1.0 Introduction
In today's society, many people are mainly concerned with the aesthetics of various designs, such as graphics and architectures. The actual usability and functionality of a design are seen as a secondary factor. This is especially true with regards to architectural design. Peter John Cantrill explains that architects focus more on the visual aesthetics of a building because they realize that they are being critiqued on this basis (Cantrill, 2004). This puts people with disabilities at a secondary level as well. People with disabilities require any building to be as functional and usable for them as it is for anyone else. However, as Cantrill notes, this is not the case because architects are pressured to design primarily for aesthetics. The purpose of this report is to analyze the extent to which the Royal Bank of Canada Insurance building is universally accessible. The building was built in 2002. A universal design analysis of this building would be beneficial because the building was built recently. Thus, it would give a general sense as to whether or not the buildings of today are universally accessible and accommodating to varying groups of people. By analyzing buildings that have been designed in recent times, it will contribute towards the understanding of how things can be better universally designed in the future. This analysis will examine all major interactions a user may experience with the building. These interactions are grouped into the following categories: arrival, the workplace (cubicle), and facilities (washrooms, the kitchen and the cafeteria).
The Royal Bank of Canada was ranked at number 83 on Forbes Global 2000 list as of February 28, 2006, which encompassed all of the world's largest public companies (Forbes 2006). Being viewed as a top global company, RBC is pressured to stay on top the industry in areas such as architecture as well. The RBC Insurance building is located in Meadowvale. It is important to note that the majority of the building is used by employees. The areas of the building in which an employee may interact with on any given day will be analyzed throughout this technical report. This will give an idea of how a company that is considered globally prestigious adheres to universal design principles. In addition, this analysis will also give a general idea of how other buildings adhere to these principles by using this one as a benchmark. |
