Living with the Five Values: Design for Real People
Part Two: Your first ‘design for all’ decisions
The five values are for everyone, and we must make sure that what we do IS for everyone. We have a rich diversity of people living in our neighbourhoods and we all have different needs over a lifetime. To go on that journey together requires a different mindset.
Rach Wooden is both a curate in a parish in South-West London and an Occupational Therapist specialising in inclusive housing design. These articles were a result of dialogue with the Church Housing Foundation team, following the Church Housing Conference in November 2022.
In Part 1 we looked at how the 5 values help us to see things very differently, and the real opportunity that a ‘design for all’ mindset gives us.
To be blunt, sometimes meeting the needs of everyone will cost more, or make less money. We may need to make sacrifices, but it is an investment that sees results. The long term savings far outweigh any additional costs at design and build stage – this includes direct health benefits which will reduce NHS costs, and diminish the need to retrofit (and pay for) adaptations to new homes. The main ‘return’ is the wellbeing benefits for people living in the new homes and reduced environmental impact.
However, even if we cannot invest more or take a smaller return, we can still make a huge impact through how we approach design and building. There are many simple choices without a cost implication. As someone working in housing for a local authority, budget constraints and practical realities are what I deal with every day. I know from real experience the difference the ‘design for all’ mindset can make regardless of budget or constraints. To do things well, it might mean that we assign different priorities to budgets, but fundamentally it means placing value on inclusive design. The most important investment we are making is in our understanding and consideration.
Design-for-all in our goals, plans and procurements
It is straightforward to make ‘design-for-all’ a part of your goals, the plans you draw up, and your procurements. When you are engaging professionals you should be making it clear that their capability with inclusive design is part of how you are evaluating them. These should be people who have genuinely worked on the design and build of beautiful, contemporary, inclusive and accessible homes, including fully accessible wheelchair user homes. Go and see what they have produced. Don’t just take their word for it – some will say they have experience and expertise, but this may be extremely limited. You won’t need to be an expert in the details, but they should be able to show you that they are!
This will not only get a better result in terms of inclusive design, it will get you a better result in terms of who you select. Professionals or businesses that do this well are likely to be doing everything better, aligning well with your values, doing their work with high levels of design expertise.
Getting this advice early is especially important because it affects not only the layout of a home, but how the spaces around and between dwellings are used. It may affect decisions over access to parking, inclusive communal spaces (such as refuse and cycle stores), and access to and from each dwelling.
Along with a company who has hands-on expertise, you could consider employing a specialist such as an experienced housing Occupational Therapist or access consultant. Some local councils may have access to these resources, but you may need to go privately.
While this may sound like adding overheads, it is important to remember that the results of improved design has wider implications. It can also count as a positive in the planning process, demonstrating high standards that will inspire confidence. Getting the right professional support will ensure that you have good plans at pre-app and planning stages. They can help you design the intricate details of your homes and neighbourhoods, and choose well-designed inclusive products right from the start.
In your plans and decisions, it's also a good idea to involve local people who have a lived experience of disability. There is simply no substitute for this.
“The most important investment we are making is in our understanding and consideration.”
In the real world…
Through my work I’ve had direct experience of projects where local church charities have had a brilliant vision, and the opportunity for me to have early involvement has led to very different - and objectively improved - designs.
In each case the fundamental difference has been using inclusive design as a creative lens. In some cases, an early intervention produces a very different result - and rather than compromising other aims it enhances them. Even better than the early intervention is thinking that way right from the start!
In part 3, we’ll take a look at how the finer details of finishing off a project can make a big difference, some of the pitfalls, and more generally how our collective action across the Church can change things.
Useful Links
Access Consultants: The National Register of Access Consultants | NRAC.
Housing Occupational Therapists: via the Royal College of Occupational Therapists About RCOT - RCOT – ask for contact details for the Specialist Section in Housing - hello@rcot.co.uk.
Motionspot Accessible Designers: Who We Are | Accessible Designers | Motionspot].
Architecture, planning and urban design practice with inclusive design experience: West Waddy Archadia
(Note, these are as examples, not an endorsement.)