Rethinking public building's architecture with people living with disabilities

How can we improve the experience of the public built environment, resulting in better access to public services?

This nine-month project for the UK government aimed to develop new methodologies and research processes to improve the accessibility of public buildings and services for people living with health conditions and disabilities. The research took place in four cities across England and involved ten participants living with different forms of disability, both customers of public services and staff members.

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The research process designed by our multidisciplinary team (three designers and researchers) built on a Research-through-Design approach and a methodological assemblage: through disability and inclusivity expert interviews, sensory mapping, ethnographic field research, co-design sessions, and workshops with the policy team, the diversity of approaches allowed us to gather data in situ and in the moment, ensuring participant’s voices were at the centre of the design and research process.

The first phase of this design and research project aimed to grasp the complexity and diversity of public building experiences for people living with health conditions and disabilities. Interviews with inclusive design and disability employment specialists helped us better understand inclusive design principles in the built environment. They highlighted the importance of accounting for the senses and the entire journey when designing the research, not just the time spent in the building.

On those principles, we built a new sensory mapping methodology using traffic light cards, where we accompanied participants at a range of public service appointments while measuring their stress levels and the related senses. The traffic light cards were designed to ensure a simple experience that wouldn’t add stress to the participant’s journey and appointment. It supported non-verbal communication when needed, with participants using it under the table to signal when their stress level rose during some of their interactions with public services. The diversity in location and participants during the sensory mapping allowed the team to gather a wide range of perspectives and experiences. Those experiences were translated into visual sensory maps and comparative maps, making it easy for policymakers, experts, and architects to visualise the challenges and opportunities for improvement.

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Following the sensory mapping and first analysis, we gathered with participants to co-design their ideal public service building. We created the ‘Build your own’ toolkit, allowing participants to be physically involved in re-designing the space and services, putting people’s experiences and ideas forward. Their ideas were incorporated into a final report and set of recommendations shared with experts and the policy team, supported by a workshop and brainstorming session to understand how best to put them into practice.