I am a Building Control Surveyor working in local authority. I have just
reached the final part(dissertation) of my studies for an MSc in 'Access and
Inclusive Design' (distance learning). Because of my background and the widely
acknowledged changing demographic in terms of the ageing profile (and associated
mobility issues), together with the resulting thrust via the Code for
Sustainable Homes (specifically Wheelchair Accesible Housing (WAH) and Lifetime
Homes (LTH's)as 'encouragement'towards independent living I felt that a working
title questioning the safety of the occupants (in the circumstaces as identified
in the topic) merited research. Clearly albeit WAH and LTH's are completely
different animals at the outset (LTH's being new homes which are adaptable to
suit the changing needs of the occupant while WAH being designed for a specific
end user)at a point in time both may have the same interent problem (i.e. having
accessed the first floor (via a through floor lift), how do the occupants
escape/survive in a fire situation? The objectives of the research proposal are
as follows;
i)Initially through a holistic approach to review current
legislation and guidance which is intended to facilitate safe evacuation of
individuals from all new two storey dwellings (sets the scene)
ii)To explore
and identify any limitations in the legislation and guidance for wheelchair
users in new two storey dwellings (escape windows?)
iii)To explore the
current level of understanding regarding the provision of emergency egress for
wheelchair users as part of two storey accessible housing.
iv)To establish
who is ultimately responsible to ensure wheelchair users can safely evacuate a
new two storey dwelling in a fire situation
v)To identify what changes (if
any)would be necessary in order to ensure safe evacuation of wheelchair users
from new two storey dwellings and in what form.
If anybody wishes to see my
research proposal in full, I'm more than happy to send it on.
Any
contributions, comments, questions will be gratefully accepted.
Thanks in
anticipation,
Michael Zuliani
