By Elena Siré, architect and lecturer at The Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm. Photos: Bengt A. Lundberg

Swedish Architect wants to Professionalise Accessibility

When the various elements that make up the built environment are put together, they must make a unit that is practical to use. Architecture is created by means of fantasy. Its purpose is to design rooms with a function. A large number of details must fit together to reach a perfect result.

Accessibility becomes glaringly obvious when it is not there. This is a paradox, but it is true! When embodied in the architecture and as part of a whole, accessibility is not considered a separate issue.

Accessibility is exciting. It is gratifying when you achieve a good result. It takes creativity, care and skill to turn accessibility into something that people take for granted.

Although accessibility is supported by legislation, it is also very much a matter of architecture and design. Design is important: an attractive environment enhances the user’s sense of well being and experience of beauty. The correlation between aesthetics and usability is the major condition for making the built environment a place for people to thrive and flourish.

Professionalism

Admonitions are very often of no use at all. Experience has taught us that instructions alone are not enough. Implementation is the key word. Instruction manuals and other basic materials are necessary tools, but they are not fundamentally about design, only about structure and technique.

Accessibility to the physical environment must be considered a professional issue, not one to be left in the hands of ‘caring people’. Training and education are the necessary conditions for a professional approach to the subject of accessibility: it is important to make sure that it is treated seriously in education and by the service staff working in public buildings.

Changing the Mindset

We must learn from our mistakes. We have known that since childhood. And the same also applies on the professional level: we must disseminate experience in the media, in handbooks and in education. Demonstration projects can be used to test various processes and technical solutions.

Although user experience is necessary, it must not be overspecialised: every final result must incorporate a compromise between different needs in people with various types of disabilities.

In the long view, a change in our collective mindset will play the most important part. If we spread the idea of solidarity for all in our schools, in children’s theatres and in children’s books, our future society will become one of unity and mutual consideration.

Example

The Engelbrekt Church in Stockholm is a rather typical church building. Access to churches is often awkward because of their monumental entrance stairs, leading to interiors that most often have flat floors. In large churches, toilets for disabled worshippers may be installed in the vicinity of the porch. In small churches, they are difficult to fit in. The Engelbrekt Church was built in 1910-14. It is considered one of the finest examples of National Romantic Jugenstil in Sweden. In 1993, an accessible toilet was installed by extending an existing toilet, without any major interference with the architecture. The toilet is illuminated by daylight. In 1995, a ramp was built onto one of the entrances to the church. The ramp is designed to match existing materials and style.

Elena Siré’s Eight Rules

1. Find the challenge – forget the warnings
2. Aim at education – fight amateurism
3. Value experience – mistakes are useful
4. Reward the best – don’t complain about what is bad
5. Agree on the common ground – stop endless discussions
6. Start with the children – they know what it is all about
7. Activate the adults – everybody has a task
8. Teach everybody to show consideration – what is special is general

Published in Crisp & Clear No. 2, July 2000