doors.
The office building is designed to look like a starfish with four arms to allow people with impaired vision to navigate more easily. Colours, light and sound are used to create an inclusive workplace. Each office wing has its own hue: red, blue, green, and purple. The glass-covered atrium allows sunlight to stream in, which helps people with impaired hearing better read lips.
Many solutions are well-thought-out in this building model. A counter comes with two heights, one for wheelchair users. Small rooms allow those with psychosocial disability to rest between work. Metal studs are also numerically embedded in handrails to indicate the floor number.
While some details of the designs are minute, it is the intricacy and thoroughness in design which enables true accommodation of diverse disabilities. These case studies serve to highlight the possibilities of incorporating Universal Design in our buildings and spaces, embodying the United Nations principle to Leave No One Behind.
To learn more about Universal Design, begin by discovering the 7 Principles of Universal Design here.
Thana Boonlert, Communications Team
Reference:
Disability https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health
CapitaGreen https://cct-trust.listedcompany.com/newsroom/20130516_200335_C61U_DA094DCA9D9541FF48257B6D00370812.1.pdf
The House of Disability Organisations https://handicap.dk/about/the-worlds-most-accessible-house
