New guidelines put accessibility and inclusion at the heart of building design

RIBA has published new guidance to ensure that inclusion and accessibility are considered at every stage of the design and construction process.

The result of a multidisciplinary collaboration - including input from people with lived experience and experts from 25 built environment professions - the Inclusive Design Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work is an important step towards RIBA’s commitment to making the built environment accessible for everyone.

“The role our built environment has on each and every person’s life cannot be overestimated. That’s why it is so important that inclusion and accessibility is at the heart of all stages of design; if we’re going to build a world where everyone feels welcome, safe, and valued. This Inclusive Design Overlay provides a consensus across built environment professions for how we accelerate inclusion and value diversity.” said Robbie Turner, director of inclusion and diversity at RIBA.

The guidance has been developed with inclusive design consultancy Motionspot, and with the support of Heathrow and Jane Simpson Access. Intended to be widely understood and used by anyone involved in the sector, it assigns clear responsibilities and tasks to the different roles involved in a building project – including client, project management, design, construction, and asset management teams.

The Inclusive Design Overlay to the RIBA Plan of Work is an important step towards RIBA’s commitment to making the built environment accessible for everyone

Inclusive design seeks to create buildings and spaces that welcome everyone, regardless of their characteristics or identity. This means recognising that each person has different circumstances and we must make adjustments in our designs to address these. 

Inaccessible design can systematically exclude people. The goal is to remove the barriers that create effort and separation and enable everyone to participate equally, confidently and independently in everyday activities.

Inclusive design is about more than buildings and the space around them. Enabling everyone to participate is a vital part of creating a sense of belonging and making society more equitable.

An accessible built environment is also vital for improving sustainability, as it is used more efficiently, and is more flexible and adaptable for different users and uses.

Inclusive Design Overlay project lead, Pareisse Wilson, said: “The biggest positive for me regarding this project is the fact it has been created in collaboration with industry, from landscape architects and engineers to project and facilities managers. Together these collaborators helped decide which roles to include and contributed to defining the inclusive design tasks they would undertake at each Work Stage. Throughout the journey over 100 built environment professionals have attended workshops or provided feedback on draft versions of the Overlay. This makes the Inclusive Design Overlay a truly inclusively designed framework.”

The guidance highlights the need for an independent Inclusive Design Consultant to be appointed at the earliest stages of a project to help define the project brief, set the Inclusive Design Strategy and provide specialist advice at each RIBA work stage to help design projects that are as inclusive as possible.

The necessary technical skills required have been summarised as:

• Awareness of the legislation, regulations and best practice within the project context.
• Experience on how to design beyond the minimum standards of building regulations and design for all the nine protected characteristics identified in the Equality Act 2010, and wider considerations e.g., carers, cultural diversity etc.
• Expert knowledge of best practice guidance and industry standards.
• Awareness of the latest inclusive design research and regular attendance of industry CPDs.
• Understanding of the full range of technical functions across a project team and their influence on inclusive design outcomes.
• An ability to read and understand complex technical drawings and specifications.
• Professional indemnity insurance to cover the project insurance requirements.
• Accredited member of an industry body like The National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC), the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) etc.

For smaller sized simpler projects, an Inclusion Champion should be identified within the Client organisation and/or the Design Team, and would be responsible for raising standards of equality, access, and inclusion on the project.

Their role on the project will be similar to that of a consultant; to monitor and advise on equality, accessibility and inclusion through all the RIBA Work Stages, but their knowledge and technical skills may not be as extensive as a trained professional.