Report of the CIB Expert Seminar on Building Non-Handicapping Environments,
Harare 1992
Accessible, adaptable low-cost housing in Egypt
Dr. Safaa M. Issa Abdou, Development & Popular Housing Co., Cairo, Egypt
Contents
Introduction
Architecture is a measure of society's advancement
or retardation and a record of nations' civilization. Man is civilization's
creator and its primary architect who set its foundations and raised its
magnificent, tall edifices. And for Man there has always been the pursuit
of civilization, freedom and equality.
Religions with their human principals had a great effect in getting society's
interest in man's right to live, with all that could be ingrained in this
right, and what is required from ongoing political systems. Sometimes this
right was threatened, but it has always been a goal and a requirement that
thinkers' views, philosophers' writings and artists' - including the architects'
- works stressed its importance.
It has been well-known that society's guarantee and provision of all human
rights, related to Man's Godly right to live, is a proof of a high standard
of civilization. Thus, we found that the individual enjoys justice, equality
as well as personal and political freedom in advanced countries.
Justice and equality imply equal opportunities in all aspects of social
life for all society's members; and in order for everyone to enjoy equal
opportunities there is a need to provide the services helping all citizens
to participate in various living activities.
Hence, we become aware of the way the architect interacts in all sides of
society's life. The architect has always been the means to create all that
reduces people's suffering and social ailments. He is capable of providing
the work that realizes equality and justice through a safe, accessible environment
that allows all citizens to participate (according to their capabilities)
in their country's development and advancement. This requires a broad perspective
from the architect in order to provide the needs of all society's members,
not only non-disabled persons with idealistic measures who have always been
the basis of architecture design standards. Society includes a considerable
growing minority of disabled individuals, which statistics have shown are
10 per cent, and that is due either to sickness, accidents, wars, congenital
causes, aging or daily life stresses.
Accessible housing
Conseil International du Batiment CIB at the Royal
Institute of Technology in Sweden, through establishing the W84 Commission,
aims at building non-handicapping environments in order to mainstream disabled
individuals. Disabled individuals cannot participate in social life and
its activities while residing in institutions. Hence, the need to provide
housing units that accommodate the members of this group and fulfil their
needs.
The provision of housing units for physically disabled individuals should
not be considered as a charitable gesture from society's side, as they are
entitled to this service, besides the fact that special housing units for
the members of this group do not raise these persons' sense of freedom that
is required to encourage their participation in social life activities as
this sense of freedom is not possible without having the right to choose
or the right to create for oneself the alternatives of choice, according
to Archibald MacLeish (Zola, I., 1981, p. 357).
Additionally, the experience of countries having a lead in this field, providing
accessibility for disabled individuals in the built environment, has proved
that there are some shortcomings with special housing units for the physically
disabled individuals. For example, the possibility of their moving out of
these units causing some losses to landlords and building societies when
these units are not rented and costing some expenses to remodel them in
order to let them to non-disabled persons instead of being left empty, the
difficulty for the disabled group's members to locate these special housing
units, besides the possibility that these special units might not conform
in size with the needs of the disabled individual and his family by being
either too big or too small. Therefore, there is a need to solve this rising,
important problem.
Adaptable, universal design
The solution to this problem lies in the suggestion
presented by Mr. Ronald L. Mace, director of the Center for Accessible Housing
in North Carolina State University, that is the Universal Design or the
Adaptable Design for the Life Span of the Individual. As stated by Lusher
and Mace (1989):
"Instead of responding only to the minimum demands of laws which require
a few special features for disabled people it is possible to design most
manufactured items and building elements to be usable by a broad range of
human beings including children, elderly people, people with disabilities,
and people of different sizes. This is a concept that is now entirely possible
and one that makes economic and social sense."
The concept of adaptable design provides "...basic universal features
which can easily be adapted to the needs of a specific user" and not
just for wheelchair users who constitute a small percentage of the total
population with disabilities. This concept is suggested to be applied to
rental housing "where there is frequent turnover in occupancy, although
certain other buildings could also benefit from this approach, at least
in marketing context" (Mace, R. L. et al., 1990).
There are some fixed accessible features that should be provided (excerpted
from Mace & Lusher, 1989):
- wide passable doors (81.5 cm), an accessible route including a clear
path at least (92 cm wide) connecting all accessible features and spaces,
- clear floor spaces around fixtures such as toilets, tubs, showers
and sinks.
- controls such as light switches, thermostats, electrical receptacles,
and faucets within easy reach and easily operated,
- operable windows,
- visual alarms, warning signals must be visual and auditory,
- knee space under the kitchen sink and workspaces,
- tub seats, bathtubs must have either a built in seat at the head end
or attachable portable seat that fastens securely to the tub when needed,
- showers: if showers are provided at least one must be either 92 cm
x 92 cm with a seat to allow transfer or a roll-in shower that can accommodate
a person using a wheelchair,
- offset controls: tubs and showers must have control valves which are
offset toward the outside to be easier to reach from the side of the fixture.
Hand-held shower heads on flexible hoses must also be provided.
- reinforcing grab bars: reinforcing must be placed in specific locations
in walls around showers, tubs and toilets to facilitate the simple addition
of grab bars at a later time.
Adjustable features:
- segments of countertops over knee spaces at work surfaces and sinks
should be adjustable in height from a standard height of 36 inches to 28
inches to allow use by people who must sit down to prepare food.
- adjustable height closet rods and cabinet shelves are highly recommended,
though not specified in ANSI & UFAS, to improve universal use.
Optional removable features:
- knee spaces required under kitchen counters and bathroom lavatories
can be temporarily hidden from view by removable base cabinets.
- grab bars at tubs, showers, and toilets in bathrooms can be omitted
until needed so long as wall reinforcing is in place.
- there is a possibility of providing a portable, securely attachable
tub seat when needed instead of a built-in seat.
Accessibility in Egypt
It might seem as though the Egyptian architect did
not fulfil his duties towards local communities entrusting him with the
power to express its ideals, beliefs and attitudes as regard to various
problems. But the fact is that the problem of the disabled group is new
to Egypt, as we have not been through the industrial revolution period with
its impact upon many workers with the disabling accidents it caused, and
we have not gone through as many wars as European countries with the great
number of disabilities that were their results. That besides counting on
the previous trend in facing this problem by providing special institutions
as El Wafaa & El Amal City in Cairo suburbs to accommodate the needs
of some of the members of this group and to provide services for disabled
individuals, men, women and children.
This paper presents suggestions to adapt some low-cost housing units located
in Haikesteb area near Cairo, providing 10,000 low-cost housing units for
low-income families. (Drawings are available from the author.)
Conclusion
There is still a need in Egypt to win the professionals
to and get them interested in the issue of accessibility for the disabled
group, as well as having the law and legislations reformulated to provide
national and local codes requiring accessibility, training architectural
students and providing academic curriculum on this issue, besides a system
of rewards and incentives that will encourage the best accessible solutions.
Accessibility of the built environment is a direct step towards a more just,
fair society in which democratic principles and constitutional standards
of freedom and equality guarantee its members their human rights.
References
Lusher, R. H. & Mace, R. L., "Design for Physical and Mental Disabilities",
in Encyclopedia of Architecture: Design Engineering and Construction, ed.
J. Wilkes and Sons, 3, U. S. A., 1989.
Mace, R. L., Hardie, G. J., and Place, J. P., Accessible Environments: Toward
Universal Design, Center for Accessible Housing, North Carolina State University,
U. S. A., 1990.
Zola, I. K., "Communication Barriers between The Able-Bodied and The
Handicapped", Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 62,
pp. 356-359, 1981.
Questions and comments
Q: Why are not all the flats made as those which were designed for disabled
persons? I could not see any problem in making all the flats the same way.
This type of flexibility which you provide for disabled persons could be
very useful for all people.
The second question regards elevators. Do you think it is possible at a
later stage to add elevators to these buildings? I think that could be a
good idea for architects in developing countries to prepare for elevators.
They do not need to be constructed inside the building. They could be built
outside the building but in connection with the stairs.
A: Not all flats could be made accessible because of the question of pipes
when connected with the sewage system. For example, the one I said could
not be adapted, it is the question of the bathroom. They told me if you
wanted to change the place of the toilet or shower it would be expensive
and it would omit one floor which could not be used. That is why I did not
make it. You will also note that the partitions were bolted, that is because
our minister insisted that we do not put partitions and that he would leave
this for the users. He thought it would make them cheaper; he is very concerned
with the cost. But as far as elevators, it was considered too expensive,
for maintenance, electricity bills, etc. People, even with a good standard
of living, maybe do not contribute to these things and it is a problem for
the owner.
C: I would like to appeal to all African architects to please do not go
up in costs. Although you ask for provision for elevators, we have space
and I do feel that in the question of low-cost housing if we go up we immediately
make it a ghetto situation, particularly for disabled people because we
do have this problem of the cost of elevators. So please, do not go up on
low-cost housing.
Q: I would like to pose a general question. When it comes to urban design
and urban designing control, is there any merit in disability legislation
actually specifying that one should try and maximize the amount of housing
that can be provided at the ground level, as opposed to multi-story constructed?
A second question is the cost-effectiveness of that multi-story accommodation
in a Third World city.
A: As far as urban planning I do not think they require that it be on the
ground floor. I just suggested it since I will not be able to use any elevators.
They do not specify that it should be on the ground floor because if you
are making it accessible you should provide it on any floor and you should
not even prevent a disabled person from working in a high-rise tower seeing
that it would be a problem with fire-fighting. It would not be specified
for only the ground floor but as for in my country that is the trend. We
use multi-story walk-up buildings and they think it is cheaper for the infrastructure
and for the land, although this is in a desert area. Still, this is the
trend and the way of thinking. Even people in Egypt criticize it because
there is a lot of land in the desert but they do not expand.
Harare
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