Background of Macarthur square shopping center
This shopping complex was officially opened in 1979. It is located in Campbell Town, New South Wales in Australia. It is a leading shopping center found in the south of Campbell town, which attracts shoppers from across the entire region (Macarthur square website, 2012, Clark, 2002).
Observation of Macarthur Square
Macarthur Square is a spacious shopping complex with big and spacious shopping malls that allow easy movement of people (Travel Australia, 2012). The complex has complete mastery of modern building code and it caters to people with physical health conditions. Shopping malls or centers are characterized by an ever high influx of populations and continued movement of people. If proper building codes that integrate the needs of the disabled are not followed, it might be difficult for people to people with disabilities to enjoy the services at the centers (Sydney Visitor Guide, n. d). The shopping center has an expansive parking area which accommodates many vehicles. This parking area is large enough to accommodate all the people who come for shopping with their vehicles. The parking spaces are available at different fees for different times. Busiest times have high parking fees.
Building design in relation to support for the physically challenged people
In Australia, there is a building code, known as the Building Code of Australia. The code governs the manner in which different buildings are to be constructed. The BCA has undergone several amendments. The latest version of the amended BCA considers issues of physical health in the designing and construction of buildings. The needs of people with disabilities are addressed in the building standards stipulated in the BCA (Thomas & Browne, 2004). The building standards oversee issues of mobility and access of people with disabilities in buildings. Australia has a relatively large population of physically disabled people which includes the aged. These people need special facilities, which support their condition by easing movement and other activities. The BCA of 2006 follows the rules of the commonwealth Nations charter, which recognizes and stipulates the need to cater to people with disabilities (Ries, Jenkins, Wise & Rand Environment, Energy, and Economic Development Program, 2009). Having visited the Macarthur Square shopping complex, I noted some points about the building code and other features that support people with ill-physical health. I managed to take an image of one of the shopping sections of the building which I have attached below.
The points that I noted are:
The Macarthur square shopping center is a three-story building that covers a very large area. The building is remarkably spacious. The building covers vast space and offers almost all goods and services to people who come for shopping here. The building has large corridors and verandas (Macarthur website, 2012). It also has lifts and supportive rails for people moving upstairs. There are also wheelchairs and wheelchair toilets within this shopping complex. The building has clear spiral pavement on which people with supportive machines can walk to the third building. Shopping complexes are buildings with a little number of stories which allow people to freely and easily move around as they get a shopping experience. Macarthur is only a three-story building and is favorable and convenient for shoppers. The fact that this building does not have many stories up is a good motivator for the aged people who come for shopping at the Macarthur shopping center. It is also favorable for people with physical health complications (Macarthur website, 2012).
The building has spacious corridors and verandas separating sides of the shopping malls. The pavements give a lot of space for people to move around when having their shopping experience. The space is enough for the movement of wheelchairs and even small bicycles for people with physical health conditions which cannot allow them to walk around. I also noted that the building has distinct spiral stairs which are built for the disabled who cannot walk through the different flats of the building as they shop. Wheelchairs can be comfortably moved on the special stairs (Murray, 2012).
Outside the complex, there is a relaxation park with benches. This is a relaxation point for people who go shopping and do other activities in the building. Physically disabled people would normally want some time to relax especially after rigorous physical activity. This park is favorable for such people who get a proper environment for relaxing after conducting activities that bring them to the shopping center. The main shopping malls in Macarthur square have toilets that are fitted to be used by physically disabled people. These toilets have automatic doors and wheelchairs that are used by people who use them (Lend Lease, 2012).
Weakness of Macarthur square
The building has disaster preparedness measures, for instance, fire preparedness readiness – fire alarms, smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, and fire emergency exit doors. These are reasonable measures of dealing with emergencies. However, the main weakness of the preparedness system is that it excludes evacuation options especially for the disabled. The disabled are immobile and cannot easily move away from dangers arising from emergencies. There are no alternative evacuation measures in the building for physically disabled people. Such a building has to have structures that can aid in evacuating these people. Such structures include external lifts that can be used to quickly carry out people with physical problems and who cannot move at the speed that is required in times of emergencies. The building also needs to have a special exit door for people with physical health conditions (Abdul-Wahab, 2011 and Australian Building Codes Board, 2006).
While there is adequate parking and recreational space, the shopping center becomes overcrowded at times. This impedes the movement of disabled people. The parking spaces for the disabled people near the entrances of the building are taken over by the crowds leaving the disabled people with no option. Also, while there are very clear pavements leading to and from the parking areas, these pavements are also crowded during busy shopping hours. The building ought to have different entrances for the disabled (Sydney Visitor Guide, n. d).
Conclusion
This paper contains the findings of an assessment of the Macarthur Square Shopping Center. The shopping center was assessed to ascertain the level at which the building incorporated a building code of ethics, that caters to physically disabled people. It has been discovered that the building has a number of codes that support the needs of disabled people. However, we have a number of weaknesses that hiders the access and use of the building by physically disabled people.
References
Abdul-Wahab, S. A. (2011). Sick building syndrome in public buildings and workplaces. Berlin [u.a.: Springer. Print
Australian Building Codes Board.(2006). Building Codes of Australia. Australian Building Codes Board, Canberra. Print
Clark, L. (2002). Finding a common interest: The story of Dick Dusseldorp and Lend Lease. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Pr.
Lend Lease (2012). Macarthur Square. Web.
Macarthur square website.(2012). Macarthur. Web.
Murray, O.(2012).Macarthur Square safe says center management. Macarthur Chronicle. Web.
Ries, C., Jenkins, J., Wise, O., & Rand Environment, Energy, and Economic Development (Program). (2009). Improving the energy performance of buildings: Learning from the European Union and Australia. Santa Monica, CA: RAND.
Sydney Visitor Guide. (n. d).Macarthur for the adventure of a lifetime. Web.
Travel Australia. (2012). Iconic Tales with Phar Lap. Web.
Thomas, J., & Browne, P. M. (2004).A win and a prayer: Scenes from the 2004 Australian election. Sydney: University of New South Wales Press.