Towards a Design Methodology for More supporting an inclusive design attitude in the built environment

Abstract

The social, academic and political field embraces Design for All (DfA), Universal Design (UD) or Inclusive Design (ID) more and more as a global strategy to help formulating answers towards a more inclusive and sustainable world. The ageing population as well as the search for social relevant design, result in an increasing need for design methods and supportive design methodologies. While theoretical studies and knowledge in DfA are growing, the need for more insights and ways to link knowledge and practice is still inadequate. Although the aim is to design an inclusively built environment, the paradox lies in the fact that designers are frequently confronted with non-inclusive information themselves. The tools, methods or methodologies for the design process in order to improve or check the user-friendliness often lack a clear and understandable language itself. However, the strength of a good design tool that may influence the designer’s attitude towards a more inclusive design result will lie in the effectiveness and inclusiveness of the tool itself. Therefore, it is crucial to translate the existing theory into information adjusted to the level and needs of the architect. Literature study confirms that there is no design methodology available which efficiently supports the architect at several levels of inclusive design. This research focuses on the development of a supportive, user-friendly design methodology that integrates more inclusive design tools during the design process. In other words, the design methodology itself will attempts to answer the 7 UD principles as well as the conditions that architects consider as important requirements. This research investigates an inclusive design methodology supportive for an inclusive design attitude in order to realize a time-efficient, accurate and accessible approach throughout the design process.