Research On The Universal Design For The Elder People In Large Commercial Building Of Path System In China Under The Background Of Aging

Considering the worldwide trend of aging, elder citizens will gradually become one of the important groups in our society. Because of China’s great population and birth control policy in 1980s, the aging trend will bring about greater impact on both social economic structure and consumptive pattern.This article surveys and analyzes the route system in China’s malls and other commercial spaces. Through field research and questionnaire survey, this article studies the route systems in several large-scale malls which are quite representative. These surveys concentrate on collecting data concerning age-oriented design of devices including handrails, stairs, elevators, entrances and exits, public rest areas and so on, in both vertical traffic and horizontal traffics. And the results of those surveys reveals several drawback of current design:deficiency in aspects rendering safety, comfort, direction, recognition and so on. Combining principles of general design, research conclusions and related research data from foreign studies, this article then concludes six aging-adapted principles which also present features of general design. These principles are safety and comfort, guidance, identifiability, accessibility, and adaption, on which a experimental reform aiming at aging-adapted space is carried out upon the route systems of Wanda Plaza Mall in Baohe District, Hefei.