When you walk into your office, school, or your fave local café, you probably don’t spend a lot of time considering how easy it is to move around in that particular environment. But for some New Zealanders, this ease of movement; physical access (or lack of it), is the difference between being able to live, work and exist in everyday spaces - and being excluded.
We sat down with Jade Kemp, Architectural Designer at Maynard Marks with background in building surveying, and interest in accessibility, to explore the realities, and rewards of accessibility design in commercial spaces. Whether its upgrading bathrooms or rethinking entry routes, Jade shares how creating environments that work for everyone is both a challenge, and an opportunity, and why it’s worth getting it right.
What does accessibility mean?
Accessibility in design is about creating spaces that work for everyone. In New Zealand, the Building Code (Clause D1: Access Routes) and Australia / New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 1428 set out clear requirements for safe, usable environments.
Not everyone realises that any application for a commercial building consent in Aotearoa triggers the need to assess accessibility against current standards, even if the work is just remediation or recladding. This requirement often surprises clients, and it’s one of the reasons accessibility is such a big focus for us. Maynard Marks has specialist expertise in remediation, and so we frequently see first-hand how these rules come into play, and why it’s important to get them right from the start.
Accessibility standards ensure that someone with mobility challenges, for example, someone using a wheelchair, an elderly person, or a parent with a pram, can move through a building with ease. Beyond compliance, accessibility design is about inclusion. According to Stats NZ, around 17% of New Zealanders live with a disability. Many more of us will experience temporary mobility challenges at some point in our lives. It’s not uncommon to have a sports injury that results in a week on crutches, or a minor surgery that means we are hobbling around in a moon boot; it’s in these situations that we suddenly become more aware of how accessible our surroundings are.
When we design according to accessibility guidelines, the result is workplaces, schools, and public spaces that are safer, and more welcoming for all.
Complex challenges
Perhaps to those outside of industry, designing for accessibility sounds straightforward: just make it easy to get around, right? In practice, it’s not quite that simple. One of the biggest challenges, which we encounter regularly in our work at Maynard Marks: older buildings.
New Zealand may be a relatively ‘new’ country however many of our commercial buildings, and schools for example, were constructed decades ago, long before accessibility standards existed. Narrow corridors, steep stairs, and multi-storey layouts often require significant changes and upgrades to meet today’s requirements. (Imagine the challenges of adding accessibility into environments with ancient, historic buildings! It’s certainly possible: there are wheelchair accessibility ramps in Rome’s Colosseum)
Space constraints are another hurdle. Widening a hallway from 900mm to the required 1.2 metres might sound minor, but in a two-storey building it can mean shifting structural walls and reworking entire floor plans. Adding to this, most clients naturally have budget restraints, and we as designers, often need to make careful judgement calls, prioritising upgrades that deliver the greatest benefit, without blowing costs out of proportion.
Then there are the subtle factors that people don’t think about (but which are noticeable when not present). Lighting is a good example: poor lighting can make navigation really difficult for people with low vision. Glare from glossy surfaces might disorient those with sensory sensitivities. Contrast between walls, floors and door frames helps people with visual impairments identify routes and thresholds. Details like these require careful planning and specification. Even with clear standards, there’s a human element. Councils interpret requirements differently, and every site brings unique quirks.
Jade points out: “It’s a balancing act: compliance for consent, practicality for the client, and aesthetics that don’t compromise the look and feel of the space.”
Problem solving
Accessibility upgrades can be complicated. However, with the right approach, there are plenty of practical ways to make them work. It’s about finding smart solutions that meet the standard, without unnecessary expense.
Jade says 'As a good example, when I was working on a recent commercial fit-out project, we found that the doorway threshold was just a few millimetres too high when compared to today’s standards. We knew we had to fix this as it was non-compliant, but most importantly, it may have made it difficult for a person with a disability to traverse. The challenge was that a full doorway redesign would have been costly and time consuming. Not to mention, it would protrude onto the carpark area and become a hazard. Instead, I sourced an off-the-shelf threshold ramp from the local hardware store, designed to the New Zealand accessibility Standards, which became a tidy way to solve this problem quickly and cost effectively, without compromising usability. In a similar way, prioritising upgrades such as installing accessible car parking, or compliant handrails can deliver tangible benefits, without the need to overhaul the entire building'.
Team efforts
As with all projects, collaboration is essential. It’s important to work closely with councils and clients to help identify what’s reasonable and achievable. Designers also draw on their knowledge of the NZ Building Code and AS/NZS 1428 standards to ensure compliance while keeping projects practical and aesthetically pleasing. It’s a mix of technical expertise and creative thinking to make spaces safer and more inclusive without compromising design quality.
The rewards
At its heart, accessibility is about creating spaces that work for everyone. It’s also about looking ahead. And on this last point, societal demographic changes are in our future. By 2045, nearly a quarter of Kiwis will be over 65 and many will experience mobility challenges. Designing for accessibility now means future-proofing our commercial and education spaces for an entire population, whether that’s a student in a wheelchair, an elderly visitor, or someone navigating a building during an emergency.
There’s a deep sense of satisfaction in solving these design puzzles. As Jade puts it, “I get real enjoyment from analysing buildings, and providing solutions that work for everybody.” It’s a challenge that combines technical knowledge, creativity, and empathy, balancing compliance, budget, and aesthetics to deliver something that truly matters.
When we do accessibility well, we achieve compliance, but we are also making a positive statement about values and community.
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