DESIGN FOR DIVERSITY
Many parts of our beautiful city are unfortunately not designed for people with disabilities. Those individuals encounter many roadblocks along the way - from finding a job, a community, and last but not least accessible housing. It is important for the construction industry to increase awareness and go beyond regulations when it comes to design for disabilities. Architects may be able to borrow some tools from the digital design industry, which has made many advances on this front.
Especially when designing rental housing, it is important to design with a more inclusive mindset and envision a diverse pool of potential residents. We have to consider present, as well as future residents' needs to ensure the building can adapt throughout its life. Buildings aren’t a single-use object, and their ability to adapt to a variety of residential needs is limited only by our foresight.