Utilizing Co-Design to Move Toward Equitable Public Buildings

This research aims to establish a framework of inclusive architectural design guidelines for people with learning disabilities using interactive tools, to remove the barriers they face in public buildings. This will be attainable through:
• Discover what people with learning disabilities think about the public buildings they use, understand how they use them, and what barriers they face while using them.
• Utilise the co-design approach in producing the framework.
• Use interactive architecture tools to support the framework.
• Test the proposed framework's applicability.

The inspiration behind this research rose from the multidisciplinary problem of the relationship between people with learning disabilities and the architecture industry, building regulations, and social perspective, which can be divided into four sections: 1) Lack of architectural guidelines for people with learning disabilities. 2) Lack of self-advocacy for people with learning disability group. 3) Architects' attitude towards learning disability, as they tend to categorise individuals with disabilities as people with impaired mobility. 4) Building standards and regulations that feature people with disability almost only as wheelchair users.

This thesis adopts a mixed methodology taking a practice-led approach using quantitative and qualitative measures. It starts with an analytical review of the previous literature and case studies to assess previous guidelines that dealt with people with learning disabilities and individuals with autism.
Then, the fieldwork process which consists of three phases, supported by a co-researcher with a learning disability, to provide a supportive environment for the participants. First, an exploratory survey which aims to understand their preferences and pattern in using public buildings in Cardiff, Wales. Second, surveying people with learning disabilities and/or their caregivers to explore the problems they face in the public buildings, and how different architectural elements affect their experience. Third, the co-design workshops which aim to produce architectural design guidelines.
After developing the framework interactive applications will be used to support the proposed framework. The last stage is the framework testing process by applying the framework guidelines to an existing building using 3D simulation and comparing the interaction of people with learning disabilities into the existing building versus the simulated altered building via Virtual Reality. The assessment will be based on the commentary of people with learning disabilities and the observation of their interactions.

The main research contribution is the establishment of an architectural design framework that supports people with learning disabilities through co-design, to remove the barriers they face in the public buildings. This framework also may have other potentials:
• Developing new methods for co-designing with people with learning disabilities.
• Implications on the building regulations.
• Assessment tool for existing buildings to measure their inclusivity.
• Aiding a higher level of inclusion will lead to more social interaction and therefore better quality of life.
• Support other populations, for example, older people with physical or mental difficulties.