Accessibility

Accessibility means a building or public space can be used by everyone: a wheelchair user, a blind pedestrian, a parent with a pushchair, an older person with a walking stick. In Turkey (where the term is Erişilebilirlik) it is a mandatory part of design, set out in zoning legislation and the related Turkish standards.

Where it shows up in a project

• Step-free entrances or ramps at a suitable gradient
• Lift car sizes and door widths
• Accessible toilets and wet areas
• Tactile paving, contrasting stair nosings and handrails
• Reserved parking bays close to the entrance

Dimensions and gradients for these elements come from the regulations and standards, and designers work to the current text. The harder problem is usually continuity rather than any single size. There is a ramp, but a threshold at the top; there is a lift, but the corridor is too narrow to turn. An accessible route has to work from the street to the room without a single break.

Accessibility and universal design

Accessibility rules are a minimum. Universal design goes further, aiming for spaces that work well for everyone from the start, and good projects do both. In visualization, an entrance ramp or level threshold should read as part of the architecture, not as something added afterwards.