At a time when design innovations worldwide have managed to strike a chord with the various styles deemed popular and fanciable, a few mavericks are harking on the path of design and architecture with the intent of making these disciplines more accessible and inclusive, and, in turn, administering the world with features that support all people. These initiatives in accessible design range from product design and furniture design to the development of AI tools, institution of architectural lexicons in tandem with sign languages, and the non-partisan inclusion of those with impairments in the creative fields.

STIR enlists the best of 2023 from amongst a litany of universal designs developed this year, as well as conversations conducted in tandem with such efforts.

1. LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille
An innovation for the visually impaired

Denmark-based LEGO Group, merited universally for the umpteen flexible creative opportunities they present to its users, unveiled a new set this year that is designed to make the product further accessible for both blind and partially sighted individuals. ‘LEGO Braille Bricks – Play with Braille’ combines the process of learning braille with the act of play. By integrating the two, the makers not only make the means of understanding the braille system fun for children but also attract sighted individuals to experience the colourful ubiquitous bricks from a novel perspective. The set comprises a total of 287 bricks, in five different colours, namely white, yellow, green, red and blue. The placement of the studs on each brick represents the braille letters and numbers, the printed symbols for which are situated on the lower portion of these bricks. Complete with a series of play-starter units, the lego set is designed in a manner such that it is compatible with other iterations of the brand’s designs, as well.

2. Blossom
A design that supports individuals with impaired mobility

The Blossom collection, designed by Milan-based design studio DesignLibero, comprises a series of walking sticks and stands that can alternatively be used as coffee tables and side tables, magazine racks and coin holders, as well as storage bins. The product design aims to ‘create objects able to both support the fragility of old people and to blend into home furniture.’ By stipulating the provision of placing walking sticks within these furniture designs, the makers inspire the creation of regular products in a manner such that they serve the needs of the older population in a non-conspicuous manner.

3. Promptac
A tool for the benefit of those with communication disorders

Promptac, developed by UK-based Chinese designer Zhaodi Feng, is a tool that facilitates communication with artificial intelligence in a tactile way. At a time when various design processes have shifted to the digital medium, further innovations in this realm often lead to a disconnect from the real world. These innovations, some of which include Midjourney and DALL-E, welcome text-based prompts from users to develop designs and prototypes. For those adept in using design as their language, the requisite of giving solely textual prompts presents a barrier, an unnecessary limitation. Feng’s Promptac seeks to devalue the importance of language in design processes by presenting individuals with an opportunity to deliver material, colour and other tactile prompts via touch.

4. Chris Downey on obstacles that thwart inclusivity
Enouncing the limitations of archetypal design processes

At this year’s UIA World Congress of Architects in Copenhagen, Denmark, American architect Chris Downey delivered a keynote address where he spoke about the necessity of developing designs that are inclusive. The US-based architect, who lost his sight in 2008, after undergoing surgery for the removal of a brain tumour, has, since then, worked as a consultant in San Francisco, with the intention of administering public spaces accessible to individuals from all spectrums. At the Danish event, Downey spoke about his experiences and enumerated some new learnings in the past 15 years. “Being out in the city, made me realise that I’m out here doing the same thing, I’m the same person, I have the same passions, the same hope, the same desires, all that was the same, but my place in the city was very different now,” he shared. The architect delineated the importance of building in a manner such that it caters to all the senses of the user, instead of hyperfixating on components which only the eye can perceive. Downey enunciated upon the role of tactile features within structures and public spaces, in urging holistic reactions from its users. He urged the audience to ’think about people who live unlike you.’

5. Chris Laing on making architecture accessible to the deaf community
Developing a new lexicon for deaf individuals

In conversation with STIR, Deaf Architecture Front’s (DAF) founder Chris Laing spoke about the open-source platform that works on making the architecture practice accessible to the deaf community. DAF intends to dismantle the barriers that have, for long, hindered deaf individuals from engaging thoroughly with the architectural field, at all levels. The organisation not only seeks to address the social barriers that prevent deaf individuals from pursuing careers in the architectural field but also advocates and appeals for the inclusion of amenities and aids deemed necessary for those with hearing loss.

Amongst these initiatives is the SignStrokes linguistic project, which includes the creation of a British Sign Language (BSL) lexicon for architectural terminology and the built environment. “I want Signstrokes to be a resource where the terms can be agreed upon and shared online. This eliminates the need to explain to individual interpreters afresh each time and minimises fingerspelling. It frees up head space to focus on work and be on an equal footing with hearing people rather than trying to establish signs on the hoof during meetings, pulling focus from the task at hand,” Laing shares. In easing the task of communicating and practising architecture for individuals from the deaf community, DAF will also, inadvertently, improve and make the built landscape more accessible, with the help of contributions from the deaf community.

Moving forward…

With the creative discipline’s discursion from a path that fails to institute universal inclusion and participation, one can anticipate a future that truly necessitates accessibility to become a non-negotiable constituent in all kinds of spaces and objects. In order to encourage and steer development in this realm, it is essential to make space for more such innovations—by platforming and encouraging this restructuring, in formal and informal events, in academic spaces, in a publication’s issues, while allocating government funds and grants, and through other allied approaches.

What do you think is an adept approach to steer the cause of inclusivity and universality in design?

STIRred 2023 wraps up the year with compilations of the best in architecture, art, and design from STIR. Did your favourites make the list? Tell us in the comments!