I never Did Understand Architectural Awards?

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I just don't understand how the Casa Batllo is a worse design than county hall??? :puke:

 
I think this perhaps helps explain it better than the headline.

The second phase of the £71m pound revamp of Norfolk County Council's 1968-built Martineau Lane headquarters earned it the Leonard Cheshire Award for Most Inclusive Building/Organisation in the Blue Badge Access Awards.

The awards recognise hospitality industry bosses, architects and designers across the globe who address the needs of disabled people.
 
I think this perhaps helps explain it better than the headline.

The second phase of the £71m pound revamp of Norfolk County Council's 1968-built Martineau Lane headquarters earned it the Leonard Cheshire Award for Most Inclusive Building/Organisation in the Blue Badge Access Awards.

The awards recognise hospitality industry bosses, architects and designers across the globe who address the needs of disabled people.
Indeed. Architecture isn't just about aesthetics.
 
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Us wheelies are excluded from probably eighty percent or more of buildings.

Only 'public' buildings are an exception, but even then there are barriers.

Why use steps anywhere? Able bodied people can use slopes, but wheelies can't use steps. :banghead:
 
One classic example of Sky's point was in our local job centre - the disabled desk was up 3 steps... There was a lift but it rarely worked.
 
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One classic example of Sky's point was in our local job centre - the disabled desk was up 3 steps... There was a lift but it rarely worked.

The extreme of that is that many wheelchair users have turned up for PIP interviews to find the the room is upstairs in a building with no lift!
 
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Unfortunately, that doesn't surprise me.
 
The extreme of that is that many wheelchair users have turned up for PIP interviews to find the the room is upstairs in a building with no lift!

I had that about seven years ago. I argued back and forth about a home visit, but they insisted I attend their offices. It wasn't until I sent a recorded letter with a photo of the entrance to our local office (at that time), showing three steps into it with no alternative access that they finally conceded and visited me at home.
 
Us wheelies are excluded from probably eighty percent or more of buildings.

Only 'public' buildings are an exception, but even then there are barriers.

Why use steps anywhere? Able bodied people can use slopes, but wheelies can't use steps. :banghead:

As someone who is able bodied but often pushing someone in a wheelchair I appreciate the issues but sadly not everywhere can have a slope as one obvious thing is there needs to be the space to have one without it encroaching on the pavement and causing other issues and then there's permissions etc. eg. A local shop owner here was criticised by the local council for having a step into the shop but the owner couldn't change anything about the front of the building as it had a protected status and this is just a high street shop in a working class town. Sometimes one arm of officialdom stops another from working.
 
I had that about seven years ago. I argued back and forth about a home visit, but they insisted I attend their offices. It wasn't until I sent a recorded letter with a photo of the entrance to our local office (at that time), showing three steps into it with no alternative access that they finally conceded and visited me at home.
I was lucky. I ticked the box requesting a home visit and it was granted without question.
As someone who is able bodied but often pushing someone in a wheelchair I appreciate the issues but sadly not everywhere can have a slope as one obvious thing is there needs to be the space to have one without it encroaching on the pavement and causing other issues and then there's permissions etc. eg. A local shop owner here was criticised by the local council for having a step into the shop but the owner couldn't change anything about the front of the building as it had a protected status and this is just a high street shop in a working class town. Sometimes one arm of officialdom stops another from working.
Portable ramps. Nothing to stop a shop from putting one out if a wheelchair user needs access. Have been the beneficiary on a number of occasions.
 
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I was lucky. I ticked the box requesting a home visit and it was granted without question.

Portable ramps. Nothing to stop a shop from putting one out if a wheelchair user needs access. Have been the beneficiary on a number of occasions.

Yup. They could bring out a ramp and then take it back in again but the questions of storage and deployment and impeding other people passing by and the possibility of a claim against them as as result and having the staff time to do it all could be real issues. Unfortunately access isn't always an easily solvable issue and is perhaps too often a cause of criticism as if the premise's have never looked into it. Sometimes they have and sometimes there are real difficulties.

For new build I'm all for access but there are often issues when trying to improve access to existing premises.
 
Yup. They could bring out a ramp and then take it back in again but the questions of storage and deployment and impeding other people passing by and the possibility of a claim against them as as result and having the staff time to do it all could be real issues. Unfortunately access isn't always an easily solvable issue and is perhaps too often a cause of criticism as if the premise's have never looked into it. Sometimes they have and sometimes there are real difficulties.

For new build I'm all for access but there are often issues when trying to improve access to existing premises.
Just a list of excuses. All customers should have equal rights to enter a shop, not having the space to store a ramp (they fold flat) is a feeble one. Not having the time to help a disable customer? They're in the wrong job.
 
But even so you'd think they could have built something with good access that wasn't a complete eye
It's all about the refurbishment NOT the 50 odd year old building itself, the building was deem a death trap as bits kept falling off.

Blue Badge Access Awards.
The awards recognise hospitality industry bosses, architects and designers across the globe who address the needs of disabled people.

They are not the beauty awards. The looks good but is dangerous to use award goes to the stupid glass bridge in Venice.
 
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