Human-Centered Design for Accessible and Inclusive Spaces

Designing accessible and inclusive spaces is more complex than meeting minimum requirements.

Every decision affects how people move, understand, and participate in the built environment. GFT helps clients move beyond compliance by integrating accessibility and inclusive design into planning, design, and delivery. Grounded in occupational science and real-world observation, our human-centered approach reduces friction, improves flow, and creates environments that perform better for users and operators alike.

Human-Centered Design In Practice

Integrated accessibility and inclusive design approaches that support safety, equity, and real-world use across complex environments.

Accessibility

Accessibility establishes the baseline for equitable access. GFT integrates Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements directly into architectural and engineering solutions, ensuring access is intuitive, visible, and an integral part of the primary experience. Our teams apply deep regulatory expertise across transit, aviation, civic, education, and workplace environments to eliminate hidden friction points that often emerge during construction or operations. By addressing accessibility early, clients reduce risk, streamline approvals, and deliver environments that function reliably for people with disabilities, caregivers, older adults, and those with temporary limitations.

Elevator exit inside a transit station, showing an accessible route to street level with clear signage and adjacent public artwork.

Pedestrians walk past the modern glass transit center and canopy at Chicago Union Station, connecting the historic station to surrounding streets and transit services.

Inclusive Design

Inclusive design builds on accessibility by addressing how people think, feel, and move through space. GFT applies an activity-based methodology rooted in occupational science to understand what people are trying to do, who is participating, and where friction occurs. Using task analysis, site observation, and interdisciplinary collaboration, we evaluate sensory, cognitive, social, and situational factors that influence experience. This approach supports multiple ways of engaging with space rather than a single assumed norm.

“Accessibility and universal design remove physical barriers. Inclusive design goes further by recognizing that people experience spaces differently based on ability, background, experience, and circumstance. It is embedded in the design process and considers not only the built environment, but also the systems that shape how people engage.”

Francisco Lasta
OTR/L, Assoc. AIA, Inclusive Design Lead

Featured Projects

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Airport gate lounge with accessible seating, open walkways, galaxy pillars, and travelers seated and moving throughout the space.

Gate Lounge of the Future Design at DFW Airport

Dallas, Texas

Waterfront view of a domed building set along the shoreline with a city skyline in the background.

Adler Doane Observatory Renovation

Chicago, Ill.

Interactive cosmology gallery at Adler Planetarium with digital screens, exhibit stations, and low-light immersive design.

Adler Planetarium Cosmology Gallery Exhibit Design

Chicago, Ill.

People sitting and relaxing on curved wooden seating platforms in an outdoor riverwalk with trees, planters, and paved walkways.

Chicago Riverwalk Transformation

Chicago, Ill.

Modernized Metra station with glass headhouse and canopy enhancing accessibility.

147th Street/Sibley Boulevard Metra Station

Harvey, Ill.

Homewood Station rail hub at Ridge Road anchors the village center with modern transit architecture beside active tracks.

Homewood Station Modernization

Homewood, Ill.

New elevator at 14 Street Subway Station, framed by glass canopy, enhances accessibility and welcomes riders at this busy Manhattan transit hub.

14th Street Station Complex Accessibility and Modernization

Manhattan, N.Y.

Modern kitchen at Todt Hill Houses with stainless steel appliances, blue accent wall, and resident-selected finishes.

Inclusive and Sustainable Public Housing Transformation at Todt Hill Houses

Staten Island, NY

A pedestrian bridge with colorful graphics and vibrant LED lighting spans a busy city street.

Navy Pier Flyover

Chicago, Ill.

Side view of the Hot Sox field facility, featuring a blue and yellow mural with the name 'Galesville' and a modern concession stand in the background, framed by autumn foliage.

Restoration of Hot Sox Field at Wilson Park

Galesville, Md.

Modern transportation center with a glass stair tower, open steel canopy, and a colorful mural depicting Springfield community and transportation history.

Springfield Sangamon County Transportation Center

Springfield, IL

Expanded Terminal 5 at O’Hare International Airport during sunset, with parked aircraft, ground vehicles, a control tower, and a colorful sky.

O’Hare International Airport Terminal 5 Expansion

Chicago, Ill.

Employee Spotlight

Career Opportunities

Employee Spotlight

Thomas Pilson

A man standing outside, wearing khaki pants and a white shirt, standing in front of a hotel.

Employee Spotlight

Francisco Lasta, OTR/L, Assoc. AIA

Featured News & INSIGHTS

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Post

How Occupational Therapy Shapes Human-Centered Design in Architecture

A spacious airport terminal with wide corridors, bright white finishes, daylight streaming through clerestory windows, and people walking in the open area.

Post

Accessibility by Design: Why Section 508 Starts on Day One

A view from the back of a full conference room with people seated, looking forward.

Webcast

Beyond Compliance: An Occupation-Centered Approach to Inclusive Workplaces

Wheelchair user leads a meeting with colleagues in a modern glass-walled office, showing inclusive teamwork and collaboration.

Webcast

An Inside Look at SEPTA’s 30th Street Station Transformation

News

In the News: Francisco Lasta Featured on Aging Together Podcast

Leadership Team

Meet The Team

Kaitlin Streyle, AIA, NCARB

Principal Architect / Studio Manager

Meet Kaitlin

Francisco Lasta, OTR/L, Assoc. AIA

Inclusive Design Lead

Meet Francisco

Man wearing glasses, a dark suit, and striped tie, smiling in a bright, modern office setting.

Giuseppe “Joe” Tulumello

Division President, Buildings & Places

Meet Joe

Markets

Explore the markets where our Buildings & Places expertise is applied to meet complex client and community needs.

Complementary Solutions

Learn how our services work together to support successful outcomes for people and places.

Frequently Asked Questions

Learn how accessibility and inclusive design shape human-centered environments and why these decisions matter to your project.

What is the difference between inclusive design and accessibility?
Accessibility focuses on meeting ADA requirements for physical and communication access. Inclusive design builds on that foundation by addressing cognitive, sensory, cultural, and situational needs. It considers how people actually navigate, decide, and participate in spaces, not just whether they can enter them.
When should inclusive design be introduced in a project?
Inclusive design is most effective when integrated during planning and concept development. Early application helps avoid redesign, supports clearer decision-making, and ensures accessibility and usability are embedded into the primary experience rather than added later.

Why aren’t minimum accessibility standards enough to create inclusive environments?
Minimum standards establish access but not experience. Compliance alone cannot address comfort, safety, dignity, or trust. Inclusive design considers how lighting, sightlines, materials, and spatial cues influence participation, ensuring environments support real people, not just technical requirements.
What value does inclusive design provide to owners and operators?
Inclusive design improves usability, reduces complaints, strengthens public trust, and supports long-term asset performance. By designing environments that work for a wider range of users, owners reduce operational friction and differentiate their facilities.