Citation: Pérez, E.; Espacio, A.;
Salamanca, S.; Merchán, P. WUAD
(Wheelchair User Assisted Design): A
VR-Based Strategy to Make Buildings
More Accessible. Appl. Sci. 2022, 12,
8486. https://doi.org/10.3390/
app12178486
Academic Editors: Zhihan Lv, Kai Xu
and Zhigeng Pan
Received: 29 July 2022
Accepted: 20 August 2022
Published: 25 August 2022
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Article
WUAD (Wheelchair User Assisted Design): A VR-Based
Strategy to Make Buildings More Accessible
Emiliano Pérez * , Alejandro Espacio, Santiago Salamanca and Pilar Merchán
Departamento de Ingeniería Eléctrica, Electrónica y Automática, Escuela de Ingenierías Industriales,
Universidad de Extremadura, Avda. De Elvas s/n, 06006 Badajoz, Spain
* Correspondence: emilianoph@unex.es
Featured Application: A precise architectural design of a building adapted for wheelchair users
by realistic virtual navigation, with motion platforms, body tracking, and a VR headset. It was
remarkable for its potential use in training wheelchair users for diverse scenarios.
Abstract:
Accessibility regulations towards building design and public places are more restrictive
than in past years. Along with energy efficiency, accessibility is one of the pillars of an optimal
building design. However, even buildings adapted for actual regulations are not always optimal, and
there is still much to do to avoid adding more difficulties for people with disabilities. We proposed
a wheelchair-user-assisted design methodology based on iterative bidirectional communication
between a wheelchair simulator user and the building designer to reach the optimum specifications
for an accessibility-friendly design. First-hand experience may be crucial to detect obstacles hardly
noticeable to people with no impairments. To this end, VR technology was employed along with the
mentioned wheelchair simulator to show the advantages of this kind of device when working on
real-life experiences.
Keywords:
virtual reality; building design; evaluation of building; accessibility; engineering;
architecture
1. Introduction
Recently, the complexity and fragmentation of the building design process have con-
siderably grown, mainly driven by increasing specialization and tightening of regulations.
This fact has led to a significant increase in the availability of design support tools intended
to facilitate aspects of the design process.
In the phases that comprise the design of a building, a series of standards must be
met. Urban infrastructure and services are generally designed based on people without
impairments, and the specific needs of people with disabilities are often not taken into
account in the development of cities, public places, buildings and services [
1
]. Designers are
usually trained to design for a theoretical “average” person who does not exist. Universal
design was born with the purpose of designing products or environments that suit a broad
range of users, including children, older adults, people with disabilities, people of atypical
size or shape, people who are ill or injured, and people inconvenienced by circumstances.
In architecture, universal design means creating spaces so they can be accessed, understood,
and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size, ability,
or disability. From the arrangement of the rooms to the choice of colours, many details go
into the creation of accessible spaces [
2
]. Universal design is about looking at the project
from the perspective of the end-user and involving them in the design process. This was
the aim of the system presented in this paper: incorporating into the design process a type
of user that is not always considered when designing buildings.
When considering a wheelchair user, an element designed in compliance with all
current regulations may not be the optimal solution or may not even be usable. For
Appl. Sci. 2022, 12, 8486. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12178486 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci
