Mapping and documenting conflicts between Users and Built Environments

Abstract

The step-by-step expansion of the corpus of design knowledge, to incorporate the needs and wishes of the real diversity of users, requires a large amount of additional information about environment-related human 'disablities'(limitations and possibiblities). To arrange and document this large amount of new design information there is a need in the first instance for a global model that makes it possible to map in a theoretical and deductive manner the relevant diversity of users and the complexity of built environments. To this end, a Universal Design Users - Built Environments Model is elaborated to list the users' disabilities and activities, and to map the matching aspects and elements of built environments(mapping). In the second instance, the empirically detected disabling aspects and elements of built environments must be analysed in greater detail to assist decision-makers and designers. This information about both people - environment 'Conflicts' and empiricaly based 'Resolutions', is documented in a so-called Universal Design Pattern database(documenting).