The Civic Trust Awards will partner with the Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE) to deliver a new Awards scheme in recognition of architect and founding figure of inclusive design, Selwyn Goldsmith.
The Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design will be delivered in parallel with the Civic Trust Awards application process and the winner will be selected by a specially convened panel of inclusive design experts with the announcement made at the Awards Ceremony in March 2012.
Mr Goldsmith wrote the groundbreaking manual Designing for the disabled, published in 1963, which became the indispensable access guide for built-environment professionals. Following interviews with wheelchair users for the 1967 edition of the book, Mr Goldsmith designed dropped kerbs which have since become a feature in public-realm environments around the world. The third edition of Designing for the disabled was used to inform the guidance documentation accompanying Part M of the Building Regulations in 1992.
In the 1970s, while working for the Department of the Environment, he produced accessible housing reports which were widely accepted as standards for public sector housing. In the 1980s Mr Goldsmith began surveying toileting provision to find out why women so frequently had to queue for toilets in public places, while men did not. His surveys suggested a great disparity in male and female toileting provision.
Mr Goldsmith’s book Universal design, published in 2000, outlined his shift in thinking from ‘designing for disabled people’ to ‘universal design’, which focuses on making buildings safe and convenient for use by everybody, including disabled people.
Selwyn’s widow, Becky Goldsmith said “having become hemiplegic after polio, Selwyn’s total lack of self-pity, a characteristic that was to endure until his death, meant that he simply adapted to his new circumstances and got on with living. His positive and optimistic approach meant that he maximised the possible and philosophically accepted what was not possible. During his life he experienced severe ambulant and wheelchair-using disability, which lent impartiality towards either set of needs in his design considerations, thus underlining his universality in interpretation of needs. His work was objective and therefore broad in application and ethos of provision for all but the most extremely limited. He would be thrilled by the Award and would hope that it be won on the basis of truly universal application. To quote him, ‘even little boys in loos have their needs’.”
Malcolm Hankey, Civic Trust Awards Managing Director said “Inclusive design will continue to be a fundamental component of the Civic Trust Awards, however, the Selwyn Goldsmith Award will identify, reward and promote exemplars specific to inclusive design. It is an honour for us to be able to assist the Centre for Accessible Environments in delivering this scheme as a tribute to Mr Goldsmith, I’m sure it will be very popular and highly contested.”
Selwyn Goldsmith sadly passed away on 3rd April 2011 aged 78. Mr Goldsmith leaves his wife, Becky, sons David and Ben, grandchildren Harry, Eloise and Sammy, brother Roger and sister Jane.
For the full obituary, visit the Telegraph website
The six member panel includes Selwyn’s wife Becky Goldsmith along with leading representatives from a number of different user groups including the London Access Forum, the Centre for Accessible Environments (CAE), the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC), Action on Hearing Loss, the Access Association, the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) and the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).
The Selwyn Goldsmith Inclusive Design Award has been developed by the Civic Trust Awards in conjunction with the CAE. As part of the Civic Trust Awards application and assessment process, our inclusive design assessment criteria has been reinforced and all 306 entries (internationally) have been judged for the Selwyn Goldsmith Award.
A shortlist of 18 projects were taken forward to the Selwyn Goldsmith judging panel, which comprised the following inclusive design specialists:
The judging panel met on 11th January to consider all 18 projects in detail, with the winner revealed at the Civic Trust Awards Ceremony, to be held at The Hub in Edinburgh on Friday 2nd March 2012.
