WUAD (Wheelchair User Assisted Design): A VR-Based Strategy to Make Buildings More Accessible

Accessibility regulations towards building design and public places are more restrictive than in past years. Along with energy efficiency, accessibility is one of the pillars of an optimal building design. However, even buildings adapted for actual regulations are not always optimal, and there is st...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Applied sciences 2022-09, Vol.12 (17), p.8486
Main Authors: Pérez, Emiliano, Espacio, Alejandro, Salamanca, Santiago, Merchán, Pilar
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
accessibility
Architectural design
Architecture
Bibliometrics
Building design
Buildings
Built environment
Construction
Disability
Energy efficiency
engineering
evaluation of building
Handicapped accessibility
Obstacle avoidance
People with disabilities
Proposals
Regulations
Training
Universal design
Virtual reality
Wheelchairs
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Summary:Accessibility regulations towards building design and public places are more restrictive than in past years. Along with energy efficiency, accessibility is one of the pillars of an optimal building design. However, even buildings adapted for actual regulations are not always optimal, and there is still much to do to avoid adding more difficulties for people with disabilities. We proposed a wheelchair-user-assisted design methodology based on iterative bidirectional communication between a wheelchair simulator user and the building designer to reach the optimum specifications for an accessibility-friendly design. First-hand experience may be crucial to detect obstacles hardly noticeable to people with no impairments. To this end, VR technology was employed along with the mentioned wheelchair simulator to show the advantages of this kind of device when working on real-life experiences.
ISSN:2076-3417
2076-3417
DOI:10.3390/app12178486