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Architecture vocabulary · Professional Practice and Regulations

Accessibility

Meaning in architecture, with examples

/əkˌsesəˈbɪləti/nounCore term

In architecture, accessibility means: The quality of a building or place being usable by everyone, including wheelchair users, older people and people with visual or hearing impairments.

In Turkish: erişilebilirlik

How it is used

Required by building codes in most countries and checked on every project. Architects provide step-free access, ramps, lifts, accessible toilets and tactile paving, and many codes limit ramp slopes to about 1:12. Related ideas: inclusive design, universal design.

Example sentences

  1. The main entrance has steps, so we added a ramp to meet accessibility requirements.

  2. An accessibility consultant reviewed the plans before submission.

Common collocations

  • accessibility requirements
  • step-free access
  • accessible toilet
  • universal design
  • improve accessibility
  • building codeA set of legal rules for how buildings must be designed and built, covering structure, fire safety, accessibility, energy use and health.
  • circulationThe way people move through and between the spaces of a building, including corridors, stairs, lifts, ramps and entrances.
  • staircaseA set of stairs together with its supporting structure, handrails and landings, which connects the different floors of a building.
  • public spaceSpace that is open and accessible to everyone, such as streets, squares, parks, waterfronts and the public areas of civic buildings.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Professional Practice and Regulations

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