One of the more impressive I have seen to be honest.

A nice capture from the kitty corner.
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Surprisingly decent, although it does feel like the reflectiveness of the rendered glass is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. One thing that I'm not a fan of is the steps up to the retail bays. Considering the grading of the site, this seems like it's simply to save a bit of money on parkade excavation. We should really be discouraging this type of interface, the retail will permanently be hard to access from the street for those with disabilities, just to save a bit of money on the parkade. Unless there is something limiting how deep they can go that I'm unaware of?
 
I repeat my hope (dream?) that the CoE will catch up with the development in the area and ensure that the streetscape is improved as soon as possible. It's in dire need of upgrading
 
EtoV said:
Yes, of course, but it's not exactly easily accessible. If you look at the renders, wheelchair users will have to travel a significant distance to get to some of the retail bays.
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I am not expert on accessibility but is this design more do due to how the site might grade along the street & ave and keeping the crus all easily accessible especially when building close to the property line. I seem to recall some discussion on this the with Maclaren building on 124 street and I am sure there are other examples.

I suspect (and very well this could be a naïve opinion) that it is more about that level access for all CRUs and less about cost of digging down a touch further.
 
Alrighty then. The renders don't appear to show any wheelchair ramps, but assuming they're on the corners of the property, it could be up to an additional ~80m to even get to a retail bay from the intersection (40m to the corner of the building, up the ramp, then 40m back). But you're right, boo hoo, not our problem, nice shiny building, who cares about pesky things like ease of access. I'm not even saying this is a bad building, I just think the raised retail is a mistep.
 
What part did you not understand when it was explained that wheel chair accessibility is mandatory? Look up the OHS...
 
Clearshades said:
What part did you not understand when it was explained that wheel chair accessibility is mandatory? Look up the OHS...
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Mandatory doesn't mean convenient and comfortable. Especially in a winter city such as Edmonton, if the wheelchair accesses are poorly located, it will make the journey for any person with disabilities that much longer, unpleasant, uncomfortable and some might even say less safe.
 
The maximum run would be 30-feet not 40 and likely much less than that -- in a switchback configuration only 15. The path of travel for a wheelchair from either street parking or a bus stop would be far greater than that. "Mountains out of mole hills". If the disabled patron is driving him/herself there, they would have weather-protected underground parking and access to a lift/elevator and interior access. The code mandates have all been developed by disabled architects -- how do I know that? I have to take an exam every two years to familiarize myself with the latest updates in ADA requirements.
 
ChazYEG said:
Mandatory doesn't mean convenient and comfortable. Especially in a winter city such as Edmonton, if the wheelchair accesses are poorly located, it will make the journey for any person with disabilities that much longer, unpleasant, uncomfortable and some might even say less safe.
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As someone that has a loved one in a wheelchair I have become quite militant about accessibility. A place might say they are accessible but there are levels. Functionality is more important. Wheelchairs are not built for our climate. the slightest snow ridge a few cms of snow. The threshold of the door. The front caster wheels catch every crack or bump. There have been a few times I have launched my wife out of her chair going into a place. And don't get me started on door openers that don't work or are placed in such a way that you can't reach them.

The best accessible washrooms are at Paradice Restaurant in the North end and the New accessible washrooms at ST Albert city hall.
 
In this day and age, accessibility should not just be an after thought, but an important consideration in the design of the project.

It should be looked at not just as we have to do it, but how do we do it well so it works better for those people who need it.
 
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