Building Access

“All too often,” wrote disabled architect Ronald Mace, “designers don’t take the needs of disabled and elderly people into account.” Building Access investigates twentieth-century strategies for designing the world with disability in mind. Commonly understood in terms of curb cuts, automatic doors, Braille signs, and flexible kitchens, Universal Design purported to create a built environment for everyone, not only the average citizen. But who counts as “everyone,” Aimi Hamraie asks, and how can designers know? Blending technoscience studies and design history with critical disability, race, and feminist theories, Building Access interrogates the historical, cultural, and theoretical contexts for these questions, offering a groundbreaking critical history of Universal Design. Hamraie reveals that the twentieth-century shift from “design for the average” to “design for all” took place through liberal political, economic, and scientific structures concerned with defining the disabled user and designing in its name. Tracing the co-evolution of accessible design for disabled veterans, a radical disability maker movement, disability rights law, and strategies for diversifying the architecture profession, Hamraie shows that Universal Design was not just an approach to creating new products or spaces, but also a sustained, understated activist movement challenging dominant understandings of disability in architecture, medicine, and society. Illustrated with a wealth of rare archival materials, Building Access brings together scientific, social, and political histories in what is not only the pioneering critical account of Universal Design but also a deep engagement with the politics of knowing, making, and belonging in twentieth-century United States.

This informative book takes the practitioner through the requirements for Part M of the Building Regulations, explaining and expanding the guidance given in the Approved Document, and comparing the advice in BS83000 and other relevant publications. Access statements are demystified, and the implications for the building in use under the Disability Discrimination Act are clarified. It will inform all those working within the built environment, enabling them to deal with a complex and evolving area of the law which directly affects everyone. As with the other books in the Using the Building Regulations series Part M Access goes far beyond analysis of the Regulations and Documents themselves, and offers practical advice on using not just the traditional routes to compliance but also on the alternative approaches suggested but not explained in the Approved Documents. The advantages and disadvantages of each form of compliance are analysed in depth.

In 1971, Francis L. Brannigan created Building Construction for the Fire Service, a groundbreaking resource offering the most comprehensive knowledge of building construction available to fire fighters. With his dedication to fire fighter safety and saving lives, the legacy of Frank Brannigan continues with the sixth edition of Brannigan’s Building Construction for the Fire Service. The Sixth Edition meets and exceeds the National Fire Academy’s Fire and Emergency Services Higher Education (FESHE) course objectives and outcomes for the Associate’s Core-Level course called Building Construction for Fire Protection (C0275). Brannigan’s Building Construction for the Fire Service, Sixth Edition is an integral resource for fire officers, instructors, those studying for promotion, individuals taking civil service examinations, fire science students, and both current and prospective fire fighters. It is part of an integrated teaching and learning system that combines dynamic features and content to support instructors and to help prepare students for their career in firefighting. This new edition features: Chapter 7 Non-Fire Building Systems (new) describes several categories of non-fire systems in buildings, including electrical systems, plumbing systems, conveyances, refrigeration systems, and Ventilation (HVAC) systems, in addition to the hazards the systems pose for fire fighters. New or expanded content on: Aluminum-clad polyethylene panels Scaffolding Cranes and their use Modular construction using stacked shipping containers Light-weight wood-frame construction Fire escapes and stair design Cross-laminated timber and heavy timber construction Methods of protecting steel against fire New “green” materials and methods such as hempcrete and biofilters Structural wall framing systems with insulated studs Air-supported structures for sporting events Massive single-structure lightweight wood frame apartment buildings Firefighting recommendations in lightweight wood frame residential buildings Building construction and its relationship to flow path Historical perspective on fire resistance testing and its shortcomings Roofing material tests Safety issues of post-fire investigation of significantly damaged/collapsed buildings Scenario-Based Learning. Case Studies are found at the beginning and end of each chapter to encourage and foster critical-thinking skills. Tactical Considerations. This feature offers suggestions for firefighting, safety concerns, and related additional material for application on the fireground. Wrap-Up. Chapter Summaries, Key Terms, Challenging Questions, and Suggesting Readings promote comprehension and mastery of course objectives and outcomes.

This Open Access book is an anthropological urban study of the Emirate of Dubai, its institutions, and their evolution. It provides a contemporary history of disability in city planning from a non-Western perspective and explores the cultural context for its positioning. Three insights inform the author’s approach. First, disability research, much like other urban or social issues, must be situated in a particular place. Second, access and inclusion forms a key part of both local and global planning issues. Third, a 21st century planning education should take access and inclusion into consideration by applying a disability lens to the empirical, methodological, and theoretical advances of the field. By bridging theory and practice, this book provides new insights on inclusive city planning and comparative urban theory. This book should be read as part of a larger struggle to define and assert access; it’s a story of how equity and justice are central themes in building the cities of the future and of today.

Build an organization that is growth-minded, values-based, and innovative using the six steps to “responsible impact.” At age 16, Michael ‘Piecez’ Prosserman, a professional b-boy (breakdancer), completed a school project that would grow to become a hip-hop-inspired mental health charity with global reach. Through a process of continuous discovery and reflection, Prosserman and his team grew UNITY to the point where it benefitted over a quarter of a million young people. In Building Unity, Prosserman breaks down the six steps to discovering “responsible impact” and building an organization that is growth-minded, values-based, and reflective of the needs of its community. Using stories of his own evolution, learning, and growth as a leader over 15 years, Prosserman parallels the creativity found in breakdancing with the innovation needed to build a sustainable non-profit. Six steps to discovering “responsible impact”: Spark is the inspiration, the big “why,” the motivation to wake up and do something. Build is the testing ground to clarify ideas, understand community needs, and challenge assumptions. Trust involves building the culture of your organization, leading by example, and hiring people with dreams. Trust sets the stage for growth by empowering awesome people. Grow is about finding the right size for your organization to create a responsible impact. Evolve is knowing when to step back so others can step forward by building a succession plan that leaves your organization in good hands. Re-Ignite is building from past experience and lighting the next spark within yourself.