Fostering ESG through inclusive design

At Buro Happold, in addition to our commitment to climate-sensitive design and energy-efficient buildings, we provide solutions for the social dimension of projects.

This is part of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework, and with it, we ensure full compliance with local and international standards of accessibility and enhance user experience. Our work focuses on widening the target groups for each project through the introduction of inclusive design features. 

As designers, engineers and consultants, we create spaces for the full spectrum of human activities: places for work, recreation, and living. Our position comes with an important responsibility to ensure that our designs can accommodate all people, regardless of their needs and abilities.

This is the foundation principle of inclusive design, which involves designing for all, making spaces accessible, and remaining sensitive to different needs. ESG articulates the need for organisations, no matter which sector they are a part of, to ensure that their work addresses core values related to the way we live with our planet and with one another. The requirement to meet a set of standards for inclusivity, defined by the European Union and other bodies, involves members of the design and building professions in a shared mandate to place inclusive design at the core of what we do.

We are all different. Our experience of the world is informed by the physical, psychological, cultural and emotional characteristics that make up our identities. Part of the challenge for engineers and architects working today is making sure that the spaces we propose include rather than exclude – this means taking into account the needs of everyone who could inhabit these spaces. This goes far beyond simple, generic solutions such as adding wheelchair ramps alongside staircases.

The requirements of users vary so widely as to be impossible to enumerate and must be read in each specific context. This is where Buro Happold’s unique expertise comes in. With each project that we undertake, we can integrate inclusive design at the core of the working process alongside other areas such as structural engineering and sustainability consulting. When combined with all areas of our remit, inclusive design becomes an integral component of a holistic design strategy.

Inclusive design is crucial for the success of any project, at any scale, and in any context. Just as climate-responsive design solutions vary depending on local environmental conditions, any approach to inclusivity must be particularly suited to the needs of the user population. For workplaces that accommodate the requirements of all employees, museums and theatres that are welcoming to visitors regardless of need, and housing for people of all ages, inclusive design is fundamental.