The Design Council has been funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to create a new online ‘Inclusive Design Hub’ for the built environment.
The ‘hub’ project will see a Design Council team collate existing legislation, guidance, and best practice, relating to inclusive design in the built environment in as comprehensive a form as possible, and then make the content available online for interested parties ranging from architects and design consultancies, to property owners and facilities managers.
According to Nicola Mathers, Cabe lead advisor at the Design Council, who is managing the new resource, the hub will be independent of government, and will be ‘the go-to source of information and guidance about inclusive design in the built environment’. A steering group involving all of the key external partners was established by the Cabe team at the Design Council to help oversee the work’s development, with the hub officially recently launched.
Nicola Mathers said: “The decision to launch an online hub providing a wealth of information and guidance on incorporating inclusive design into buildings – whether retail outlets, a hospital, an office, or a factory – was taken after the DCLG sought the views and opinions on the subject from a wide range of stakeholders, including the professional institutes. There are currently some 190 resources already ‘live’ on the hub (www.tinyurl.com/jwnxbab), but we are extremely keen for organisations and individuals with potential further useful content to contribute to contact us. We are keen to obtain further content not just from UK sources, but from interested parties globally.”
On the hub’s launch, Stephen Williams, Minister for Communities and Local Government (pictured), said: “Making our surroundings and buildings accessible to everyone is vital to giving people equal opportunities and protecting the vulnerable. Government and construction professionals have already made significant progress, but there is still more we can do to improve building design. The launch of the Inclusive Design Hub plays an important part here, providing a one-stop shop to access industry guidance driving towards a more inclusive environment. I have every confidence that the construction professions will rise to the challenge of social sustainability as they have done in relation to environmental sustainability.”
John Mathers, the Design Council’s chief executive, added: “Design Council’s broad range of passionate, expert, professional networks means that it is in a unique position to develop and manage this hub. We are delighted to be involved with such an important project, and to be able to lead on an issue that is critical to delivering sustainable, well-designed, and thriving places.”
For more information, contact Nicola Mathers. T: +44 (0)20 7420 5257. Email: nicola.mathers@designcouncil.org.uk
