In this post I want to talk about two very good things that unfortunately don’t get integrated enough in architectural practice: accessibility and architectural character/complexity. Architects are really good at each independently, but rarely good at combining them. Far too often architects let accessibility preclude architectural complexity.
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| Rampz for dayz |
When I think about why cities throughout Europe have so much charm and character, it has a lot to do with their physical characteristics: cobblestone streets, narrow alleyways, numerous steps, low ceilings, chopped up interior spaces, and steep inclines. Genoa is a perfect example. However, many of the things that give these cities their character and complexity are the very things that make the city a nightmare for those with mobility issues. They are almost all things that are impossible in the U.S. because of accessibility laws. The laws are a wonderful thing, of course, so I’m putting the onus on designers to better integrate accessibility into their projects while creating spaces that are architecturally rich and interesting.
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| Steps up to the Villa in Genoa |
A successful example of this abroad is José Cruz Ovalle’s Universidad Adolfo Ibañez in Chile. Through the use of well thought out ramps, accessibility becomes one with the architecture, never feeling like something tacked on at the end of the design phase. To me, accessible architecture is at its finest when the accessible route doesn’t feel second class to a “main” route. In other words, it’s a beautiful thing when people of all abilities can
and want to use the same route.
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| Universidad Adolfo Ibañez by José Cruz Ovalle |
There’s an interesting example of merging complexity and accessibility on an urban scale in the Dutch city of Breda. In many ways, Breda is like many European cities. It has a storied medieval history and is full of charm and visual complexity. It is also full of beautiful ancient cobblestone streets that make life extremely difficult for those with mobility issues. The city sought to do something about this. Throughout the streets of Breda, city planners have plucked the round cobblestones from the street, cut them in half, and re-laid them curved side down. In doing this, they have made the streets accessible while retaining the look and feel of the cobblestone street.
We do tend to think as a profession that accessibility is a challenge or a damper on designs. But it is just another possible constraint for exploration. There are so many other "design problems" to solve that we work out creativity. Why can't we start to do what some of your examples point out and embrace it. Use it for creativity. It's something I've always wondered about or have looked into somewhat for types of accessibility, like Deafness. "Deaf Space" exists and is created in a totally different perspective by taking the challenges of those being designed for to make something intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI love the example of Breda. You're totally right, more often then not what is best for those with disability is best for all. Another example of this would be curb cuts. They were originally put in for those with wheel chairs, but they proved to be helpful to a far broader range of people, those with strollers, carts full of groceries, delivery people, etc. Now they even include the dots that let blind people know they're at the edge.
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