The ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act, which has been in place for 30 years, so there is little reason to defend buildings that don’t comply with the regulations.
Coincidentally, one of the most popular projects in the US – Hudson Yards, in New York – as an ADA complaint center, does not meet the requirements in this code. This project even installed an extremely creative and complex elevator system, which was the winner of the Elevator World Project 2020 contest organized by Elevator World Magazine, but it still did not meet ADA standards. The solution given is to install one or two more elevators in combination with some other measures.
Hudson Yards – one of the most famous buildings in the US, each floor is designed as a passage leading to the many observation spaces of Vessel, this is considered an interactive architectural work.
In practice, owners and architects do not always think about these accessibility issues because they mainly focus on the main objects of the building. Some people think that the elevator is a convenience to increase the accessibility of people with disabilities, others think that the elevator can be a means of helping the building through the above legal procedures. However, both of these ways of thinking are incorrect. In fact, any elevator manufacturing or supply business will tell you that the elevator itself also needs to meet the minimum standards to ensure legal accessibility for people with disabilities.
Some of the ADA regulations regarding elevators for ease of access in specific public spaces include: Doors must open completely for at least three seconds; Call buttons have a minimum diameter of 0.75inch; The height of the button must be centered 42 inches from the floor; The cabin must be at least 51 inches deep and at least 68 inches wide; Door width must be at least 36inches; Braille should be below or next to the floor number on the dashboard; Automatic verbal notification of stops or non-verbal audio signals of elapsed floors and stops shall be used; Two-way communication must be available in the lift cab accessible to the deaf/visually impaired; The emergency controls must be grouped at the bottom of the lift control panel and have their centerline not less than 35 inches above the finished floor, etc.
However, these are just basic standards, details of other specifications are also specifically mentioned in the ADA. Not only the United States, most countries have provisions in laws related to people with disabilities. Whether it is an artistic architecture or any other goal, it is still necessary to ensure the rights of all subjects in society, along with ensuring compliance with the law.
The elevator system at this building is an innovative and impressive elevator project, winning the championship in the “World Elevator Project 2020” competition, although it does not completely solve the problem of the ability to accessibility for people with disabilities.
In Vietnam, out of 16 regulations issued by the Ministry of Construction, there is Regulation No. 10, issued in 2014 which is the National Technical Regulation on construction of works to ensure access to use by people with disabilities (QCVN 10:2014/BXD). This is the action of the Government of Vietnam to implement the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Vietnam was the 158th country in the world to ratify in 2014.
However, so far, the accessibility of people with disabilities in public works is still extremely low. The cinema only has a stairway, the bus does not have a lift, the image of direction for the blind leading directly to the tree, and the electric poles are not uncommon. In order for people with disabilities to be able to access and use them, they must first start from the State administrative offices from communes, wards, schools, supermarkets, trade centers, and expand to traffic projects and cultural and entertainment projects.
When people with disabilities do not have access to public facilities, we reach out to help them up a flight of stairs, carry them to the bus, etc., we also instill in them low self-esteem and guilt. Construction design thinking that ensures the accessibility of all objects needs to be realized synchronously from now on, because when new constructions are not guaranteed, the renovation will be even more difficult. When the ADA Complaint Center building does not meet the standards of the act itself, the prospect of people with disabilities accessing all public amenities is still a long way off.
