Page 8 - PIC Magazine-Issue-27-Autumn-Winter

Designing
Beyond
Disability
How thoughtful accessible
architecture transformed Ridgeview
into a home for the future.
By Katayha Gould, Architect, Arkhi Care
ccessible architecture is often judged by the things
people can immediately see, wider doorways, hoists,
wet rooms, and level thresholds. Those things matter,
but they are only part of the story.
For me, accessible architecture starts with people. It is about
understanding how a family lives, what brings them together,
and what they do not want to lose because of disability.
Ridgeview reminded me of that.
Listening
Before Drawing
When we first met Fin and his
family, we talked about how
much he loves being outdoors,
sensory light shows, and his
water bed. We talked about
family time and creating a home
where everyone could gather.
Fin needs a fully accessible
bedroom and en-suite, specialist
equipment and twenty-four-
hour care. But his family did not
want a house that felt like a care
setting. They wanted a home
where Fin could simply belong.
Some of the most important
work on Ridgeview happened
before we really started drawing.
Fin's family understood the
rhythm of his day. His carers
understood the practicalities
of providing support around
the clock. His occupational
therapist and case manager
brought detailed knowledge
of transfers, equipment, safety,
and care. No one person had
all the answers, which is why
the mixed team mattered.
The brief was detailed, but
personal. Fin needed direct
access from his bedroom
to the outside, with shelter
from direct sunlight and poor
weather. His bed or Acheeva
needed to move easily through
the doors. His sensory room
needed space for a hydro bed,
physiotherapy, and seating for
family. The kitchen needed
to allow Fin to join everyone
around the island rather than
sit at the edge of family life.
Privacy mattered too. Medical
storage, equipment, a sluice,
and carer spaces needed
to work efficiently without
allowing care to dominate
the family areas.
One of the biggest challenges was creating
the specialist space Fin needed without making
it feel as though he lived in a separate part of
the house.
It would have been easy to design a specialist
wing. Functionally, it might have worked. For
this family, it would have been wrong.
The connection into the main house became
fundamental. Fin's bedroom, en-suite, sensory
room, and support spaces sit within the same
ground-floor arrangement as the kitchen, dining
room and snug, while dedicated medical and
equipment stores and carer facilities allow care
to happen without taking over the home.
Inclusion is not simply about whether
somebody can enter a room. It is about whether
the building naturally allows them to take part in
what is happening there.
The kitchen island is a simple example. Fin can
be part of conversations and daily life. The
sensory room supports therapy and sensory
experiences, but it is also somewhere his family
can sit with him and enjoy light shows.
8
www.pic.legal • Autumn/Winter 2026 Partners In Costs