DESCARTES:
Designing with CAD for Accessibility in the Built Environment
Anne Humphreys (SNRU, University of Northumbria, Newcastle, UK(,
Bob Allen (Central Remedial Clinic, Dublin, Ireland), Joao Mena Matos
(European Desing Centre, Eindhoven, The Nederlands)
ABSTRACT:
The built environment is responsible for much of the
exclusion experienced by disabled people in everyday life. However,
although change is slow, awareness of the situation has increased in
recent years, and improvements are being made. A considerable body of
knowledge now exists on techniques variously described as 'design for
all', 'barrier-free design' and 'inclusive thinking'. These techniques
advocate the creation of buildings which are fully accessible and usable
for the widest possible range of citizens. In most European countries
regulations are in force governing the accessibility of new public
buildings. Examples of good practice now exist in private house design
and renovation of older buildings.
If these techniques are to be widely applied to make the built
environment of the future fully accessible, those responsible for its
design and development need to have access to this body of
information. The DESCARTES project aims to develop systems to assist
two user groups with crucial roles to play in accessible building design,
namely architects and disabled people. It is proposed to develop the
following related software tools:
1. a CAD accessory package supplying architects with detailed
information during the course of the design process
2. a pilot tool providing realistic 3D representation of the built
environment which will permit disabled individuals to participate in the
design of their own domestic environments.
This paper concentrates upon the second proposed development - the
creation of a 'virtual home' in which the disabled user can experiment
with different layouts. Within the restrictions of the pilot application
(domestic design for people with locomotor disabilities), possibilities for
the use of 3D representation are considered. Attention is also given to
the ways in which the user's own abilities should be communicated to
and included within the model. Networking of both proposed software
tools is discussed in the light of current work by project partners.
RIASSUNTO:
Il progetto DESCARTES si pone il fine di sviluppare
sistemi software a supporto di architetti e disabili per la progettazione
di ambienti privi di barriere architettoniche. I due sistemi, che possono
lavorare indipendentemente o in modo correlato, consistono in:
- un pacchetto CAD per il progetto architettonico;
- un pacchetto avanzato che fornisce la visualizzazione tridimensionale
dell'ambiente progettato, consentendo ai disabili di partecipare alla
progettazione degli ambienti domestici a loro destinati.
Questa relazione si sofferma sulle caratteristiche del progetto di
'casa virtuale', all'interno del quale il disabile puo' sperimentare diversi
tipi di layout, sulla base delle esigenze personali.
1 Background
This paper describes work which was included in a proposal submitted to
the EC's TIDE (Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly people)
programme in August 1993. The proposal was recommended for funding by
reviewers but was not selected for support in the present round. Consortium
members nevertheless feel that the proposed developments have too much
potential, both commercially and socially, to forget and are currently seeking
alternative avenues through which to progress the project.
The DESCARTES consortium consists of SNRU (a University research
unit); EDC, Netherlands (a SME specialising in CAD/VR); CRC, Ireland (a
rehabilitation centre); NWR, Netherlands (a housing organisation); Ove Arup
Associates, UK (a large architectural engineering company); EGERIS,
France (specialising in domotique and domestic design for disability); and
Tyne and Wear Development Corporation, UK (a regional body responsible
for planning and urban regeneration). Our organisations are collaborating as a
result of our common interests and complementary perspectives in the area
of design in relation to disabled people. Some of us have worked together
previously and links have been strengthened through the development of the
DESCARTES project.
2 Introduction
2.1 Disabled People and the Built Environment
It is recognised that disabled people experience inconvenience, outright
exclusion and discrimination as a result of the social and physical environment
in today's Europe. Much of the EC's current activity on behalf of disabled
people is directed towards encouraging integration and reducing social
exclusion [1], and achieving greater independence for disabled people in all
areas of daily life [2]. These goals are shared by two groups which often find
themselves diametrically opposed. Both disabled people's organisations and
the national bodies responsible for providing social care are working to
promote independence and integration, the former because they represent a
long-overdue recognition of disabled people's rights as citizens, and the latter
because they represent reduced spending on care provision.
One of the major factors responsible for the social exclusion of disabled
people is the built environment. If an individual is unable to gain access to a
building or use its facilities this person will also be excluded from activities
taking place within the building. Since almost all activities of modern Western
society take place in manufactured environments, inadequate building design
can exclude disabled people from all areas of life. Qualified job applicants
may be refused work because the workplace toilet is inaccessible to them.
Shops, theatres or sports facilities may be similarly inaccessible or
inadequately equipped. The design of stations, airports and bus termini may
be as important as the design of the means of transport itself in deciding
whether an individual is able to travel.
In the domestic setting, design of the building and its fixtures and fittings
are crucial factors influencing a disabled person's ability to live independently.
Where basic household equipment is inappropriate or inaccessible the
disabled individual is forced to depend upon other people for simple needs.
For many people, relatively minor changes in the design and positioning of
household equipment can make the difference between dependence and
independence.
The image of a wheelchair user at the bottom of a flight of steps is the
most graphic and familiar illustration of the way in which the built
environment can erect barriers for disabled people. However, inappropriate
building design can cause needless inconvenience to people with all types of
disability. Those with sensory or cognitive disabilities, for example, can be as
greatly affected by the built environment as wheelchair users, though their
respective needs are very different. Many of these needs can be met by
simple and inexpensive practical measures which are often of benefit to
nondisabled people as well.
2.2 Recent Developments: Awareness and Know-How
During the last two decades awareness of these issues has increased
considerably. A variety of legislation has been passed in different countries
directed towards overcoming the perceived problems. National approaches
differ. In the USA the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), 1990 [3],
requires that the built environment be made fully accessible on the grounds
that disabled people have a civil right as citizens to be able to use the same
facilities as nondisabled people. In most of Europe disability as expressed by
the social policy of member states has developed as a social spending
(welfare) issue. In recent years the disability movement in Europe has
attempted to develop a civil rights focus at the national and European level
[4].
No such provision yet exists at a pan-European level although the Nordic
Committee on Disability recently proposed that a European Directive on
Accessibility on Equal Terms (Equal Access) for Persons with Disabilities
[5] should be developed. Any moves of this kind are hindered by the lack of
concensus at the European and national level over who is, and who is not,
disabled, and over the way in which disability is perceived [6]. This hinders
the development of design standards at the European level.
Ideas and Attitudes: As, over this period, the disability movement has
campaigned for civil rights for disabled people, so the design world has
developed the principle which is known as 'design for all', 'barrier-free design'
or 'inclusive thinking'. The principle advocates the positive use of design
techniques to make buildings and products accessible and usable for
everyone [7]. The emphasis is on creating equipment and settings which can
include the widest possible range of people rather than on designing 'special'
equipment and environments for disabled people. 'Design for all' thus aims to
promote social inclusion through the built and manufactured environment.
Practice: A considerable body of knowledge has developed on practical
ways in which access problems can be overcome or, better still, avoided
through appropriate and careful design. A variety of national standards and
regulations now exist governing the accessibility of buildings. They are by no
means comprehensive - for example, the UK's regulations [8] apply only to
new public buildings, and therefore have no influence over old or private ones
- but their existence nevertheless represents official recognition that a
problem exists.
It is felt by many, particularly disabled people's organisations, that existing
regulations are inadequate [e.g.9]. It is pointed out, justifiably, that a building's
accessibility and usability depend on attention to detail which regulations do
not specify. For this information the designer must look elsewhere [e.g.10]. A
number of sets of guidelines have recently been drawn together from existing
expertise and practical experience by independent bodies, to fill what they
perceive as an information gap [e.g.11,12].
2.3 Spreading the Word: DESCARTES
Though much knowledge and expertise are now available, designs still
occur which lead to exclusion and inconvenience for disabled people. This
may be because those responsible for creating the designs do not have
access to the information, or because they do not recognise the relevance of
accessible design features to their own case.
Awareness among professional architects and designers is not all it might
be. Access issues still receive only minimal attention in much of the training
of architects [13] though there are now initiatives, for example by the
European Institute for Design and Disability, to improve this situation.
However, professional designers cannot be held entirely responsible. Those
of us who are able-bodied commonly pay little attention to barrier-free design
principles when equipping and furnishing our own homes. Some of us will
nevertheless become disabled and may need to make changes as a
consequence.
The DESCARTES project therefore addresses the need to provide
appropriate information to two distinct groups of people, namely:
* Architects and planners responsible for the design of built environments to
be used by everyone
* Disabled individuals, and those working on their behalf, wishing to improve
the design of their own domestic environment.
The needs of these two client groups are very different. Whereas
professional designers require information which can be related to a range of
design tasks, amateur designers need to know about the options relating to
their own situation. Each needs the information presented in a form which
they understand and which is relevant to their experience. DESCARTES
therefore intends to develop two distinct but related software tools to serve
the two client groups. These are:
- For professional designers: a CAD application package incorporating
building regulations and guidelines relating to accessibility and barrier-free
design, which could provide a de facto standard for planners at the
European, national and local level;
- For disabled people: a pilot 3D visualisation tool offering a representation of
the user's home environment and allowing experimentation with alternative
layouts within this 'virtual home'.
The following sections will focus upon the second of these two
developments.
3 Pilot 3D Visualisation Tool for Domestic Design
3.1 Aims
The 3D visualisation tool is intended to provide a picture which is both
comprehensible and accessible for a non-specialist user. It will offer the user
the possibility to create a representation of their own home interior and to
move about within this virtual space. Entry of basic details concerning their
own mobility and physical attributes will enable the model to provide an
appropriate viewpoint and movement simulation. A library of domestic
equipment will be created from which the user will be able to select items to
place in the virtual environment.
3.2 Users
In the interests of keeping the complexity of the task within manageable
limits the DESCARTES pilot VR application will restrict its attention to a
subgroup of the disabled population, namely those with locomotor disabilities.
It is hoped that further development of the application to include a wider
range of disabilities would follow a satisfactory pilot phase.
People with locomotor disabilities - those who have difficulty walking or
who cannot walk at all - constitute one of the largest subgroups of disabled
people. From a large-scale whole population survey [14], Britain's Office of
Population Census and Surveys (OPCS) estimated that 9.9% of the UK's
adult population experience some degree of locomotor disability.
Despite the dominant image only a small minority of these people - 10% in
the UK, according to OPCS [15] - actually use wheelchairs. Even less are
totally dependent on wheelchairs for their mobility. The vast majority are able
to get around by walking, about half of them using some kind of basic aid
such as a walking stick.
The frequency of disability, and particularly locomotor disability, in the
population increases with age [14]. The majority of those with disabilities
acquire them in adult life as a result of illness or, less frequently, accidents.
This has two important implications for the experience and background of
many of the DESCARTES pilot VR tool's target population:
i) they are likely to have developed most of their living habits as able-bodied
people and, on becoming disabled, may have little or no awareness of what
adaptations and alternatives are possible;
ii) they are likely to have existing homes which have become inappropriate
for their needs.
3.3 Design Challenges
Members of the target user group are neither immobile nor incapable,
though they may be limited in the extent to which they can move about in and
use their present environment. The challenge in design terms is to find ways
in which the domestic environment can be altered to make the best use of
such abilities and mobility as they have. This may mean seeking alternatives
to the familiar domestic formats and equipment.
People with locomotor disabilities who are able to walk may have extra
difficulty with particular aspects of activity such as climbing (up or down),
standing unsupported, bending, standing up after sitting or bending, and
balance, among others. Parts of the traditional home which can cause extra
difficulty therefore include stairs and steps, bath and toilet, storage areas,
ovens and fridges at a low level, and low chairs and beds.
People who use wheelchairs have certain requirements resulting from the
properties of the chair and the way in which it is controlled. Width and
turning circle may be incompatible with the dimensions of existing doorways
and corridors. The fact that the user remains in the sitting position means that
their reach is limited and eye-and shoulder-levels are lower than for a
standing person.This can affect the use of a wide variety of household
equipment such as cookers, sinks and storage areas. Wheelchair users have
individual requirements in relation to transfering from the chair to other
places, such as a bed, another seat, or a toilet or bath.
An enormous range of design alternatives is now available to meet these
challenges. Some solutions require reorganisation of the dwelling's layout -
for example, installing a downstairs bathroom for use by a person who cannot
climb stairs. Others may be superimposed on the existing structure - in this
example, installation of a stairlift to carry the person up to the present
bathroom. Some are complex, such as computerised environmental control
systems, but the vast majority are as simple as a strategically placed handrail.
It is impossible in the present paper to give an adequate account either of
the requirements of disabled people in the domestic environment or of the
range of equipment and design options available to them. Both are described
elsewhere, e.g. [10;16].
3.4 VR challenges
It is the task of the VR tool to demonstrate to users as clearly as possible:
- what is possible in the home environment, in terms of alternative equipment
and design;
- what is possible in the context of their own home;
- what the effects of these alternatives would be in the context of their own
abilities.
These tasks raise a number of questions which will need to be answered
in order to develop appropriate VR software, including:
i) How much detail is required to offer a representation of the user's home
which will appear recognisable to the user? (And will it be realistic to ask the
user to supply this detail?)
ii) In what way should the person be asked to express their abilities for entry
into the model, and how will these be dealt with?
iii) How will movement and interaction with objects be expressed?
iv) Should the visible image include representations of parts of the user's own
body?
It is proposed that the representation be made through a technique such as
radiosity modelling which gives a screen display rather than by the use of
more complex individual VR equipment. This would enable the user to share
and discuss the image with others involved such as family members and
professional advisers.
4 Discussion
Although potential answers to some of the questions raised are already
offered by existing VR applications, this user group has certain special and
novel requirements. The accurate representation of different degrees of
locomotor ability, such that the experience of movement in the virtual
environment is realistic to the user, will be a particular challenge to the
consortium. Perhaps even more than other areas of development in this
project, it will require close collaboration between the software developers,
designers, rehabilitation professionals and disabled people who are taking
part.
Future directions for development are already suggested by the present
activities of some of the consortium members. EDC is currently investigating
the networking of VR applications in the 10-IBC VISINET project and
SNRU is about to begin work on the development of a fully accessible
transport information system provided through cable television networks.
These two developments together could enable a DESCARTES-type VR
application to be made available to people in the very homes which they wish
to redesign, or to newly disabled people rebuilding their lives and skills at
rehabilitation centres.
In the shorter term the DESCARTES consortium is currently considering
options for its future. One suggestion is that the two constituent parts of the
project be developed separately, but in tandem, by different sub-groups of
partners. At this early stage the consortium welcomes suggestions from
anyone with experience or ideas which have a bearing on its plans.
REFERENCE
1) Delors J. 'Giving a new dimension to the fight against exclusion'.
Commission of the European Communities, Copenhagen Conference, June 3-
4, 1993.
2) Commission of the European Communities DG XIII TIDE programme.
'Information package for Proposers', 1993.
3) 'Americans with Disabilities Act' Public Law 101-336-July 26, 1990.
104 STAT.327.
4) Barnes C. 'Disabled People in Britain: a case for anti-
discrimination legislation'. Hurst in association with British Council of
Organisations of Disabled People, 1991.
5) Petren F. CEC DG V/ DG XIII 'Workshop on Social Impact of
Technology on Disabled People and Elderly People', Brussels January
17-18, 1994.
6) Berthoud R., Lakey J., McKay S. 'The Economic Problems of
Disabled People'. London: Policy Studies Institute, 1993. ISBN 0 85374 551
X.
7) Philippen D. 'Barriere frei: Ein praktischer Ratgeber für alle
Menschen in jedem Alter'. Mainz: Landes-Bausparkasse Rheinland-Pfalz,
1992.
8) Department of the Environment and the Welsh Office. 'The Building
Regulations 1991. Approved Document M', 1992 Edition. London: HMSO,
1992.
9) 'Criteria for Accessible Housing'. London: Access Committee for
England, 1992.
10) Goldsmith S. 'Designing for the Disabled'. Third edition. London:
RIBA, 1984. ISBN 0 900630 50 7.
11) 'Handboek Geboden Toegang'. Utrecht: Gehandicaptenraad/
Nationale Woningraad. Updating 1993.
12) Anghelou D. et al. (eds) for Ministere de l'Equipement du Logement
et des Transports, Ministere des Affaires Sociales et de l'Integration, Union
nationale des Federations d'organisme HLM. 'Personnes Agees et Habitat:
Guide Technique, juridique et reglementaire'. Paris: Editions du Moniteur,
1992.
13) Hogan P. 'European Institute for Design and Disability'. Icograda
ICSID IFI Joint Newsletter, June 1993, p.5.
14) Martin J., Meltzer H., Elliot D. 'The prevalence of disability among
adults'. OPCS surveys of disability in Great Britain, Report 1. London:
HMSO, 1988.
15) Martin J., White A., Meltzer H. 'Disabled adults: services,
transport and employment'. OPCS surveys of disability in Great Britain,
Report 4. London: HMSO, 1989.
16) Palfreyman T., Thorp S. 'Designing for Accessibility - an
introductory guide'. London: Centre for Accessible Environments, 1993.
IL FUTURO DI RV É NELLA RETE
Vrml e Java consentiranno di realizzare applicazioni per tutte le piattaforme e disponibili a tutti gli utenti Internet.
Associazione non a scopo di lucro, Via Brenta, 7 - 40134 Bologna
Tel.051.6249028 Fax 051.245491
This page is maintained by Luigi Taruffi (webmaster@taruffi.it).