ARCHITECTURAL FEATURES CONSTITUTING HINDRANCES TO ACHIEVING UNIVERSAL DESIGN IN SELECTED SHOPPING MALLS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA
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The introduction of Universal Design in the field of architecture has brought about a change in design approach, from planning for normal situations that do not usually cater for all user groups, to designing to accommodate the needs of everyone from the planning stage. This study investigated architectural features constituting hindrances to achieving Universal Design in selected shopping malls in Lagos State, Nigeria, with a view to making contributions on how to enhance accessibility and usability in such buildings for all user groups, regardless of their ability or inability, towards promoting social inclusion in the development of public environments. The study adopted a qualitative research approach that gathered data with an observation guide designed for the study in four selected shopping malls in the study area. The data was content analysed, and the result presented using a descriptive approach with the aid of photographic images for easy understanding. Several architectural features were discovered to constitute hindrances to achieve Universal Design in the malls. The said features were mostly accessibility features useful for people with disabilities to gain access to use the buildings on equal terms with able-bodied individuals. In addition to recommending retrofitting of the malls with appropriate accessible features where they are lacking or inappropriately provided, the study recommended that the building industry design professionals should pay more attention to such areas in the planning of future schemes, towards achieving social inclusion in the development of public environments. The study is useful for better understanding of issues pertaining to developing inclusive public environments.
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NA Architecture, Q Science (General)