We take the Convention seriously
“Universal Design represents a view of human nature which recognizes that to be human is to live with changeable and diverse functional abilities throughout life.”
-C. Ryhl
Universal Design does not divide people into a 'them' and 'us'; people with or without disabilities. Instead, the concept of Universal Design embraces human diversity and creates solutions that include all of us.
Universal Design also plays a central role in the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Denmark ratified in 2009. Furthermore, with Denmark's commitment to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and the guiding principle 'Leave no one behind' in 2015, the importance of Universal Design in the organisation of our society has not diminished.
The Bevica Foundation's Director of Research Camilla Ryhl and colleagues Marie Bjørnskov Engberg and René Sørensen Overby have written an introduction to Universal Design. It's a good place to start.
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American architect and wheelchair user Ron Mace developed the concept of Universal Design in the 1980s. His desire was to develop solutions that create inclusion by integrating human differences.
The original definition of Universal Design was:
Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.— Ostroff 2001
While Mace originally defined and developed the term as a design concept aimed at architects and designers, he was adamant that Universal Design was more than just a design solution. Therefore, in 1997, Mace set out to head a multidisciplinary American committee of experts with the aim of creating seven design principles for the concept, which could serve as an tool for implementation.
Later, the American researchers Edward Steinfeldt and Jordana Maisel developed eight goals for Universal Design. The eight goals focus on Universal Design as a process and inclusion tool rather than a solution.
Over time, the concept has developed further and today it comprises a wide range of disciplines, and has been included in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability, which Denmark ratified in 2009.
At Bevica Fonden, we are dedicated to sharing knowledge about the concept across disciplines and practices, which is why we have developed an AI assistant that can help you sort and find the specific knowledge you are looking for.
A catalogue of solutions
Universal Design recognises the diverse and changeable needs and functionalities of the body - throughout life and in different situations. Therefore, Universal Design is sometimes one solution, but often it is a catalogue of solutions. The key lies in ensuring equitable solutions for everyone.
All people are different and come with different needs and bodily functions. Universal Design is about embracing this bodily diversity and creating equal solutions for as many people as possible.
In practice, this means that sometimes the solution is assembled into one solution, while in other cases it is assembled into a catalogue of solutions, so that the individual user can choose the solution that best meets the needs of the user.
Sometimes it is the use of the building, the user profile, the physical context or even the customer's value-based programme that determines whether the universally designed solution materializes as a single solution or as a catalogue of solutions. However, both solutions are equally universal.
- Camilla Ryhl, from the book Universal Design in Architecture (2024)
Universal Design in practice
Mindset
Universal Design is a value-based concept. It represents a view of human nature, which recognizes that we all have a body that changes throughout life - temporarily or permanently. The understanding of Universal Design places architecture and the design of the environment centrally as a tool to promote inclusion and social sustainability.
Process
Universal Design as a process integrates diversity and reinforces values in architecture by early and holistic implementation. It requires knowledge, communication and collaboration across disciplines and experiences to create inclusive and sustainable solutions that benefit both users and society as a whole.
Solution
The universal design solution can be both one solution or a catalogue of solutions. As a solution tool, Universal Design opens discussions about what an architect strives for with their project - as a whole or as fragments of the larger project.
* From the book Universal design in architecture by Camilla Ryhl (2024)