IDR TOOLKIT · Inclusive Design Rating (IDR) Toolkit. The design and assessment tool for tailoring environments for everyone.

Inclusive Design Rating (IDR) Toolkit. The design and assessment tool for tailoring environments for everyone.

Project Summary Europe is ageing and the changing needs of the population are constantly shaping the way we live and interact in communities and environments. When we design an environment, we have to ensure that the design process allows to create solutions that meet people’s needs and aspirations. Designing buildings that are sustainable whilst supporting the comfort and well-being of occupants has been a prominent factor in recent years. However, more work to develop safer and more accessible buildings needed to be done. Research reported that Inclusive Design is generally misunderstood by architectural design professionals. This represents one of the underlying factors that characterizes the design of buildings that do not fully meet the needs and expectations of a diverse audience. Therefore, how can we design environments that guarantee inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility for all? With this project directed by Dr. Matteo Zallio with Prof. John Clarkson from the University of Cambridge, in collaboration with the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI), funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement N° 846284, we aimed to tackle these imperative challenges by using a mixed-method approach grounded in ethnographic research. Research objectives 1.Investigate main stakeholders’ perspective: architects, designers, engineers, builders, planners and end users (focusing on older adults and people with disabilities) in order to develop: a. Holistic understanding of inclusive design features/characteristics for environmental accessibility b. Knowledge on clusters of user capabilities to highlight macro areas of interest to support professionals to better understand user needs in relation to environmental accessibility 2. Brainstorm solutions to develop a toolkit/framework to support stakeholders to systematically tackle environmental accessibility issues Project goals 1. To help designers, architects, engineers, contractors promoting and implementing inclusion and accessibility features when they design or redesign different built environments 2. To democratize awareness among clients and final users about inclusion and accessibility as tools to guarantee high standards of living Research outcomes 1. An ontology of accessibility features and user capabilities to help brainstorm more inclusive concepts for built environment designs (see outcome publications) 2. A toolkit to inform a decision-making process that helps design and engineering professionals to design and redesign environments according to accessibility and inclusivity criteria (see outcome: IDEA Toolkit, renamed from IDR toolkit, composed of the Inclusive Design Canvas and the IDEA Audit)

Data: CORDIS, © European Union