What architects gets wrong about design for persons with disabilities

It's not about creating a space that looks accessible. It also needs to actually be accessible.

Here I've gathered three examples that claims to be accessible. The first one is made in the 1970, so nothing to complain about that one, but its a good reminder of something that is seen as universal design but is not.

Then for the other twos, I really just got sad when they claimed to be accessible.

The Stramp

The stramp is a combination of a ramp and a stair. The most fundamental and basic accessibility design elements are usually forgotten in the design, such as:

• A predictable route
• Railings
• Contrast markings, etc.

Accessability is not just slapping a ramp onto a building… well it is, but its not just slapping a slanted surface onto a building.

A ramp needs to have a clear route whit to no disruptions in the flow. People sometimes needs rest when they walk but something thats often forgotten is that a lot of persons with disabilities cant continue walking if they get stopped. This is of course due to many things, sometimes it’s cognitive disabilities and sometimes physical. E.g some people with cerebral palsy have a better balance when walking than standing still. A ramp with constant traffic flows from both directions can therefore be hard to navigate, especially when theres no railings to lean.

When creating a design that's also an experience, architects often forget to include 15% of the population . The Marsk tower by BIG (2021) is a good example of this.

As themself describe the tower  

“ The tower is inspired by a human DNA string with two different staircases- one for walking upstairs and one for walking downstairs, both give the visitors the ability to look out and experience nature from every angle. “ (BIG).

They claim that this space is accessible, but I only sees a tower where the visitor can look and experience nature only at two different places. One at the bottom and one at the top, but nothing in between.

When the Vessel in New York was built in 2019- designed by Heatherwick Studio, only 3 out of 80 platforms were accessible by elevator. Due to the high demand of the elevator, two of the platforms were then closed off. Only the upper level is accessible, which also is the main attraction with a 360-degree view. But, as the vessel is constructed of stairs, persons with disabilities can not access the 360-degree view at the top. Sadly, the vessel has also become a place for people to take their life. After the opening in 2019, four people have died.

The accessability where not an afterthought in these examples. But only the bare minimum where considered and he experience of the space where forgotten.

References

@big_builds. BIG. Projects. https://big.dk/#projects-marsk. Accessed. 2022-01-26

@officialheatherwickstudio. Heatherwick studios. Projects/ spaces. http://www.heatherwick.com/. Accessed 2022-01-26

World architects. Vessel to increase accessibility. https://www.world-architects.com/en/architecture-news/headlines/vessel-to-increase-accessibility. accessed 2022-01-27

Image The vessel