Bad Design Style: Case #57

One of my favorite regions and style of architecture comes from Scandinavia. They combine modern with nature better anyone else in the world. And no I’m not talking IKEA. Unfortunately this ramp/stairway combination out of Oslo, Norway fails in its accessible functionality. Yes it looks modern and beautiful, but for a wheelchair user the ramp/stair combination is potentially dangerous.

I wrote about a similar ramp/stair combination in an earlier Bad Design Case and this shows that the bad design is not an isolated one. Yes the architect or landscape architect succeeds in putting stairs and ramps in one place to save space and create aesthetics. However the problem is no handrails or edge protection. They can’t put any up because this would block the stairs. So you have open ramp sides where a wheelchair could potentially go tumbling down. The other problem is people using the stairs could trip because the stair riser heights vary. So please stop making these!