The Integration of People with Disabilities into Hospital Surroundings: A Drawing Based Approach

The integration of all individuals into architectural and urban environments constitutes as one of the central concepts regarding the sustainable development of the European countries. Hospitals stand out, as they can present several inequalities as locations that receive significant number of visitors who suffer from some kind of physical difficulty. Our research focuses on the study and appraisal of areas surrounding hospitals from the perspective of those who suffer from some kind of disability, as they are important when considering the routes that must be taken to access the building. Through our own graphic and analytical methodology, which uses these routes as a basis, we can determine the degree of difficulty that people face and identify those areas which are more complicated. To illustrate this, we chose the Hospital Universitario Príncipe de Asturias (Alcalá de Henares) as our case study, a leading hospital in the northeast of Madrid. The process begins with rigorous field work and an analysis of the areas that are subject to the study and which are interpreted in accordance with the different disabilities in question. The results are then showcased through the production of different types of drawings with the aim of making them easy to interpret. This methodology can be applied to the study of other hospital environments for the purpose of assessing the degree of integration that vulnerable people experience. It can also be used as an initial phase for architectural improvement, or as the foundation for the design of new healthcare facilities.