Breaking down the barriers
The goal of the competition was to select Warsaw buildings that are easily accessible for disabled persons, as well as to promote those whose activities help to accommodate the disabled in society.
"While building Arkadia, from the very beginning, we tried to make it as accessible for the disabled as possible," said Anna Mieszkowska, Arkadia's spokesperson. "From the start the project included facilities for the disabled, and we cooperated with experts in this respect."
The effect is a holistic approach to disabled-friendly solutions and facilities. Apart from the standard facilities, Arkadia boasts special parking places located close to elevators, Braille information boards and signs in the elevators, special induction loops in the food court that enable the hearing impaired guests to listen to the music and information broadcasts in the center. The center also encourages its tenants to include further facilities in their establishments, and plans to employ disabled persons in its offices and the information center.
However, experts stress that a lot more work needs to be done in order to ensure that large cities, such as Warsaw, are fully disabled-friendly.
"Although for 10 years now there has been a construction law that demands all new and modernized buildings to be accessible for the disabled, it is not being executed," said Justyna Stańczuk of SPI. "All the time new buildings, restaurants and shops are being developed, even on Warsaw's main streets, that do not comply with these regulations. This is a question of the developer wanting to save money and the architects agreeing to such solutions."
Kazimierz Kuberski, Warsaw President's proxy for the Warsaw Without Barriers programme agrees. "So far investors only limit the so-called disabled-friendly infrastructure to, for instance, residential buildings themselves but they forget about the infrastructure of the surroundings such as the parking lots," he said, adding that out of all the newly constructed buildings in Warsaw, a quarter do not comply with the legal requirements.
The recent competition was organized under the honorary patronage of the President of Warsaw, and is planned to continue over the years to come. Other winners this year were the Department of Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw and Św. Zofii hospital, both modernized historical buildings.
(M.L., K.R.)
"While building Arkadia, from the very beginning, we tried to make it as accessible for the disabled as possible," said Anna Mieszkowska, Arkadia's spokesperson. "From the start the project included facilities for the disabled, and we cooperated with experts in this respect."
The effect is a holistic approach to disabled-friendly solutions and facilities. Apart from the standard facilities, Arkadia boasts special parking places located close to elevators, Braille information boards and signs in the elevators, special induction loops in the food court that enable the hearing impaired guests to listen to the music and information broadcasts in the center. The center also encourages its tenants to include further facilities in their establishments, and plans to employ disabled persons in its offices and the information center.
However, experts stress that a lot more work needs to be done in order to ensure that large cities, such as Warsaw, are fully disabled-friendly.
"Although for 10 years now there has been a construction law that demands all new and modernized buildings to be accessible for the disabled, it is not being executed," said Justyna Stańczuk of SPI. "All the time new buildings, restaurants and shops are being developed, even on Warsaw's main streets, that do not comply with these regulations. This is a question of the developer wanting to save money and the architects agreeing to such solutions."
Kazimierz Kuberski, Warsaw President's proxy for the Warsaw Without Barriers programme agrees. "So far investors only limit the so-called disabled-friendly infrastructure to, for instance, residential buildings themselves but they forget about the infrastructure of the surroundings such as the parking lots," he said, adding that out of all the newly constructed buildings in Warsaw, a quarter do not comply with the legal requirements.
The recent competition was organized under the honorary patronage of the President of Warsaw, and is planned to continue over the years to come. Other winners this year were the Department of Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw and Św. Zofii hospital, both modernized historical buildings.
(M.L., K.R.)
