Designing for Dignity is a Mindful Risk Management Strategy
Enabling inclusive access to spaces, premises, products, and services in a safe, equitable and dignified way, elevates the human spirit… for all. And architects are the professionals empowered to bridge from concept to the built environment, breathing life into designing a better world.
When every design has risk associated with it, what happens when human needs are not accommodated? Pro-Demnity Insurance Co.’s VP Marketing, Iliana Arapis, and Risk Services Advisor, architect Leslie Parker, share some thoughts on managing risk in mindful ways so that dignity is woven through the discovery, discussion, design, development, and post-construction stages for any project:
At Pro-Demnity, we support the wise, effective, and efficient management of risk, while encouraging the architecture profession to improve society and human interaction through better design, which is, in fact, inclusive design. To that effect, it makes sense every project no matter how big or small should start with a functional program that addresses inclusive design, and that the project team should develop and implement the inclusive design programmatic requirements throughout the course of the project. Not only is this the right thing to do, but retaining appropriate documentation that supports the due diligence and decision-making process in respect to inclusive design throughout the project may also help protect you in future claims.
Here are five mindful strategies to consider when setting, implementing, and documenting inclusive design for your project:
1. Listen to Your Client’s Needs
Have a discussion with your client at the outset about their inclusivity goals for the project. Identify for them any codes and regulations that are applicable to their project and identify their duty of care to the public.
Consider also using the opportunity to invite your client to probe and think more broadly on relevant topics such as: What is the history of the land or environment? What is the intended use for the space? Who or which peoples might use the space? Are there people or groups who may be unintentionally excluded by following certain design paths? What additional activities might take place in the space beyond today and into the future? How is the space intended to serve human needs? How else might dignity be reflected in the space?
Where it makes sense, encourage your client to set up strategizing sessions and user meetings on inclusivity with future users of the building and other stakeholders.
Play back what you hear and validate with your client. Build your understanding by asking values-based questions.
2. Document Conversations with Your Client.
Ensure that the ideas, needs, and requirements from your initial programmatic discussions with your client are captured in a written document. If it does not exist already, consider creating an Inclusive Design Brief for the project. Use your client’s and the future users’ own words where possible, but also be sure to be clear and prescriptive. Include any unanswered questions you may have for future discussions.
Make a habit of documenting and sharing any other ancillary conversations on inclusivity with your client to keep reinforcing understanding, and to invite further clarity.
3. Discuss the Inclusive Design Brief with Your Client.
Update and share the Inclusive Design Brief for comments at each major project milestone or prior to user meetings.
Invite your client(s) to engage with what has been documented or captured, and consider asking them to sign off on the updated inclusivity brief and inclusivity design strategies at major project milestones.
Ask more questions. Answer theirs. Document, discuss, repeat. Be disciplined in this.
4. Design in Accordance with the Agreed Upon Brief—and Reflect Your Duty of Care.
As the design progresses, be sure to consider all applicable laws pertaining to inclusivity such as the? Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), provincial regulations in Building codes, and local municipal planning requirements.
Revisit and re-evaluate your inclusivity brief at regular intervals and evaluate if new considerations or opportunities have arisen. If so, have a conversation with your client on how to move forward. Document all discussions.
Discuss with your client if it would be beneficial to build any physical or virtual mockups of important spaces to facilitate testing out the functionality of different design options.
Consider including/hiring an accessibility or life safety consultant or other inclusivity expert to consult on the design and documents.
5. When Nearing the End of Contract Documents, Do a Final Walk-Through of Them with your Clients and Other Potential Stakeholders.
Take your clients one last time through the design from their perspective. Reaffirm it reflects the Inclusive Design Brief. Revisit questions over whether the design is successful in maintaining human dignity and if it presents an inclusive view of the world. Document any remaining concerns you may have.
Listening, communicating regularly and frequently and sharing your professionalism are all actions that signal respect to the client and duty of care to the broader community and the public at large. These documented actions may help to protect architects from future accusations of error, omission, or negligence, and potentially mitigate claims related to personal injury.
Our business at Pro-Demnity, and as the industry’s professional liability insurer, is to protect and defend your architecture practice whenever there is a claim. As your trusted ally, we are aligned with the architectural profession to design for dignity.
Pro-Demnity will be at the 2023 OAA Conference, Designing for Dignity, and we look forward to seeing you at our educational and sponsored sessions, as well as at our booth, where you can meet our Risk Services team, and learn more about managing, mitigating, transferring, avoiding, or accepting risk.
As architects initiate inclusive designs with diversity in mind, we are here to encourage you to unleash your creativity and rein in risks.
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Meet the Risk Services Team
Read the 2023 Annual Update: Protecting Practices
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