Bob Topping (born in Scotland) is a Canadian architect. Robert Topping earned a Bachelor of Architecture (1979) from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland before emigrating to Canada. Topping is the president of Designable Environments Inc., and a founding member of the Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES).
Topping has over thirty years of experience practicing and teaching architecture, with a specialization and interest in the fields of barrier-free design and universal design at Humber College and then Sheridan College. Originally in partnership with Carol Kelly and Heather Snell, Topping established Designable Environments Inc. in 1987, but became the sole owner in 2014. Thea Kurdi become a junior partner in 2019. [1]
He has appeared in conferences around the world [2] educating design professionals about universal design as it relates to the built environment, and currently serves as the treasurer [3] on the Global Alliance for Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES).
Bob is a registered architect and design consultant with the Ontario Association of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. He is also a member of:
He is the author of "Changes: disability and the challenge of renovation" published in 1985 [4] about his experience renovating a home for a family who had adopted several children with severe disabilities.
Bob was the lead author for the City of London's Facility Accessibility Design Standards (FADS), which has become the basis for over 100 municipal and educational institutions across Ontario. Originally published in 2001, this document was different from other accessibility standards at the time because not only did it include the actual space needs of people with disabilities based on research, but also principals of Universal Design. The document is made available for free by the City of London, Ontario on their website and has been updated twice in 2004 and 2007. A new 2015 version is expected soon, including the revisions to the Ontario Building Code and the new AODA Design of Public spaces legislation.
In 2008, Topping has retired from teaching full-time to focus on his work at DesignABLE Environments. As of December 31, 2021, Bob has retired as president, leaving the company in his protégée, Thea Kurdi's hands.
A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water management, sustainable design, construction specification, and ensuring that all plans meet the current building codes and local and federal ordinances.
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology.
The National Building Code of Canada is the model building code of Canada. It is issued by the National Research Council of Canada. As a model code, it has no legal status until it is adopted by a jurisdiction that regulates construction.
Universal design is the design of buildings, products or environments to make them accessible to people, regardless of age, disability or other factors. It addresses common barriers to participation by creating things that can be used by the maximum number of people possible. Curb cuts or sidewalk ramps, which are essential for people in wheelchairs but also used by all, are a common example of universal design.
Inclusive design is a design process in which a product, service, or environment is designed to be usable for as many people as possible, particularly groups who are traditionally excluded from being able to use an interface or navigate an environment. Its focus is on fulfilling as many user needs as possible, not just as many users as possible. Historically, inclusive design has been linked to designing for people with physical disabilities, and accessibility is one of the key outcomes of inclusive design. However, rather than focusing on designing for disabilities, inclusive design is a methodology that considers many aspects of human diversity that could affect a person's ability to use a product, service, or environment, such as ability, language, culture, gender, and age. The Inclusive Design Research Center reframes disability as a mismatch between the needs of a user and the design of a product or system, emphasizing that disability can be experienced by any user. With this framing, it becomes clear that inclusive design is not limited to interfaces or technologies, but may also be applied to the design of policies and infrastructure.
Bruce Bunji Kuwabara, is a Canadian architect and a founding partner of the firm KPMB Architects. He is an invested Officer of the Order of Canada and recipient of the RAIC Gold Medal. He is Board Chair of the Canadian Centre for Architecture in Montreal.
Toronto Community Housing Corporation (TCHC) is a public housing agency in Toronto, Ontario. It is the largest social housing provider in Canada with over 58,000 units across 2,100 buildings and approximately 105,000 residents. It is the second-largest housing provider in North America, behind the New York City Housing Authority.
Marc Harrison, was an industrial designer, educator, and invented the idea of universal design to make products easier to use for people with disabilities as well as people without disabilities. Harrison invented the idea of “Universal Design” post-WWII and has changed the standard of products since his work in industrial design. Harrison taught people to live on his legacy of improving products and major projects for a universal design everyone can use.
Sarah Hall is a stained glass artist from Canada. Sarah Hall is internationally recognized for her large-scale art glass installations and solar projects. Her work can be found in churches, synagogues, schools, and other commercial and public buildings in Canada, the US, and Europe.
Accessible tourism is the ongoing endeavor to ensure tourist destinations, products, and services are accessible to all people, regardless of their physical or intellectual limitations, disabilities or age. It encompasses publicly and privately owned and operated tourist locations. The goal of accessible tourism is to create inclusivity of all including those traveling with children, people with disabilities, as well as seniors. This allows those with access requirements to be able to function as an independent using products following the universal design principle, a variety of services, and different environments.
The Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES) (2007) is an international not-for-profit organization that promotes accessibility of technologies and the built environment, and the principles of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Its areas of interest include architecture, infrastructural design, transportation systems, habitat, and electronic information and communication technologies (ICT). It aims to enable people with disabilities and older persons to fully participate and contribute to society.
Design for All in the context of information and communications technology (ICT) is the conscious and systematic effort to proactively apply principles, methods and tools to promote universal design in computer-related technologies, including Internet-based technologies, thus avoiding the need for a posteriori adaptations, or specialised design.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) is a statute enacted in 2005 by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada. Its purpose is to improve accessibility standards for Ontarians with physical and mental disabilities to all public establishments by 2025.
The Inclusive Design Research Centre (IDRC) is a research and development centre at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada. The centre defines inclusive design as that which "considers the full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and other forms of human difference." The research centre is directed by Jutta Treviranus. In 2011 the centre launched a Master of Design in Inclusive Design.
Selwyn Goldsmith was an architect, town planner, writer and disabilities advocate who was instrumental in the development of the universal approach to design. He wrote numerous books which became standard texts for designers and architects.
An exit sign is a pictogram or short text in a public facility denoting the location of the closest emergency exit to be used in case of fire or other emergency that requires rapid evacuation. Most relevant codes require exit signs to be permanently lit.
Pamela J. Cluff is an English-born Canadian architect specializing in accessibility design.
Ronald Lawrence Mace, FAIA was an American architect, product designer, educator, and consultant. He is best known for coining the term universal design and for his work advocating for people with disabilities.
David Paul Penner, MAA, FRAIC was a Canadian architect, born and raised in the Osborne Village neighbourhood of Winnipeg, Manitoba. He attended the University of Manitoba where he received his Bachelor of Environment Studies in 1979 and Masters of Architecture in 1985. Penner was the founding principal of David Penner Architect (DPA). He became a Fellow of the RAIC in 2012, and was involved in several organizations outside his firm including Storefront Manitoba and the Prairie Design Awards Program. His best-known architectural works include Fountain Springs Housing, Buhler Center, Windsor Park Library, and Mere Hotel. Penner died from a heart attack on January 7, 2020.
BDP Quadrangle is the North American studio of UK-based global architecture, design, and urbanism firm, BDP.