Why universal design is critical to creating truly healthy spaces

“The possibilities are endless,” says Victoria Lanteigne - Director of Strategic Partnerships at FOX Architects, WELL Faculty and WELL Community concept advisor - about the application of universal design (UD). The WELL Building Standard v2 pilot Feature C13: Accessibility and Universal Design incorporates elements of both accessible and universal design, expanding on the basic level of accessibility required in WELL v1 Feature 72: Accessible Design. But what exactly is the difference between the two design strategies? We reached out to Lanteigne - a UD expert and key collaborator on the WELL v2 feature- to shed light on why WELL projects should utilize both accessible and universal design to achieve truly healthy and inclusive spaces.

The importance of accessible and universal design

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), over one billion people - about 15% of the global population - live with some type of disability. ¹ Over the last decade, emerging research has highlighted the importance of promoting health through design within the community of people with disabilities. “What initially drew me to WELL,” Lanteigne says, “was that many of the health issues targeted by WELL actually qualify as disabilities by law.” This is because the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) describes disability as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities,” and defines public health issues, such as chronic illness, mental health and musculoskeletal disorders, as disabilities that can be addressed through environmental design. ² This is where accessible and universal design become crucially important.

“Accessible” vs. “universal” design

While both accessible and universal design share the goal of creating inclusive spaces for people with disabilities, Lanteigne relates accessible design in the United States to “compliance with United States federal-, state- and local-level accessibility regulations, as well as state and local building codes.”² The accessibility of buildings in the U.S. has been driven by federal legislation for decades. “While policy has helped pave the way for accessible design, it’s important to recognize that we have a long way to go in promoting inclusive environments for people with disabilities,” she states. This is because most accessibility requirements are focused on providing structural access for individuals with mobility issues, while remaining silent about design strategies that address mental health, cognitive and learning disabilities, and neurodiversity.

Universal design, on the other hand, encourages going above and beyond what is required by baseline accessibility regulations, emphasizing a design-for-all approach that aims to meet the needs of individuals of diverse abilities, while benefiting the greatest number of people.^2,3 Lanteigne claims that “while the origin of universal design is deeply rooted in creating inclusive environments for people with disabilities, the overall intent is to design equitable and usable spaces for people of all abilities, ages, genders, cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds. UD is really about applying thoughtful, smart and innovative design strategies to promote flexible, usable and intuitive spaces for all building occupants.” Unlike accessible design, UD expands beyond basic structural access to include design strategies as diverse as biophilia to support mental health, collaborative spaces to foster social cohesion, and wellness rooms to promote physical and emotional well-being.

The universal design movement

The UD movement was founded alongside the rise of accessible design in the 1970s by architect Ron Mace. ⁵ Mace developed the “7 Principles of Universal Design” to help guide the UD process.⁵ In 2012, a group at the Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDeA Center) developed eight Goals of Universal Design, to update the original 7 Principles and clarify the concept of UD through an outcomes-based approach.⁶ These principles and goals remain widely used by design practitioners.

Unlike accessible design, which is very prescriptive, there are infinite ways to include elements of universal design in a space. While localized guidance exists - for example, the New York City Universal Design Guidelines - there is ample opportunity to be creative with design strategies that promote inclusion. This is what makes UD a natural fit for projects with progressive design goals, including workplaces, schools, university campuses and cultural and institutional spaces.

Despite the clear benefits, the adoption of UD has its challenges. Lanteigne points out that this may be due to stigma; people hear “universal design” and believe it will be unattractive or require costly alterations even though that’s often far from the truth. Another issue is awareness; lack of guidelines often leaves designers unaware or unsure of how to implement UD strategies. To help address this barrier, Lanteigne would like to see an increase in practitioner guidance around UD, and even, perhaps, legislation that supports its adoption, much like we saw with accessible design. However, future legislation will have to walk the fine line between codifying UD – which goes against the fundamental creativity and flexibility the movement supports – and providing stringent enough guidelines to make an impact. “The right legislation,” Lanteigne asserts, “will strike a balance between art and science.”

Accessibility and universal design in WELL v2

Accessible and universal design will play a critical role in enabling all individuals to interact with spaces easily, safely and ably as the number of individuals with chronic health conditions rises. By incorporating both strategies into WELL v2 Feature C13: Accessibility and Universal Design, WELL helps highlight the return on investment - specifically, the health benefits - of these approaches.

Part 1: Ensure Essential Accessibility of Feature C13 promotes a foundation of accessibility by requiring projects to comply with a set of accessibility regulations and/or codes, which can be a challenge for existing buildings and projects. Lanteigne points out that “in the U.S. more than one federal law and building code can apply to the same project, so overlaying all necessary regulations is critical for compliance.” Working with an accessibility professional can help projects more easily navigate the process.

Part 2: Integrate Universal Design of Feature C13, which was developed in collaboration with Lanteigne, requires projects to integrate UD strategies that support developmental and intellectual health, wayfinding, inclusion, technology, safety, and flexible access and use of space. Since UD is not formally regulated, projects should consult with UD experts to establish strategies that meet the needs of all users in the space.

Design + Operations = Success

When it comes to implementation, Lanteigne advises to build-in UD goals at the onset. For example, projects can identify inclusion as one of the project goals during the stakeholder charrette phase of Feature C02: Integrative Design, to ensure this goal is woven throughout all stages of design and construction. As part of that same process, she encourages teams to be inclusive of all stakeholders to ensure project-specific design strategies:

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“Never hesitate to have those who will be using the space weigh in - it’s one of the most effective ways to create projects that will truly reflect how occupants navigate and interact with the space.”

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Another important step is to consider how accessible and universal design strategies can integrate with other design approaches such as active design. There is often concern that elements of active design, such as stairways, may work against accessible or universal design. Dispelling this myth, Lanteigne says, “while providing an alternative route is critical, it’s important to remember that not all disabilities are physical; UD is about providing options for a variety of users.” Project teams can make accessible pathways equally as engaging for users as the stairway, perhaps through the application of art, music and/or biophilia. It’s all about creating an equal experience so that “regardless of which path someone chooses, either due to ability or preference, they still benefit equally from the space. Active design can be universal design.”
However, design cannot be comprehensive on its own. Operational policies are a key component of creating inclusive spaces. A combination of mutually-reinforcing design and policy is critical to success when it comes to creating a truly inclusive space. “Inclusion is demonstrated by our spaces,” Lanteigne explains, “but it’s also reflected by programs and policies that welcome, support and empower all people to thrive within the spaces.”

Endless possibilities

The connection between active and universal design is just one example of how WELL v2 incorporates strategies across all ten concepts that could be referred to as “universal design.” UD aims to create spaces that are safe and inclusive for all individuals by seeking to address a diversity of needs through both design and policy. By promoting strategies that support physical, social and emotional health - from ventilation that ensures good air quality, to fresh produce that promotes healthy eating, to policies that support new mothers – Lanteigne notes that, “just by its nature, WELL promotes many elements of universal design that help build more inclusive spaces that simultaneously promote health and wellness.”

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1. World Health Organization. World Report on Disability. 2011. Accessed June 17 2018. http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/70670/1/WHO_NMH_VIP_11.01_eng.pdf

2. ADA National Network. What is the definition of disability under the ADA? https://adata.org/faq/what-definition-disability-under-ada. Accessed June 17 2019.

3. Iwarsson, S. and Stahl, A. Accessibility, usability and universal design—positioning and definition of concepts describing person-environment relationships. Disability and Rehabilitation. 2009;25(2):57-66. Accessed June 17 2018. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/dre.25.2.57.66?casa_token=Q_1JCS9RGdcAAAAA:b9XSkeMIzRw8sBePY6djTIW1oUIhUzdFhnP7a4dIdxh7bqNtxLSt2EXKj6dWZbSEQG9Oqp1Dyu40_VM3

4. Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access. http://idea.ap.buffalo.edu/. Accessed June 17 2019.

5. The RL Mace Universal Design Institute. https://www.udinstitute.org/. Accessed June 17 2019.

6. National Disability Authority Center for Excellence in Universal Design. The 7 Principles. http://universaldesign.ie/What-is-Universal-Design/The-7-Principles/. Accessed June 17 2019.