Just design

Inclusive design prescribes addressing the needs of the widest possible audience in order to consider human differences. Taking differences seriously, however, may imply severely restricting “the widest possible audience”. In confronting this paradox, we investigate to what extent Rawls’ theory of justice as fairness applies to design. By converting the paradox into the question of how design can be fair, we show that the demand for equitability shifts from the design output to the design process. We conclude that the two main questions about justice find application in design: the question about the standards of justice and the question about its metrics. We endorse a Rawlsian approach to the former, while some revision may be due regarding the latter

Mobilizing Disability Experience to Inform Architectural Practice: Lessons Learned from a Field Study

Through their bodily interaction with the designed environment, disabled people can detect obstacles and appreciate spatial qualities architects may not be attuned to. While designers in several disciplines acknowledge disabled people as lead or critical users, in architectural practice their embodied experience is hardly recognized as a valuable resource for design. In this article, we therefore investigate what professional architects could learn from disabled people. To this end, the article reports on a field study, set up to explore ways of mobilizing disabled people’s embodied experience to inform architectural practice. Analysis of the field study’s outcome suggests that mobilizing this experience does not only add nuance to the existing accessibility standards, but also offers architects rich insights into building qualities that surpass these standards

Improving the quality of life with challenging behaviour through architecture:a case study at a Dutch very-intensive-care facility

Background and aim – Challenging behaviour, such as aggression towards oneself, others, or objects, arises in interaction with the environment and may prevent individuals from participating in society and enjoying a high quality of life (QoL). Literature suggests that architects can contribute to prevention, by influencing challenging behaviour before rather than after its occurrence. The objective is to explore how architecture can contribute to the quality of life of intellectually impaired (and autistic) individuals showing challenging behaviour (CB). Methods – The case study is based on interviews with residents and care providers, and direct observations of their daily life. Results – Residents turn out to be dependent on the (visual) connection with the care provider and may experience stress from the behaviour of fellow residents. They also may experience stress when faced with unexpected situations and by sensory overload. Originality – The relevance of architecture for CB reduction is new to this particular field of healthcare. Practical or social implications – If these preliminary findings can be confirmed, they provide a basis for developing guidelines to design better environments for intellectually impaired individuals showing CB. Architecture might promote choice in interpersonal distance, by generous floorplans, a variety of spaces, and escape possibilities. Predictability might be enhanced by providing visual overview and previews into rooms. Finally, architecture that promotes sensory adjustment might improve the QoL of individuals showing CB by preventing sensory overload, and by doing so, mitigate related behaviours. Type of paper – Research paper

Acción : diario de Teruel y su provincia: Año II Número 80 - (23/02/33)

Aim: To explore and compare the impact of the physical environment on patients’ activities and care at three newly built stroke units. Background: Receiving care in a stroke unit instead of in a general ward reduces the odds of death, dependency and institutionalized care. In stroke units, the design of the physical environment should support evidence-based care. Studies on patients’ activities in relation to the design of the physical environment of stroke units are scarce. Design: This work is a comparative descriptive case study. Method: Patients (n=55) who had a confirmed diagnosis of stroke were recruited from three newly built stroke units in Sweden. The units were examined by non-participant observation using two types of data collection: behavioral mapping analyzed with descriptive statistics and field note taking analyzed with deductive content analysis. Data were collected from April 2013 to December 2015. Results: The units differed in the patients’ levels of physical activity, the proportion of the day that patients spent with health professionals, and family presence. Patients were more physically active in a unit with a combination of single and multi-bed room designs than in a unit with an entirely single room design. Stroke units that were easy to navigate and offered variations in the physical environment impacted patients’ activities and care. Conclusions: Patients’ activity levels and interactions appeared to vary with the design of the physical environments of stroke units. Stroke guidelines focused on health status assessments, avoidance of bed-rest and early rehabilitation require a supportive physical environment.status: accepte

The Potential of Disability Experience for Heritage: Lessons Learned Through Collaboration with User/Experts

peer reviewedThe relation between accessibility and conservation is often contested, resulting in tensions between accessibility and heritage advocates. While the importance and necessity of accessibility and gradually the broader notion of inclusivity for diverse users (e.g. people with different abilities) is becoming more evident, existing discussions mainly focus on the problems and constraints of accessibility in the heritage context. Instead, in this article, we present disability as a generative resource. People with disability experience, referred to as ‘the other’ and ‘strangers in their own land’, similar to people with different ethnicities, cultures and genders, have been subject to discrimination. In the heritage field, the notion of self and other is mainly focused on colonial and occupied heritage. Additionally, it can be seen in the division between heritage experts and the others. Nowadays, the conservation practice is gradually moving towards collaborative approaches involving diverse others. Our research on inclusive built heritage acknowledges the existing challenges at the crossroad of accessibility and conservation. Following the example of research that rethinks disability’s meaning and its impact on architecture, we build upon methods used in the context of inclusive design and adapt them for the heritage context. In order to gain insight into how different bodies and minds experience built heritage, we collaborate with user/experts on multiple case studies in diverse heritage sites. We observe the potential of the theoretical and methodological output of the research for the broader conservation practice. The approach put forward by our research provides an opportunity to rethink normative approaches in heritage conservation, questioning assumptions and habits (in e.g. heritage evaluation) and challenging prevailing preconceptions

Architects’ Attitudes Towards Users: A Spectrum of Advocating and Envisioning Future Use(rs) in Design

As designers of people’s living environments, architects are committed to deliver ‘good’ designs, but whose appreciation is considered here may differ. Perspectives range from architects themselves or their professional community over a particular client to society at large. Due to the increasing complexity of design processes, however, architects may not have direct access to users’ perspectives. This article explores what underpins architects’ constructions of the people they design for, drawing on an ethnographic study in three Belgian architecture firms. Interviews with architects shed light on their motivations and reasoning regarding responsibilities towards users. Additionally, observations of design meetings illustrate the visions in play when architects reflect-in-action about future use(rs). Results show a spectrum of attitudes, affecting how the presence of ‘the user’ is shaped in design. The insights are useful for developing strategies to support architects in accommodating, negotiating and acting more consciously on user experience in design