Design for all A.U.D.I.T. (Assessment Universal Design & Inclusion Tool). A tool to evaluate physical, sensory-cognitive and social quality in healthcare facilities.

Abstract

Background and aim: Universal Design (UD) is the design of environments equally accessible and usable to the wider range of people regardless their abilities or disabilities. Various studies highlight the lack of evaluation tools to support decision makers to enhance inclusive environments, especially complex constructions with various users as healthcare facilities. The research proposes a tool to evaluate the quality of building according to UD through a new set of objective indicators with a performance-based approach.

Methods: the tool has been developed through three main phases: 1. Analysis of the state of the art through a systematic literature review and workshops with stakeholders and experts; 2. Elaboration of the evaluation framework following the Multicriteria analysis methodology; 3. Application, to test and validate the tool in hospitals.

Results: the tool, named Design for All A.U.D.I.T., evaluates the level of UD analyzing Physical, Sensory-cognitive, and Social quality through a set of criteria specified by indicators and measurable requirements. The tool assesses the different healthcare environments through criteria and indicators to verify the level of appropriateness in terms of UD. The tool provides report with quantitative, qualitative and graphical information in plan of the facility status and design strategies.

Conclusions: The study proposes an innovative evaluation system to determine the inclusion of hospitals, both for projects and for existing buildings. The flexible structure allows the tool to beapplied in different building typologies, currently adopted to identify hospital's weaknesses and setting priorities of intervention on inclusion.