Universal design – landscape planning for people with disabilities

Abstract

Architect designing new buildings or modernising old ones should not only pursue meeting esthetics and safety requirements, but above all ensure that the facility or housing is available for all users. Space, within each human is moving should be designed in such a way that satisfy users’ needs regardless of their physical and mental abilities. Designing space for disabled persons involves the concept called universal design. Its aim is to provide access for each person to all facilities in urban environment. The inspiration of conducting research on planning space availability for people with disabilities was seeing engineering design, which included designing the hall of residence of Gdańsk Medical University. Then, I began to wonder if architecture students take into consideration needs of disabled people while designing housing and public facilities and what knowledge they have in this field. In order to provide an illustration of designing space for people with disabilities, I have decided to present the concept of universal design that is space planning for disabled persons.