Pioneered by Norway, Japan and America, inclusive design – also known as universal design or ‘design for all’ – differs from accessibility in that it seeks to find solutions that might be needed by some, but are good for everybody, avoiding the stigma associated with special solutions for special needs. In his Strategy for Teaching Inclusive Design, Oslo School of Architecture and Design professor Tom Vavik defines inclusive design as “a framework that accepts diversity of ability and age as the most ordinary reality of being human.”
Part of the London Design Biennale at Somerset House 07 – 27 September 2016, and hosted and curated by the Innovation for All programme at the Norwegian Centre for Design and Architecture (DOGA), the exhibition will showcase six Norwegian civic projects, including St. Olavs Hospital, Scandic Hotel Oslo Airport and University College Bergen. Editor Katie Treggiden went to visit St Olav’s and the Scandic to find out more about this utopian approach to design.
