What architecture is getting right about inclusive design

Inclusive design is increasingly recognised as a fundamental part of good infrastructure and building design.

But while the UK benefits from a substantial body of accessibility guidance, its use is inconsistent.

The ICE’s latest policy paper Built for purpose? Understanding people’s experiences of infrastructure assets and services highlights the need to embed inclusivity and accessibility earlier in the project life cycle.

And there is plenty to learn from colleagues right across the built environment sector.

The Royal Institute of British Architects’ (RIBA) Inclusive Design Overlay provides a framework for incorporating inclusivity at every stage of project delivery.

Rather than treating it as a specialist consideration or compliance exercise, the overlay encourages teams to make inclusive design a core objective from the beginning.

Many of the main principles in the overlay apply to infrastructure design, construction and operation, too.

After all, the decisions made on projects today will affect a wide range of people for decades to come.

What is inclusive design?

RIBA defines inclusive design as the process of creating “buildings and environments that welcome everyone, regardless of their characteristics or identity, such as age, disability, gender, neurodiversity, sex, health conditions, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, pregnancy, maternity or paternity status, carer status, and more”.

Inclusive design aims to remove the barriers that prevent the equitable use of infrastructure to enable everyone to participate equally, confidently and safely.

It recognises that people experience buildings, spaces and services differently, and that designing for the widest possible range of users creates better outcomes for everyone.

A whole-team responsibility

One of the key messages within the RIBA Inclusive Design Overlay is that inclusivity is not the responsibility of a single discipline. Instead, it requires coordinated action from every core project role.

These roles include the client, project management, design, construction and asset management teams. Each has a distinct contribution to make in ensuring that ambitions are translated into delivery and operations.

The overlay also highlights the value of appointing an inclusive design lead, particularly on larger or more complex projects.

This role is often fulfilled by an independent consultant who can provide specialist expertise, challenge assumptions and maintain focus on user needs throughout development.

For smaller projects, where dedicated specialists may not be feasible, organisations are encouraged to identify inclusive design champions.

These individuals help to promote inclusive thinking, monitor progress and ensure that agreed principles are not lost as the project evolves.

Setting a vision: the role of clients

Clients play an influential role in delivering inclusive outcomes. They establish the priorities that shape delivery.

The RIBA guidance encourages client teams to define a clear inclusive design vision from the earliest stages of a project. By sharing clear expectations upfront, they can ensure inclusion is treated as a strategic objective rather than an optional extra.

Clients can further support this by setting aside funding for inclusive design measures and undertaking assessments to better understand how different people will use and experience the finished infrastructure asset.

They should also involve a diverse range of users ahead of design, and use their feedback to shape decisions as early as possible.

Maintaining momentum through delivery

While setting clear ambitions at the start is essential, many projects struggle to maintain focus on inclusivity as they move through development and construction.

The RIBA Overlay recommends involving asset management colleagues early so that operational, maintenance and long-term user needs are properly understood from the beginning.

The teams should review contracts together to ensure inclusivity commitments are clearly defined and remain enforceable throughout delivery. This helps create accountability and reduces the risk that inclusive features are removed or scaled back as budgets and schedules come under pressure.

Close collaboration between design, construction and project and asset management teams is vital as a project progresses.

By sharing operational insights, supporting effective handover and planning for changing user needs, teams can help ensure inclusive outcomes aren’t just delivered, but maintained over time.

Teams should also plan to evaluate performance after delivery, with a specific focus on accessibility and inclusion, to inform future work.

Creating a more consistent approach

The challenge facing the industry is no longer a lack of guidance. Instead, it’s ensuring that existing knowledge is applied consistently and effectively across projects.

Too often, inclusive features that are designed into projects fail to be fully realised when schemes reach construction and operation. Financial pressures, engineering trade-offs and competing priorities can result in inclusivity being deprioritised as projects progress.

Opportunities to create environments that work for a wider range of people can be lost.

As infrastructure owners and developers seek to serve diverse communities, the opportunity is clear.

By embedding inclusive design principles from vision through to operation, project teams across all asset types can deliver structures that enables more people to participate equally, confidently and safely.

Read the ICE's paper in full