A C C E S S I B L E B O A T - A S T U D Y O F F U N C T I O N A L F E A T U R E S
BA Thesis Project
Anna Maria Puchalska
Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk
2018
B A C K G R O U N D
A Guideline to Accessibility
Most boats are not suitable for users with limited mobility.
In the Declaration of Human Rights, it was recognized that access to education, culture and public space is the fundamental right of every human being. Despite this, people with disabilities experience many barriers — both social and physical — on a daily basis. Therefore, a tremendous responsibility lies with the people involved in the creation of public spaces, because the infrastructure can be what isolates or promotes the participation of people with disability.
The study is dedicated primarily to designers and architects who care about shaping the world with responsibility and inclusion of such users.
C H A L L E N G E
In my thesis project, I’ve investigated the functional features of small boats’ space availability. I aimed to verify the adequacy
of existing standards and — if necessary — to establish new norms on the basis of tests, consultations, and experiments,
of existing standards and — if necessary — to establish new norms on the basis of tests, consultations, and experiments,
the goal of which was to set key parameters, as well as to determine the minimum values of features.
The project intends to support the design process.
P R O C E S S
The challenge of the study was to create a suitable environment to find and explore functional features.
‘Suitable’ means the most demanding, because only in such conditions the usefulness and credibility of the research can peak.
3 rounds of prototyping and collecting data:
physical model 1:1 — testing — dimensioning — sketching— 3D modelling
1. establishing general dimensions and to perceive them in relation to the size of a human and to the size of a wheelchair
2. simulating and testing the physical obstacles such as furniture, board and other passengers
3. precisely mapping the traces of wheelchair on the cockpit
S O L U T I O N
over 10 patterns were found and developed
D E S I G N A S S U M P T I O N S
1. Boat adapted to the needs of people with limited mobility, ensuring the independence of use.
- access to the boats’ side from each side
- increased visibility from the navigation console
- space for the full rotation available
- wheelchair users can move around the entire boat space
- freedom of choice whether to stay on the wheelchair or to transfer to a sofa
2. Use of optimal, low-cost functional solutions on the smallest possible space of the cockpit.
- solutions applied to the mono-hull cockpit
- an electric motor that will ensure fast and quiet trip
- keeping the boat size small to allow easy local transport and eliminate unnecessary legal permits
3. Recreational character.
- the presence of space intended for recreation
- providing space for a minimum of 6 users, including at least 2 wheelchair users
4. Non-stigmitazing aesthetics.
- functional solutions applied in a discrete manner
1 / 10
B O A R D I N G
2 / 10
P A S S A G E W I D T H
3 / 10
S P A C E F O R R O T A T I O N
4 / 10
R O U N D I N G
5 / 10
H A N D R A I L S A N D H A N D L E S
6 / 10
U N D E R C U T T I N G
7 / 10
S P A C E T O S T O R E T H E W H E E L C H A I R
8 / 10
I N C R E A S E D V I S I B I L I T Y
9 / 10
T H E A D J U S T A B L E N A V I G A T I O N C O N S O L E
10 / 10
C O L O R S C H E M E
“Universal design, designing for everyone, is a challenge, but one well worth the effort. Indeed, the Universal Design philosophy argues persuasively that designing for the handicapped, the hard of hearing or seeing, or those less agile than average invariably makes an object better for everyone. There is no excuse not to design usable products that everyone can use.”
— Donald Norman, Emotional Design
T H A N K Y O U
