Design Reviews
Our team will assess your building project at multiple stages of its development, identify potential access issues and areas where access for people with disability can be enhanced. We provide guidance to the design and management team throughout the process.
Our collaborative approach enables us to understand your project goals and the needs of all users.
We understand the importance of early intervention. To have the greatest impact, design reviews should be undertaken early in the planning and design process.
Through our detailed reports and expert communication, Architecture & Access will ensure your project complies with all relevant legislation, standards and project benchmark requirements whilst also maintaining budgets and timelines.
Our Design Review Stages
Feasibility and Master Planning
Strategic Planning
- Assess existing conditions to understand current accessibility
- Develop an accessibility and inclusive design brief that embeds access and inclusion objectives, ensuring the needs of all users guide future design decisions
- Facilitate stakeholder engagement sessions – including people with disability, to gather insights and ensure diverse user needs are considered early in the planning process
Concept Design
Early Planning for Accessibility
- Review siting of the building, entrance locations, and car parking arrangements
- Assess the building layout and adjacencies, including how different areas relate to each other
- Examine connections between zones within the building
- Determine the number and placement of accessible and inclusive sanitary facilities to meet user needs
Schematic Design
Refining Layouts for Accessibility
Schematic design documentation review to assess general arrangements, spatial provisions, and layout. This includes:
- Parking and drop-off zones
- External paths of travel and landscape works
- Entrances, doors, walkways, ramps, and stairs
- Lifts, escalators / moving walks
- Sanitary facilities – Unisex accessible, ambulant and all gender cubicles.
We provide an itemised Access Report with recommendations to meet legislative benchmarks and recommendations to enhance accessibility.
Design Development
Detailing Inclusivity
- Review of Architectural, Civil and Landscape documentation including plans, schedules, detailed drawings to ensure the design is accessible and inclusive for all
- Marked-up plans assist in identifying access issues and provide a visual context. A full report is also prepared to clearly articulate requirements to enable access
- Detailed advice is provided on fittings and fixtures, ensuring even the smallest elements support accessibility and inclusion
- For example, the size, shape, and placement of door handles can significantly impact ease of use for all building occupants
Tender and Contract Documentation
Finalising for Construction
- Work closely with the design team to ensure schedules and details comply with relevant standards and inclusivity requirements
- Assist in identifying and developing performance solutions, tailored to each project by considering:
- Building type and usage
- Occupant profile
- Relevant benchmarks to support design decisions
- Provide a design acceptance statement which provides surety that the design is in accordance with the relevant benchmarks
Construction
On-Site Support
- Provide on-site advice to ensure design details are accurately translated into the built form
- Where accessibility issues arise, we will:
- Assess the situation
- Apply relevant standards and legislation
- Use our extensive experience to work with the design and construction team to determine practical, compliant solutions
- Finally provide a construction acceptance statement which provides assurance that the built form has been constructed in accordance with the relevant benchmarks
