Ukrainian developers are taking into account the increased requirements for inclusiveness in housing projects under construction, and in some cases are adapting appropriate measures in finished projects, according to a survey of developers conducted by Interfax-Ukraine.
“We are trying to make the adjoining areas as barrier-free as possible. In the apartments for the military in Metropolis, we have specially expanded the entrance doors and interior openings. This will make the living space as comfortable and inclusive as possible. All subsequent phases are already being designed to meet the increased requirements for inclusivity,” the press service of the DIM group of companies said.
The company’s residential complexes are also equipped with elevators accessible to passengers with different mobility capabilities and control panels with Braille labeling and voice notifications.
In addition, the developer can adapt previously constructed buildings to the new inclusivity requirements if necessary.
“As for the facilities put into operation earlier, we are ready to cooperate with the management companies of these buildings, if they make a corresponding request,” DIM noted.
City One Development uses a similar approach, increasing the inclusiveness of infrastructure in ready-made buildings whenever possible.
“All of our projects are initially designed with free access for people with different abilities and needs in mind. In the completed residential complexes, we later installed additional ramps for easier movement, and in the Novopecherski Lypky quarter we even installed an external elevator,” said Dmytro Novikov, Marketing Director of City One Development.
The absence of barriers, sharp elevation changes, wide doorways, and inclusive information signs and plaques are mandatory attributes in the overall architecture of housing projects, said Iryna Mykhalova, CMO of Alliance Novobud.
“All our residential complexes are designed and built in compliance with the current state building codes, in particular in terms of inclusiveness. Residential complexes that were built before the introduction of the current standards are equipped with ramps and other possible amenities,” the expert said.
In turn, KAN Development provides accessible angles of inclination of ramps and entrance groups in its projects, and the entrances to the buildings are designed without steps, the company’s press service reports. The residential complexes also have special parking spaces for people with disabilities.
According to Avalon CEO Roman Davymuka, inclusivity in the company’s projects is perceived as a “hygienic norm” rather than a feature.
“We are implementing all the requirements of the new DBN on inclusiveness. Our facilities have agreements for the purchase of apartments with the relevant requirements, and we understand that the measures meet real needs,” he said.
Meanwhile, the company is also trying to adapt its existing facilities to the new requirements, excluding changes that require structural alterations to the structures.
“Even in our facilities that already have permits and are under construction or are in the final stages of construction, we are trying to comply with these conditionally new DBN requirements, which came into force on September 1, 2022, as much as possible, adding visual navigation signs, tactile markings, and expanding ramps where possible. But we do not break down walls and expand already decorated corridors,” Davymuka explained.
The inclusiveness of spaces in the Greenville Park project is implemented according to the 8/80 principle, when the territory of the residential complex is comfortable for both an eight-year-old child and a pensioner, said project manager Oleksiy Shmatok.
“Such an environment includes a car-free courtyard, a wide pedestrian zone, ramps, elevators with a wide entrance and voice guidance, tactile tiles, signs, including Braille, and lighting. Functionality is the basis of this approach,” he said.
In addition, the system of pulling the elevator to the nearest floor has become relevant again, given the emergency power outages due to missile strikes on Ukraine’s infrastructure, the expert noted.
