The Future of Inclusive Design: How We Can Advance Equity Through Building Design

As architects, building designers, and members of project teams, we are in a unique position to advance equity and inclusion in our world. It is our responsibility to design buildings that support and give opportunities to historically underserved groups.

As we embark on a new year, concepts of equity and inclusion are prominent throughout the field of architecture. The U.S. Green Building Council recently affirmed that equity will remain a key focus at this year’s Greenbuild International Conference, and the WELL Equity Rating continues to gain traction across our industry.

At SWA, we prioritize equity and inclusion in both our company values and strategic vision as well as in our Inclusive Design discipline. We made an announcement not long ago that our Accessibility team is shifting away from Universal Design towards Inclusive Design to more effectively drive equity in the built environment. In our work with Inclusive Design strategies, we have examined how they must evolve to prioritize all building occupants and the surrounding community at each stage in the design process.

Today we are thrilled to have a clearer vision for how we aim to accomplish this goal.

Inclusive Design Needs Community Engagement

To reshape our Inclusive Design services, we started with shifting from a prescriptive approach (i.e., we tell you what works) to a community-engaged approach (i.e., you tell us what works).

Community-engaged design—sometimes called co-design or participatory design—is a process used across disciplines to gather feedback from users on products, services, or buildings. We also believe it is a critical tool for providing tailored Inclusive Design recommendations that reflect the true diversity of building occupants.

Our new set of Inclusive Design services includes the following:

Community and Stakeholder Surveys

SWA will distribute surveys to end-users, community members, and other key stakeholders featuring questions that aim to identify project-related needs and priorities. Data gathered through community and stakeholder surveys represent diverse perspectives to capture a wide range of goals for the project.

Community and Stakeholder Workshops

SWA will conduct a customized workshop with end-users, community members, and other key stakeholders to introduce foundational concepts of Inclusive Design and solicit feedback on concept and future design strategies for the project. Community and stakeholder workshops aim to elevate all voices in the design process.

Inclusive Design Recommendations

SWA will conduct plan reviews to provide Inclusive Design recommendations that address strategies to promote usability, inclusion, safety, ergonomics, quality lighting, and mental and physical wellness. Inclusive Design recommendations may also address inclusion across race, culture, gender, age, disability, neurodiversity, LGBTQIA+ identity, and other aspects of human diversity as applicable to the project.

Post-Occupancy Evaluations

SWA will support post-occupancy efforts for measuring and evaluating the effectiveness of the adopted Inclusive Design strategies. Post-occupancy research can be conducted through surveys, personal interviews, and/or focus group discussions.

The Future of Building Performance

Building performance is on the cusp of a paradigm shift. While aspects of building functionality and usage to support health, sustainability, and efficiency continue to remain critical to the success of buildings, our team at SWA is equally excited to expand upon building performance through our new Inclusive Design services.

We envision that when measuring building performance, owners will give equal value to building data, such as water and energy usage, and to aspects of human experiences, such as occupants’ feelings of belonging, pride, and joy.

To learn more, listen to our Buildings + Beyond podcast episode on equity, health, and Inclusive Design.

Feel free to reach out to me or Peter Stratton, Managing Director, Accessibility Services through our contact form for more information about our Inclusive Design services.

Contributor: Victoria Lanteigne, Principal, Research