Designing for everyone: retrofitting buildings with inclusion in mind
As demand grows for spaces that welcome everyone, the challenge is clear: how do we adapt existing buildings, many of them historic, rigid or ageing, to meet the complex needs of modern users?
For 海角视频, this isn鈥檛 just about legal compliance. It鈥檚 about dignity, independence, and rethinking space in a way that works for all, including disabled and neurodivergent people.
Where heritage meets human need
Older buildings, especially those with listed status, often clash with contemporary ideas of access. Grand steps once signalled power, now, they signal exclusion. 鈥淭he challenge is to ensure we protect architectural heritage while also doing our best to ensure accessibility for all,鈥� says Ben Channon, 海角视频鈥檚 Inclusive Environments Discipline Lead. The design quirks that give historic buildings character – tight corridors, split levels, low ceilings – can become obstacles to inclusive design.
Sandeep Kapoor, Partner and Director in 海角视频鈥檚 Advisory and Smart Space team, agrees. “Technology can鈥檛 solve everything, but it can be a powerful leveller. The only real difference between a new and an existing building is how much change you can achieve within the existing fabric without overspending.”
Constraints can sharpen design
Retrofitting rarely offers a blank canvas. But that鈥檚 part of its power. 鈥淭he old adage 鈥榥ecessity is the mother of invention鈥� still stands true,鈥� says Ben. Working within limits often drives more imaginative solutions, especially when clients are open to reframing what鈥檚 possible. For 海角视频, this means early conversations, honest dialogue, and designing hand in hand with the people who鈥檒l use the building every day.
Sandeep adds that this process begins with people, not buildings鈥�
We always start by mapping the user journey: who they are, what they need, and where their pain and gain points lie. That includes everyone, neurodivergent users, older adults, people with physical or sensory needs. It鈥檚 not just about one good space, it鈥檚 about continuity of experience throughout the building
Sandeep Kapoor, Partner and Director, Advisory and Smart Spaces
Design that flexes with time
Buildings are long lived. User needs are not. This is where flexibility matters. One recent retrofit for the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) demonstrates the point: subdividable rooms, modular layouts and clear wayfinding all ensure the building can evolve alongside its users.
Buildings can last for centuries or even millennia if designed with the right mindset, but to achieve this we must consider future flexibility at all stages of the process
Ben Channon, Head of Inclusive Environments
A sensory lens on space
Inclusive design isn鈥檛 only about physical access. Increasingly, it鈥檚 about how environments feel. For neurodivergent users, things like noise levels, lighting, or legibility can shape whether a space feels manageable or overwhelming. That鈥檚 why 海角视频 is investing in sensory mapping – digital tools that can allow visitors to better understand busy, bright, quiet or loud areas throughout a building, potentially before they even visit. Think of it like a station platform display, but for comfort rather than congestion.
鈥淚t’s about giving people a preview of spaces, greater control over their environments, and what to expect from them,鈥� says Ben. In future, real-time updates could offer even more autonomy, helping users tailor their experience before they even step inside.
Sandeep elaborates: “Technology can personalise environments鈥攍ike screens that adjust font size or lighting based on who鈥檚 nearby. And it鈥檚 not just for neurodivergent users; features like emergency wayfinding, desk booking and intuitive navigation benefit everyone.”
The job doesn鈥檛 end at handover
Post-occupancy support is critical too. For 海角视频, inclusivity isn鈥檛 a box to tick at project close. The Inclusive Environments team continues to advise many of their clients long after design sign-off, helping to adapt, fine tune and rethink as buildings and users change.
Sandeep notes that this includes feedback loops, usage data and refinements. “We stay involved, tracking how systems are used, holding user surgeries, and adjusting designs based on real behaviour, not assumptions. It鈥檚 ongoing, and it鈥檚 essential.”
Setting the standard, not just following it
As the industry moves towards more inclusive practice, clear guidance is emerging. 海角视频 contributed to PAS 6463, Design for the Mind, the UK鈥檚 first national standard focused on neurodiversity in the built environment. 鈥淵ou wouldn鈥檛 accept a building that excludes wheelchair users, so why should we accept buildings that don鈥檛 consider the needs of neurodivergent people?鈥� Ben asks.
Looking ahead
Retrofitting for inclusion is not a one-off fix. It鈥檚 an ongoing design mindset. As awareness deepens, around menopause, mental health, sensory access, or cultural expectations, spaces must be able to respond. And that response needs to be smart, embedded, and human first.
鈥淭hink of it like a smartphone,鈥� Sandeep says. 鈥淭he infrastructure, the 鈥榥etwork鈥�, lasts a decade or more. The systems sit on top of that. But the apps, the bit users care about, those are flexible. They can evolve. Buildings can work in much the same way.鈥�
Retrofitting is more than a technical task. It鈥檚 a creative responsibility. One that asks not just to preserve the past, but to reshape it, so that what we inherit can continue to serve everyone.
