Accessibility Upgrade

Visualises a step-free entrance — an accessible ramp or an external lift — integrated into a building's existing entrance, before the work is commissioned. Building facade, entrance door, surrounding architecture, sidewalk and urban context are preserved exactly; only the access threshold is upgraded with the new equipment. The model adds a coherent ramp (gentle gradient, anti-slip surface, handrail on both sides, tactile warning strip at top and bottom) or an external glazed lift (minimal architectural footprint, coherent with the facade language). Materials are realistic — galvanised steel or stainless structure, glass balustrade, textured concrete or rubber on the ramp. Existing daylight is preserved; new structure casts coherent shadows on the existing paving. Useful when a building manager, owner, or operator wants to show what step-free access looks like at their entrance, before sending the contractor RFP or starting the design process.

A residential building operator manages a 1960s block with a three-step entrance threshold. Several elderly residents have raised the issue, and the board needs to decide between a discreet exterior ramp and a glazed external lift. The two options need to be visualised before the contractor RFP goes out. The operator photographs the entrance, runs Accessibility Upgrade twice (once with each layout in mind), drops both versions next to the as-is photo, and the board decides without paying for two preliminary architecture studies.