Most built environment professionals support the concept of including as many people as possible in the design of any project.

(above image: St Olavs Hospital, Norway, image source)

This principle is known as universal design.

True access and inclusion goes beyond compliance with the Disability (Access to Premises – Buildings) Standard 2010 (Cth.)(DAPS). However, there is a gap between the principle and the practice. This is where a universal design approach plays an important role.

Compliance to building regulations alone does not protect those working on large-scale projects from contravening the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth.) (DDA) and becoming a subject of a disability discrimination case. The reason for this is that building regulations are not able to cover all the details that are required to ensure equitable access for everyone.

So, what does a universal design approach mean? And what are the challenges?

A universal design approach broadens the scope of design thinking to consider people of all ages, backgrounds and capabilities. It considers how designs can either include or exclude a broad range of people.

But there are challenges with large-scale projects that take years to complete. Many projects begin with a commitment to universal design only to get lost along the way. The result is that early ambitions to go above and beyond minimum standard compliance fall by the wayside.

So how can the commitment to universal design be embedded in large-scale projects?

The following case study begins at procurement, in which a universal design approach IS the brief.

A case study

The brief for this large-scale project was to adopt a universal design approach from the outset.

A consultancy was engaged to drive universal design thinking from Concept Design through to project completion. Their role was to ensure that the design went beyond mandatory legislative standards for access to be a flagship of inclusion.

The consultants provided the client with a Universal Design Guide. This provided a universal design framework with advice and guidance that served to underpin and inform all design thinking from that point forward. The advice covered every aspect of the physical design.

The advice was a technical document for access compliance. It was complete with diagrams and all the necessary National Construction Code 2022 Volume One – Building Code of Australia (NCC/BCA) and relevant standards. This was framed into three sections: Mandated, Recommended, and Universal.

The Recommended section of the Universal Design Guide covered future and upcoming standards. The Universal section focused on enhancements that go beyond minimum standards. An example was the provision of pathways of 1800mm width so that two wheeled devices can pass each other instead of the minimum 1000mm required to achieve compliance.

The Universal Design Guide became a template for the design team and a means by which the consultants could ensure that universal design knowledge remained front and centre of designs. It was their go-to document for resolving contentious issues.

There was a lot of push and pull with maintaining a universal design approach to all aspects of the design. As expected, in some cases there were compromises. Reception desks are one example.

Reception desks in large buildings often have more than one receptionist and need to accommodate paperwork, computers, cabling and other infrastructure.  Standard reception desks are mostly designed for workers who either sit or stand at the desk – depending on the nature of the duties which are being performed.

While access standards consider building users in terms of visitors, they often forget the needs of staff, who might have a temporary injury or permanent disability. A universally designed reception desk must consider the diversity of all building users. This is where it becomes complex. The employee side of the desk needs to be wide enough to accommodate equipment such as computers, cabling and paperwork. To be accessible, it should provide a lowered section for both staff and visitors with disability. However, where compliant knee and foot clearance is provided, the distance required to pass and reach between sides becomes impractical and can cause an OHS hazard.

A long-term project taking years to complete involves challenges with continuity of knowledge. Staff and consultants come and go. Just when one group is educated and on the same page with universal design principles, they may leave and others step in.

In addition, large-scale projects are often delivered in smaller design packages which are produced by separate teams. This creates silos and means that lessons which are learned by the first group of designers are not always passed on.

However, in this case, the consultant’s brief defined a universal design approach which gave them authority to bring new staff and consultants up to speed with the concepts. Because universal design was the core of the brief, the consultants were able to push back against requests to simply comply with minimum standards when design-aesthetics or value-management became an issue. Their role became one of education. This involved explaining the negative impact of minimum standards along with the benefits of adopting a universal design approach.

Existing conditions such as steep topography can mean that compromises can be expected. In this, case it was the design of external landscaping with a garden and pathways to the principal entrance. A relatively steep slope from the boundary to the entrance of the building meant that careful consideration around flooding and drainage was required. This is where creative thinking was needed.

In this setting, minimum standards would require clearly defined pathways with raised edging for people who use mobility devices or those with low vision. However, this conflicted with drainage requirements. The creative solution was to provide slightly raised stone details with a contrasting colour at the edges of the paths to achieve visual and tactile wayfinding cues. This married the aesthetic of the natural garden design reflecting connection to Country.

Three success factors

This case study highlights three factors which can help to drive inclusive outcomes on the project.

First, there was the ambition of the client to be inclusive and to adopt a universal design approach from pre-procurement stage.

Second, there was having the driving force of universal design as THE Brief, not just a token statement within a brief. This was a critical success factor for a) mitigating actions under the DDA, and b) providing a built environment that is usable, comfortable and convenient for everyone.

Finally, there was the engagement of universal design consultants who are authorised by the client to continuously advise and educate, thereby monitoring the project from beginning to end.

There are many creative and procedural challenges in taking a universal design approach. The turnover of leading staff, topography, and time constraints all have a role to play.

However, this case study demonstrates that it is possible to complete a universally designed project by having a team dedicated to keep the process on track. The result reduces the risk of a discrimination complaints and demonstrates a firm commitment to access and inclusion.

By Dr Jane Bringolf & Ellen Naismith

Jane Bringolf wants to see a world where designers and policy makers automatically consider the diversity of the population to create inclusive built environments, products and services. She is the founder of Centre for Universal Design Australia (CUDA), which is now managed by the Melbourne Disability Institute at The University of Melbourne. Jane’s academic qualifications include a BSSc, MBA and PhD in Urban studies. She is currently Honorary Fellow at the Melbourne Disability Institute and a member of the CUDA steering committee.

Ellen is a Disability Access Consultant and Neuro-Inclusion specialist who provides advice to government, private industry, community groups and non-government organisations to ensure the built environment, including festivals & events, are accessible, welcoming and inclusive for people with visible and hidden disabilities.

Harnessing her lived experience as a parent of neurodivergent daughters, Ellen has been developing knowledge, assessment tools and design guidelines for Neurodiversity. She facilitates a bi-monthly discussion group with Victorian Local Government Diversity & Inclusion Officers, universities, service providers and peak body organisations to share information & ideas around Sensory Spaces & Chill Out Zones. In 2022, Ellen presented at the City of Melbourne’s 30yr Anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act on the importance of ‘Sensory Rooms & Chill Out Zones’.

Ellen conducts detailed access compliance audits and provides clear advice to enable her clients to meet their legislative obligations and exceed minimum regulatory requirements to achieve enhanced access.

Ellen’s extensive local government experience has given her a unique understanding of Council processes which enables her to develop tailored recommendations that inform strategic documents, infrastructure works and Masterplans.

Her previous freelance consultancy work included developing the first Disability Action Plan for the Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, along side Dynamic Outcomes, as part of a team of disability access specialists.

Ellen developed Moreland City Council’s Good Access is Good Business Guide in 2014. The colourful A5 booklet was designed to be easy to understand by the culturally diverse local traders and is still considered a benchmark document to this day.

In 2018, Ellen was engaged by City of Yarra as Project Manager for Phase Three of the Good Access Good Business Project.

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