The Inclusive Design Team, a newly established specialist group within Foster + Partners’ Technical Design Group, is redefining the future of architecture. By collaborating closely with studio teams, the group advocates for inclusive design principles that align seamlessly with project objectives and the practice’s high standards. Their mission moves beyond the traditional compliance-driven accessibility model, embracing a people-focused approach informed by lived experiences.

Suzan Ucmaklioglu, Inclusive Design Specialist at Foster + Partners, shared: “At Foster + Partners, we believe that the built environment should be for everyone. We are striving to creatively embed inclusive design from strategy to completion, thinking beyond technical code compliance, and embracing diversity in mind, body, and space.”
Recently, the team launched a user research initiative in partnership with Sociability, an organisation dedicated to helping disabled people discover accessible spaces and reshaping perceptions around accessibility. As part of this initiative, they revisited the Imperial War Museum with a focus group to gain insight into how individuals with disabilities experience the space today. These valuable discussions will influence the practice’s design guidance and inform future projects.
In phase 1 of Foster + Partners’ masterplan for the Imperial War Museum, they carried out a sensitive refurbishment of the existing museum. The project improved access and circulation, introduced daylight and expansive views to interior spaces, and established direct connections to the surrounding park. A significant element of the design involved lowering the atrium floor to park level, setting the stage for a future development phase. This next step will feature a sculpted approach to the building, creating a single, universally accessible entrance beneath the existing portico stairs.
Austin Relton, Head of the Technical Design Group at Foster + Partners, emphasized: “User research projects like this one are so important, as they focus on peoples’ experiences of the built environment and act as a catalyst for conversations about achieving future-proofed resilient design for all.”
Foster + Partners continues to set a benchmark for inclusive design, ensuring that architecture evolves to serve and inspire every individual.
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