File 02
The Built World
A building makes its argument about who belongs in it before anyone reaches the door.
Entrances, lifts, surfaces, signage — the physical decisions that either open or close a building before anyone reaches the desk.
The entries
4 in this file
| Measure | Where it bites | Signed off by | Order of cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ramp Round the Side | The front door | Client and architect, at concept | Capital works |
| When the Lift Is Out of Service | Every floor above ground | Estate manager | Maintenance contract |
| Tactile Paving That Lies | The crossing | Highways authority and contractor | Re-laying works |
| Who Signs Off Access | Planning to completion | Planning and building control | Sign-off time |
Read them
Longest first is not the order; the register's is.
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The Ramp Round the Side
The alternative entrance became architecture's default answer to inclusion. It has never been a good one.
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Text entry
When the Lift Is Out of Service
A broken lift is a test of how accessible a building ever really was. Most buildings fail it.
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Tactile Paving That Lies
When the blister is in the wrong place, a blind pedestrian learns to trust a signal that is wrong. That is more dangerous than no signal at all.
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Who Signs Off Access
Access is promised in the planning statement and confirmed in the completion certificate. What happens in between is where it goes wrong.