NSC17 DESIGN PRINCIPLES Key Principles Exclusion or Inclusion? “Civilisation has moved on from the times when good sight, sharp hearing and the ability to run away from danger were essential to survival. Now we overcome natural obstacles and instead create man-made ones. In order to benefit fully from the technical solutions created by our civilisation these abilities are still essential for we have created systems and services which exclude people who lack some or all of them.” Our perception and outlook on what constitutes disability is important. The concept of what is normal behaviour has been enshrined in certain areas of legislation and standards for many years. The design of any building rests with the identification of the people who will be using it and their needs. Disability is caused by the barriers that the environment and society in general creates. Individuals don’t suffer from the lack of a ramp, a building does. An impaired person is not disabled until society sets a pattern of behaviour and a template for the design of its buildings that excludes them. This is the social model of disability and the principle on which the environment should be judged. The design of any part of the environment must be undertaken on an inclusive basis. Inclusive design, universal design or design for all, the term varies but the aim is the same. It’s the design of different products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialised design. The intention of the universal design concept is to simplify life for everyone by making products, communications and the built environment more useable, by more people, at little, or no extra cost. The universal design concept targets all people of all ages, sizes and abilities.” Four practical design principles to help implement this are: * The form, mass and layout of any site or building must facilitate ease of access and not create disabling barriers in the interests of aesthetics, for the management of a building or an activity. * Recognise the limitations in industry standard sizes eg doors, or lift sizes. Specifications must meet users needs. * The choice of materials must first be functional, safe and reflect users needs, not be driven purely by aesthetics. * Finishes and colours should be used to give clarity to designs and to provide wayfinding. Design Standards: Guidance Notes 1 Proper access design guidance should be followed. It should take the principles set out on the previous page and provide an integrated and inclusive environment. The focus should not solely be on compliance with the Building Regulations. They are a set of minimum standards; not best practice. The Approved Documents provide guidance on the gradients of a ramp etc to demonstrate how the principles set out in the Documents could be achieved. There are wider issues which should be considered, relating to the use, and character of the users or the building or site. Who can give advice? An Access Champion should be appointed for the lifetime of a project. This should be a consultant member of the National Register of Access Consultants or have equivalent experience. (Guidance on their role is provided in Reference on page 7). Sources of information could include:(b) * North Somerset Council’s design guidance 2005 * Buildings for all. S Bone, CIRIA 2004 * Building Sight. P Barker et al, RNIB 1995 * Access to Historic Environment. L Foster Donhead 2003 * Designing Lifetime Homes. J Brewerton et al, Joseph Rowntree Trust 1997 Summary of Key Features for an AccessibleEnvironment Access to the site No building is an island on it own. It must be tied into the surrounding transport infrastructure and public realm. Car usage amongst disabled people is important as a means of access. It enables people to overcome many barriers not least those as yet still remaining in public transport. Therefore as a key principle car parking for disabled people must always be provided even though there may be an intention to label a scheme “car free” Quick checklist * Car parking and enforcement * Bus locations and design * Footway network with dropped kerbs and tactile paving * Approach to the building * All access points to and into buildings or a site should be level or ramped, with steps not dominating the focus of key desire lines. The means of access should be grouped together to provide one focus point for the approach. Materials Surface treatments and building materials must be selected carefully to reflect their actual intended location, use and the intended user. They must meet basic functional access and health and safety requirements. Building materials must consider the user and avoid assumptions and stereotypes about average users. Building structures must be readable, have clarity to their shape and form and use construction or design techniques that positively contribute to their accessibility. Quick checklist * Avoid structural columns or features in pedestrian areas * Use of bright, coloured manifestation on large areas of glazing * Smooth or bound paving materials Wayfinding and Signage Getting from A to B requires a building to offer the user some cues and clarity in terms of sense of place and direction. Decision points must be clearly identifiable and information about the building must be in a variety of forms to meet all users needs. Colour, texture and sound must all be used. Signs must incorporate all the required formats to meet all users needs. A clear signage scheme must be prepared following Sign Society guidance. Quick checklist: Wayfinding * Good floor to wall and door tonal contrasts * Colour and tactile qualities of floors and footways Quick checklist: Signs * Use of all formats * Use clear layout and consistent locations Means of Escape To provide a set procedures and a basic building design that allows for either independent egress by all, or assisted escape according to need. All buildings must be designed so as to offer the same standards of independence as would be provided to gain access. Written procedures should state how disabled people’s needs are to be met which are then practised as a part of normal regular fire drills. Quick Checklist * Level or ramped egress to all grounded fire exits * Refuges designed to meet practical usage and equipped with communication links to fire control services. * Fire fighting lifts. Doors Attention must always be paid to the overall design of all doors so as to ensure they are recognisable and easy to operate. Meeting simple clear opening width standards are important but are not enough. Quick Checklist * Colour contrast with surroundings * Automation Lifts and Level Changes Design solutions to overcome changes in level must be grouped together and located on pedestrian desire lines. They must be integrated into the overall wayfinding strategy for the building or site. Level changes must be ramped or have a lift. Ramps are preferred to lifts for movement within a floor. Vertical circulation measures must be designed to accommodate the building capacity not to meet a budget e.g. the smallest lift chosen to meet the legislation not users. Quick checklist * Routes must be designed inclusively with integrated different modes of movement e.g. lift and escalators or ramps and stairs. Toilets All toilet facilities must provide both unisex toilets together with single sex toilets that are accessible for ambulant disabled people, positioned together in one location, throughout the building. Management of Buildings and Sites All policies, procedures and practices must ensure the needs of disabled people are met in full and on an equitable basis. Eg access to parking facilities or building security. Consultation © Disabled people should be fully consulted through the xxx Disability Access Group, or a separately constituted group for the lifetime of the project. Such consultation should address key points of principle and the overall development of the project stage by stage. Picture credits P.1 & 4 - Guardian Newspapers P.2 & 5 - Sheffield City Council P.3 - PRS Architects References ‘Inclusive Projects: A Guide to Best Practice’ Department for Transport, DPTAC. 2002