Universal Design

The original Universal Design Principles can be found here and here

These have then be reframed for buildings in this work

Mosca, E.I., Capolongo, S. (2020). Universal Design-Based Framework to Assess Usability and Inclusion of Buildings. In: Gervasi, O., et al. Computational Science and Its Applications – ICCSA 2020. ICCSA 2020. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 12253. Springer, Cham. https://doi-org.proxy.findit.cvt.dk/10.1007/978-3-030-58814-4_22

Physical-Spatial Quality

The capability of the environment to foster easy, comfortable, functional, and safe use of space and objects. This means being able to physically interact with a system;

Principle 1: Usability:

To use environments, facilities, and objects to ensure the comfort of different users (e.g. distance, dimension, weight, number of people, etc.). Usability includes accessibility, which is considered a pre-requisite;

Principle 2: Functionality:

To satisfy the preferences of different users through flexibility and adaptation of space and furniture in terms of use and time (i.e. maintainability);

Principle 3: Safety/Security:

To guarantee safety and security of different users in both emergency and common situations, by minimizing risks without stigmatized solutions;

Sensorial-Cognitive Quality

The capability of the environment to foster orientation, comprehension of the service, and comfort of users. This refers to the features that impact peoples’ senses and cognition;

Principle 4: Wayfinding:

To orientate users with visual, tactile, and verbal information to help them determine their own position in a space;

Principle 5: Understanding:

To communicate information in an effective and simple way through different methods, regardless of the environmental conditions or the cognitive and sensory abilities of users;

Social Quality

The ability of the environment to enhance well-being and inclusion. It considers emotional stimuli and social integration among users.

Principle 6: Well-being:

To transfer positive emotions to different users through healthy behaviours, physical activity and the design of the environment and its soft qualities, pleasantness, and esthetics;

Principle 7: Social Inclusion:

To foster active participation of different users during the design process, guarantee the same experience for all users, reinforce the cultural values of any design project, and treat all groups with dignity and respect.