The Centre for Accessible Environments in London has been providing access advice for many years, many of them heritage buildings. As a not-for-profit, their aim is for more mainstream buildings to be accessible and inclusive. They got the chance with the office space for the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT). The Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) website has an overview of the work they did on this building.
The image shows the accessible shower room prior to the refit. The design is based on a public standard and looks very clinical.
Image from the CAE website.
The building accommodates around 90 staff across four floors with meeting rooms on the ground floor. This floor had level access, powered doors, and an accessible shower room that looked like a hospital room. Not what CAE would consider gold standard.
The image shows the same wheelchair accessible shower room but with improved colour aesthetics. While this might meet British Standards, Australian access consultants might take issue with some aspects. The placement of the mirror, for example.
Image from the CAE website.
The outcome of CAE’s involvement is that the fit-out of the shower room looked less clinical despite the considerable amount of specialised equipment and features. The overall success was the focus on detail such as the amount of pile in a rug.
Quiet spaces and soundproofing and height adjustable desks are also part of the fitout. CAE’s access consultant also acknowledge that flexibility of space is essential. “Until people use a building following a redesign, you don’t know if it’s going to meet the needs of everyone.
The title of the article is, Design appraisal & audit helps RCOT turn office into profitable asset. There is more information on this fitout including the staff kitchen. Check out some of their other case studies.
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