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Accessibility at the new U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum reviewed

2020-10-26T14:44:00-04:00

The museum’s other notable attribute is its high level of accessibility. The architects borrowed inspiration from the Guggenheim Museum, which invites visitors to take an elevator to the top floor and then descend along ramps as they explore galleries. There are no steps up or down, and the goal is to eliminate any differences in the museum experience among people with varying physical abilities.

For the NYT, Ray Mark Rinaldi reviews the DS+R-designed United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum with a special focus on accessibility. "Accommodations are the norm," Rinaldi writes. "Ramps are low-grade and extra wide to fit two wheelchairs at the same time. Sign language interpreters appear in the corner of videos. Cane guards double as benches in the building’s spacious atrium."

Previously on Archinect: Twisting forms and ramped galleries define DS+R's US Olympics and Paralympics Museum in Colorado

The 60,000-square-foot museum complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado opened to the public in July.

Twisting forms and ramped galleries define DS+R's US Olympics and Paralympics Museum in Colorado

2020-07-28T16:31:00-04:00

A design and construction team led by New York City-based architects Diller Scofidio + Renfro has completed work on the United States Olympic and Paralympic Museum (USOPM) in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The 60,000-square-foot museum complex is designed with accessibility at its forefront due to its relationship to the United States Paralympic organization, and is organized as a four-lobed gallery complex that descends from the top floor down via a continuous ramp configuration.

Top: View of the building's entry terrace. Bottom: Overall view of the museum.

Regarding the accessibility elements of the design, the architects write that "from the earliest stages of design, the team consulted a committee of Paralympic athletes and persons with disabilities to ensure that, from entrance to exit, all visitors with or without disabilities could tour the USOPM facility together and share a common path."

The museum is located next to a major park that will be accessible to the site via a fort...