Executive Summary

The extra attention paid to the aesthetics of architectural designs has become an issue. In architectural design, aesthetics come first, whereas functionality and usability of the architecture are at a secondary level. Analyzing the Royal Bank of Canada 's (RBC) Insurance building will set as a benchmark to see what universal design principles are adhered to and what could be improved upon. Ryan Rattos has conducted an analysis on employee interactions with this building. This analysis will be submitted to Professor Bob Topping. The analysis was broken down into 3 major sections: arrival, workspace and facilities. These are the major areas that employees interact with on a daily basis.

The entrance area has some basic aspects that conform to universal design principles. After a curb cut, there is a wheelchair accessible door. However, the timer on the door is too fast and there is an insufficient amount of time for someone to get through the door comfortably.

The workspace area for each employee has adjustable positioning for the filing cabinets as well as the table tops. The only problematic issue is that in order for the table tops to be adjusted, employees must depend on support technicians. An employee who uses a wheelchair may want to adjust the tables higher so that there is more leg room. In order to achieve this, they would have to contact support technicians for assistance.

Washroom and other facilities would be benefited by tactile maps so that employees who are visually impaired can gain a broader understanding of where vital areas are specifically located.

Generally, the building adheres to minimum requirements of universal design. It is in RBC's best interest to develop other ways to benefit a broader range of their employee's abilities.