An expo for
everyone
Steve Dering, Direct Access’ head of
engagement in Dubai, offers insight
into the fair’s plans for increased
accessibility
According to Steve Dering, head of engagement in Dubai at
Direct Access, a UK practice (with a Dubai office) that offers
expertise on incorporating accessibility into building de-
signs, Expo 2020 Dubai is an opportunity to showcase what
can be achieved in terms of accessibility and it has employed
the help of Dering’s consultancy to provide understanding
and know-how on how best to address barriers that people
face on a daily basis.
“Expo 2020 has considered where accessibility can be in-
cluded in line with the Dubai Universal Design Code,” Der-
ing said. “For established premises, organisations are meant
to submit plans to Dubai Municipality by 2020, setting out
how they plan to retrofit to comply.”
With architecture generally following five stages (or seven
if using the UK’s RIBA), Direct Access reviews plans and
drawings issued at each stage, advising on how access is-
sues in line with the relevant codes and standards can be ad-
dressed. These are then commented on by the design team
and closed out prior to moving on to the next stage.
Using Aconex and different BIM systems to share infor-
mation with architectural firms, one of Direct Access’ ad-
vantages to being a niche provider with a diverse client base
i s t h at it ’s u s e d t o work i n g w it h mu lt iple pl at for m s ac r o s s d i f-
ferent countries.
“We also advise on tender specification and assist with
reviewing submitted tenders for accessibility compliance,”
Dering said. “During the fit-out stages, we can specify prod-
ucts and ensure that they are installed correctly – for exam-
ple, I am deaf and have a hearing aid, so I can check that a
hearing enhancement system is correctly installed, which
a machine cannot do. We often sit in on architectural meet-
ings where drawings are discussed and make contributions
that way, including directly with clients.”
With Expo 2020, Direct Access is ensuring that accessibil-
ity is embedded throughout the programme. Similar to how
it works with architecture firms, Direct Access is reviewing
and advising on designs, drawing feedback from Dubai Uni-
versal Code as well as international standards, such as those
used for the London Olympics in 2012. And in addition to
overseeing the design and construction of the Expo site, Di-
rect Access is also involved in the curation and accessibility
of the operational phase.
“It’s about ensuring that people understand the language
of access and the requirements of Expo 2020 to be an expo
for everyone. Expo 2020 is all about innovation and connect-
ing minds – we look for new innovative ways for accessibility
and introduce those,” he said. “Consistency is a key feature
in making public spaces more accessible – if different spaces
apply codes differently, this can actually create a health and
safety hazard. Take for example tactile paving at the start
and end of stairs. This needs to be 300mm before the start of
the hazard. Uncertainty about consistency can be difficult.”36 / SPECIAL REPORT