Towards a healthy and sustainable environment through a Universal Design Approach. Case of Pediatrics Hospital, Assiut University, Egypt

Universal Design (UD) is a progressive approach to creating inclusive environments that can be accessed, understood, and used to the greatest extent possible by users. Applying Universal Design standards aims at obtaining healthcare institutions and facilities that deliver equality and provide everyone the opportunity to use the building without excluding any social group. This study focuses on pediatric hospital buildings due to the multiple categories of users of different ages, and physical and health abilities. This research seeks to assess Assiut University Pediatrics Hospital in light of the universal design standards for healthcare buildings to achieve a therapeutic health environment that is universally designed and easy to use by everyone in government hospitals in Egypt. In addition, to promote the efficiency of the buildings and urban open spaces of the hospital under study to fit with the approach and standards of universal design, thereby achieving convenience, inclusion, and integration for all users regardless of their ages and physical and mental abilities. The study adopted several research methods such as the descriptive-analytical method, inductive method, and comparative method by analyzing the hospital under study and identifying deficiencies through field visits to the site, photographic documentation, field measurements, and site maps. The study checklist was designed to assess the case study buildings. The study concluded that the hospital buildings under study do not adequately comply with universal design principles. In conclusion, the study provided recommendations to improve the hospital's compliance with the universal design approach.