The entire MGAC team has been busy the last few months advising on dozens of projects across Australia in the first quarter of 2022. To see more, please visit our projects page.
Some of our latest project highlights include:
Rising Festival 2022
The Rising Festival is a major cultural event for the Asia Pacifica Region. Due to COVID-related closures, the upcoming event has now been three years in the making. Scheduled for June 2022, the event promises to be a spectacular display of art, music and public performances across some of Melbourne’s iconic venues including the Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Arts Precinct, Melbourne Town Hall, Capitol Theatre and China Town.
Having completed the 2021 planning, MGAC have been reengaged to work across the 2022 event addressing each individual venue and applying accessible and Universal Design principles throughout. The team have applied their skills and expertise to ensure the entire Rising festival is accessible and safe, overseeing the overlay, operations, transport, ticketing, seating, amenities and much more.
Unfortunately, we have seen many cases where the accommodation of accessibility elements have been an afterthought in event planning. With a bit of prior planning and thoughtful consideration, the application of functional and technical accessible solutions and recommendations can dramatically improve the accessibility of an event. We are delighted to see this event finally come to fruition for the enjoyment of everyone, regardless of their differing abilities.
Retirement aged care facilities (RAFs)
As Access Consultants, we often have to balance many often-competing elements to find the right solution for a client. In our recent work on retirement-aged care facilities, also better known as RACFs, we worked closely with our client to better understand how we could maintain a high level of compliance with technical standards, while also maximising their space.
These projects often follow a particular protocol. Typically, the class 9c building is constructed in line with the Building Code of Australia (BCA) and other relevant Australian standards. Within these guidelines, there’s a number of granular details that need to be adhered to. We are acutely aware of these necessities and the need to comply with them. However, we’re also determined to work in ways that support our clients’ individual requirements for the betterment of their spaces and internal working relationships.
During this assessment, the MGAC team found that there is a negative impact in providing such a large toilet internal space as stipulated by the technical guidelines. For this client, the required space would have a negative impact on the caring and intimate relationships between staff and residents. By using specific information gathered from the client, MGAC was able to recommend a solution that was ultimately supported by the client, as well as being acceptable as a Performance Solution. We go into more detail about this assessment in one of our recent blogs.
Have a project or design that needs an expert accessibility consultant? The team at MGAC are ready to hear from you.
Our skilled consultants are specialists in the application of DDA, UD, Accessibility, and Human Movement related to Australian Standards, NCC and Safety in Design.
Fill out the contact form and one of our access consultants will be in contact within 48 hours. Alternatively, you can contact one of our offices directly.
