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Office Matters: The BCO Podcast · Today · 33 min

Office Matters: Agency, not Independence - a new language for inclusive design

In the latest episode of the BCO's Office Matters podcast host Samantha McClary sits down with Suzan Ucmaklioglu, architect and inclusive design specialist at Foster + Partners, for a candid conversation about what it really means to design inclusively. Ucmaklioglu explains the philosophy of "with, not for" - designing alongside the people who will use a space, not assuming their needs. She shares striking findings from Foster + Partners' Spaces for Inclusion research, developed with Disordinary Architecture, including how something as simple as a missing bench can drain a person's energy before they even reach a meeting. This powerful conversation covers everything from architecture education's blind spots, the power of language, and Suzan's own personal journey growing up with a wheelchair-using father. It's a warm, honest, and genuinely eye-opening listen. And one that comes with a little important homework for every listener. Listen in to: Rethink what "accessible" actually means. Compliance is a starting point, not the finish line. A building can tick every code box and still fail real users. Find out why treating accessibility as a design driver, not a checklist, produces better buildings for everyone. Discover how small interventions have outsized impact. Research across four completed Foster + Partners buildings found that entrances, toilets, and communal "urban rooms" are where inclusive design succeeds or fails most and that something as simple as adding rest spaces changes how welcome people feel in a scheme. Find out why the whole delivery chain needs to be involved. From developers and investors to fit-out teams and leasing agents, everyone shaping a building's design and operation influences who can actually use it. It’s time to make inclusive design a shared responsibility across the entire real estate value chain. You can find out more about the Space for Inclusion project by watching this film:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV8LIlcgOpg

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In the latest episode of the BCO's Office Matters podcast host Samantha McClary sits down with Suzan Ucmaklioglu, architect and inclusive design specialist at Foster + Partners, for a candid conversation about what it really means to design inclusively.

Ucmaklioglu explains the philosophy of "with, not for" - designing alongside the people who will use a space, not assuming their needs. She shares striking findings from Foster + Partners' Spaces for Inclusion research, developed with Disordinary Architecture, including how something as simple as a missing bench can drain a person's energy before they even reach a meeting.

This powerful conversation covers everything from architecture education's blind spots, the power of language, and Suzan's own personal journey growing up with a wheelchair-using father.

It's a warm, honest, and genuinely eye-opening listen. And one that comes with a little important homework for every listener.

Listen in to:

  1. Rethink what "accessible" actually means. Compliance is a starting point, not the finish line. A building can tick every code box and still fail real users. Find out why treating accessibility as a design driver, not a checklist, produces better buildings for everyone.
  2. Discover how small interventions have outsized impact. Research across four completed Foster + Partners buildings found that entrances, toilets, and communal "urban rooms" are where inclusive design succeeds or fails most and that something as simple as adding rest spaces changes how welcome people feel in a scheme.
  3. Find out why the whole delivery chain needs to be involved. From developers and investors to fit-out teams and leasing agents, everyone shaping a building's design and operation influences who can actually use it. It’s time to make inclusive design a shared responsibility across the entire real estate value chain.

You can find out more about the Space for Inclusion project by watching this film:: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bV8LIlcgOpg

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