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As Tony said my name's Neil Murphy, the senior built environment advisor
at the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, my background is an
architect and what I'm going to do is take you through our latest
publication, one of the latest publications, "Building For
Everyone", so I'll just walk through that and hopefully it will be
an interesting presentation for you.
Building for Everyone, which I'll refer to as BfE from now on, we tried
to look at, it was previously published in 1998 and 2000, I think
2002 as a design guide for built environment professionals,
and the general public on how to make buildings accessible,
so it was decided to take a universal design approach to the book.
Now one book has been turned into 10 booklets, it informs about Universal
Design, it promotes Universal Design within the built environment and it's
aimed at professionals working in the built environment and the general
public, so those professionals will be yourselves, access officers, etcetera.
There is an increase in technical drawings and photographs.
What you see on the slide is the listing of the various booklets and
you can see the colours, throughout the design of the revision there is a
language, a design language to it, so we use colours to highlight and to
denote the various booklets, so they range from external environment and
approach, entrances and horizontal circulation, vertical circulation,
internal environment and services, sanitary facilities, facilities and
buildings, building types, building management, planning and index and terminology.
As you can see it's an extensive and universal area covered.
So there are the covers, as I said we thought long and hard, obviously we
are the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design and we are very
aware that in order to appeal, certainly to design professionals,
we have to actually, our designs have to look good.
So a lot of thought and effort was put into what we think is a great
final set of booklets.
So the Building for Everyone has been revised to include Universal Design
principles, as I mentioned this is the third version, the first version
in '98 and second in 2002, they were the most downloaded documents from
the NDA website.
Just to cover what Universal Design means, under the synopsis of the
Disability Act, Universal Design refers to the design and composition
of an environment so it can be accessed, understood and used to the
greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age,
size, ability or disability.
If you cover age, size, ability or disability in the design, you have
basically cornered the market, so it's not just hearts and flowers
involved, there is a mercenary side to it, which appeals to business,
so good design means you make more money, that's just a fact.
So BfE references Part M 2010 Revised Access to Building Regulations,
but also goes beyond that, we think BfE is good practice, we know it is
good practice; the dimensions and references throughout BfE are based
on combined guidance from many of the international standards and guidelines.
We looked at standards from Norway, from Australia, New Zealand, America,
Canada, Lebanon, so we like to think we covered a wide area of standards,
international standards.
And within the booklets a range has been given instead of a single
optimum dimension, as this provides more flexibility to designers.
This was major feedback that we received from built environment
professionals, they wanted to be given a flexibility rather than
having a rigid set of rules and regulations.
The objectives of the series of booklets are to identify and promote
best practice with regard to Universal Design in the built and
external environment.
Provide best practice guidelines while recognising existing
regulations in Ireland.
Provide guidelines that are usable by and accessible to the target
audience, which is everybody.
And promote the achievement of Universal Design in Ireland.
I'm not going to go through the slide too much, we did an extensive focus
consultation process, we contacted 56 organisations and individuals,
the overall response we got was overall agreement and positive
response received from participants, specific responses concerning
elements of text, images and drawings were received.
And some examples of the organisations were the Royal
Institute of Architects of Ireland, Irish Wheelchair Association, Office
of Public Works, National Council for the Blind Ireland, etcetera.
As I said extensive cross-checking took place with the Department of the
Environment on the continuity and compatibility of the revised Part M
and the new Building for Everyone.
We have engaged extensively with the Department of the Environment and are
delighted to do so and feel we have a good relationship, which we'll use as
we move forward with our next set of documents we are working on this year
and in the years to come.
So we ensured in no area does BfE contradict Part M rather what it is
offered is a range of dimensions similar or above Part M,
thus allowing greater flexibility to the designer and also providing a
platform for Universal Design for all people of Ireland regardless of age,
size, ability or disability.
This sheet is basically a sample of the cross-check that we did, we had
-- we were working with Eoin O'Shea, an architect, and he is also a
IRCSET doctorate student, which is the Irish Research Council for
Science, Engineering and Technology, based at Trinity Haus, Eoin's help
was invaluable in making sure that our new set of booklets met and went
beyond national and international standards in order to provide a
correct set of guidance for designers and the general public.
So the question is why Universal Design?
People are diverse, that's a given, but sometimes when it comes to
designers they don't think of that, so it's our job to remind them and re-enforce that.
Some people are left-handed some are right-handed, people vary in their
age, size and functional capabilities. Illness or disability,
whether temporary or permanent can also affect characteristics such as
people's mobility, dexterity, reach, balance, strength, touch, knowledge,
understanding, memory or sense of direction, so all these are very,
very important issues -- we're just getting a bit of feedback from the
dog having a drink, but I can relate to that, it's pretty hot up here!
I'm delighted to have him or her join us today -- him, very good.
So Universal Design assumes we have some images up on the screen which
shows a woman on a set of crutches, she is manoeuvring down a ramp and
she is with her boyfriend or husband, so she's obviously injured her leg,
you have an image of a pregnant woman, you have an image of a person
holding a map, in other words they look like they are lost, and then you
have an image of someone carrying two heavy shopping bags, plastic bags.
What we are trying to say is that Universal Design assumes --
what we are saying is that every person experiences barriers,
reduced functioning, some form of disability, whether it be temporary
or permanent at some stage in life, that's part of life.
So people should be able to find their way easily, understand how to
use building facilities, such as intercoms and lifts, and know what is
a pedestrian facility and should know where they may encounter traffic
within and without the building.
I'm going to cover -- there are certain principles of Universal
Design, but I'm only going to cover one, I think it's an important one.
Principle one is equitable use, we have three images here, one of a
person using a wheelchair, using a level entry tram or rail car,
pretty much the same image shows a mother with a stroller gaining entry
to a similar tram or underground subway train, and then there is an
image of an older woman pushing a pram and also pulling a wheeled
luggage, so the first image shows a person using a wheelchair and they
are able to gain access easily to the tram car.
A lot of designers won't even relate or understand or remember that,
when people have babies or children they need to be able to do very
similar actions to someone using a wheelchair, so the idea is if you
design out all the problems from the very start there won't be any
problems or the cost of problems of retrofitting, which can cost a huge
amount of money to governments and local authorities.
The other image of the woman pushing the stroller and carrying or leading
the wheeling luggage, obviously this is a woman is who is moving fast
through a busy area, but seems confident and at ease with what she is doing.
The thing to note is that the wheeled luggage there, this year is the 40th
anniversary of the putting wheels on luggage, humanity has had wheels as
part of transport for thousands of years, it's only 40 years ago someone
thought about putting wheels on a suitcase, so that is where Universal
Design, what it's about and where it's going, it's about thinking
beyond barriers and particular boxes to provide good design.
That is pretty much all it is.
It's not rocket science.
A quote from a person called Welsh saying universal design is not a
euphemism for accessibility, as access features such as ramps and
lifts are potent symbols of separateness and universal design is
not about separating people.
So put simply we should be able to enter via the same door in all
aspects of society, literally or metaphorically, but it should always
be handled professionally in all stages of the process, and because
you are here today, that is reinforcing that particular point.
These are the covers; I'll go quickly through each of the booklets and show
you a flavour of what's involved.
Booklet one is External Environment and Approach, as you can see what we
tried to do with regards to each of the booklets was include images of
families of people that may not have been used in design booklets before,
so we have an image of a father pushing a stroller along a busy
street, dressed in a suit, he looks corporate and it looks like a
financial area, so it's alluding to the fact that this man is busy,
but still has time for his child, he needs to have a wide footpath that's accessible.
Then there is an image of a family, four kids and the parents and they
are standing on a wide pedestrian footpath, it's bright and colourful
and this is what we wanted for the series.
Then we have a very clear, easily understood drawing and this drawing
shows accessible car parking spaces and the dimensions are clear,
the text involved in what a designer or stakeholder would want to see is
all there, hopefully.
Booklet two, the next slide, is Entrances and Horizontal Circulation,
this slide shows the cover of booklet two, it shows a drawing with
dimensions of entrance doorways, it shows three photographs, one is a
bright and airy atrium in a local authority with level entry access.
The next is a person in a wheelchair at a split level reception desk and
an induction loop sign for the person, for people using the desk to
realise there is an induction loop and then there is an image of a guide
dog user tracing her finger across a sign that has got raised lettering in
a local authority, it's actually Cork, a photo of Elaine Kennedy from
the Irish Guide Dogs Association -- Guide Dogs Association of Ireland.
The next slide is booklet 3, Vertical Circulation.
This booklet aims to encourage designers to provide universal design
solutions for the entrances and horizontal circulation within
buildings that look beyond the recommended requirements of national
building regulations; I won't repeat that last part and the next slides;
that's pretty much par for the course for the rest of the booklets.
There are three images, one is of a clear glass lift, an accessible lift
in a building, it's a level entry and looks -- it is easy to use, easy to
understand and gives access to the floors above the ground floor.
The next image is of a travelator in an airport, modern looking design,
has good clear signage for passengers to make their terminals and then a
drawing of an internal stairs, very clearly drawn with good dimensions,
this is what designers need when they are in a busy office, to access the
information quickly and we hope we have achieved that goal.
Booklet 4, the next slide is Internal Environment and Services, this aims
to increase awareness of and to encourage designers to identify the
needs of all those who require good internal environment and layouts
within buildings in order to undertake daily activities.
So there is three pictures, one of a very well designed signage post in
Cork City Council's offices, and there is also an image of a reception
desk with a large induction loop and a receptionist sitting behind the desk.
And then there is a drawing of arrow placement on directional signs which,
if you have ever gone into a building and the arrows aren't correct you can
get lost easily and that's for people who have got perfect vision,
so good design is always important.
Booklet 5, next is Sanitary Facilities, this booklet aims to
encourage designers to provide universal design solutions for
sanitary facilities that look beyond the minimum regulations.
So three images here and two of them are generously donated by an interior
architect in England called Alison Wright, she designs what we feel are
fantastic bathrooms.
The first image shows a large family bathroom, all the sanitary
facilities, toilet and sink, are off the floor and the bath has a good
space, toe space for people to be able to lean over.
The bathroom is a wet room, she designed the room for a family with
kids, the mother used to wash the kids and dog on muddy days when they
came in on the floor of the bathroom, they didn't need the bath, it has
underfloor heating, it dries quickly and it also makes it clean,
you are cleaning the bathroom everytime you have a shower.
The next is a shower unit she designed for a customer of hers,
it looks like a shower unit in a hotel, but this is a domestic house,
it's something we'd all like.
What the image shows is very nice tiling, very expensive tiling,
a seat, a nice screen, level entry and underfloor heating,
so very comfortable and easy to use.
And then there is a drawing of an accessible shower with a WC.
Next slide is booklet 6, Facilities and Buildings; this aims to encourage
designers to provide universal design solutions for facilities and
equipment within buildings that go beyond minimum regs, three images;
one of a reception desk, a vending machine and one of key dimensions for
general seating areas, so important information in clear,
easy to understand drawings.
Booklet 7 is Building Types; this aims to increase awareness of and to
encourage designers to identify the needs of all those who require access
to a wide range of buildings and spaces to undertake daily activities.
There are about 7 images; one is of a boardwalk in Carrick-on-Shannon,
one of a public library, a woman with a stroller at a taxi rank, the other
is of a park and mother and a child in a field by the side of a mountain,
what we are trying to reinforce is that you should be able to access
external spaces as well as public spaces.
Booklet 8 is Building Management; this aims to encourage building
managers to provide effective building management and universal
design solutions for a wide range of buildings that look beyond the
minimum regs.
So three images here, one of terminology, a list of terms used in
the booklet, we have a check-list shown, which is green panel with tick
marks, which you should try and meet all the check-list requirements and
then there is the example of priority ratings for buildings.
The final booklet is the 10, this is number 9, Planning and Policy; this
covers issues around the planning process including development plans,
planning policies, development control, planning conditions, and how
the concept of universal design can add value to the planning process in Ireland.
Again there is three images, one of a boardwalk indicating level access
with a check-list below it, the other is universal design with a
pre-application check-list and the other is a venue check-list for
consultation events.
There is no point running a consultation event if entrance to the
building is purely stairs, you are on a hiding to nothing straight away,
so what this is suppose to do is help those involved in the planning
process in Ireland to be able to do it in a better way
using universal design principles.
The final slide regarding booklets is Booklet 10, Index and Terminology, it
provides an overarching index and list of terminologies used in the BfE series.
The next few slides I'll run through quickly shows a flavour of what the
interior of the booklets look like.
We use colour, each had a colour, which was used as banner headings and
highlighting particular pieces of text, lots of images, an image of a
woman with a stroller, split level reception desk and a person using
a wheelchair in an airport.
Again next slide shows another example, photo of a man with a
stroller, which you saw earlier on and a drawing of a parking space in a
garage for a person using a wheelchair and a car.
Again final slide on this shows an older woman using a check-out desk in
a supermarket, so again we're trying to involve age, size, ability
and disability throughout the series.
Another slide showing another flavour with check-lists, there are
check-lists throughout the series to help you ensure that you have met the
requirements of the design that you are trying to do.
Another one.
So here's what the booklets look like.
They are available free, however we don't have the budget to post them
out to people, so if you want a set please contact us at the centre and
we'll be delighted for to you come in, in a way for us it's great,
because we get to meet the people getting the series or you can design
it -- they are free to download on the website.
www.universaldesign.ie /buildingforeveryone.
They are accessible PDFs, so for people with visual difficulties they
are fully accessible, if you have any issues let us know, we hope we
covered everything.
There they are again, the slide shows the ten booklet covers.
Just a final slide basically covers what work we were involved in,
in the centre, regarding the built environment in 2012 and beyond,
we have just got the NDA's board to approve the final draft of a piece of
research that we carried out with Trinity Haus, which is a building
construction research centre in Trinity College looking at shared
spaces, shared surfaces and home zones, research and recommendations for Ireland.
This is a very exciting piece of research and we are delighted how it
came about and it's hopefully going to provide better urban spaces for
all people in Ireland and we like to think it's the first in the world
involving universal design so that's hopefully going to be on the website soon.
We are near the tail-end of universal design homes guidelines for Ireland,
which should be completed in the next month, so keep an eye on the website for that.
We are currently on the E-tender website looking for tenders for
universal design lifecycle campuses for Ireland, this is basically
campuses on one side involving pre-school, primary, secondary, third
level and older people's education in the one campus, it means you are
making savings regarding carbon footprint, cost of travel, transport,
road networks, etcetera.
And the final piece is research and recommendations; we are just building
the tender for now for dementia and home design for Ireland, looking at
new build and retrofit universal design guidance, we feel, as many
people do, we all would like to live in our homes till the end of our
days, we hope this research will be helpful for built environment professionals.
That's me, thank you very much, a bit of a rush through, that's our website.
universaldesign.ie /buildingforeveryone
Thanks.