Application of universal design in public buildings in Putrajaya

Abstract

The planning through the implementation of ergonomics while at the same time considering the unique requirements of the various people living with disabilities such as children, the elderly people, is referred to as Universal Design. However, as the issue of having an easy access into commercial, residential and or public buildings has become an essential part of our living. Universal design is targeted at making simple every part of our daily activities by providing a usable community to several individual at little or no extra cost. The purpose of this research is to investigate the applicability of the concept of universal design at the entrance of public and commercial buildings in Putrajaya. This study adopts a qualitative multiple case study to collect data from the interviewed participants. Collected data were transcribed, coded and analyzed with the use of content analysis and some element of the constant comparison method to sort out the emerging themes relevant for theme development. This study finds that the cost of designing inclusive building may not necessarily be among the main reasons for non-implementation of the concept of Universal Design at the entrance of public and commercial buildings in Putrajaya. This study suggested some efforts that could be made to enhance the implementation of the concept of universal design in Putrajaya.