In two stations of the L1 of the Barcelona metro (La Sagrera and Universitat), curious armrests have been seen for a couple of weeks.
These are supports on benches whose purpose is to help people with functional diversity and reduced mobility to access platforms more easily.
The pilot project is promoted by TMB and the School of Design and Engineering of Barcelona, Elisava.
With this innovation, La Sagrera and Universitat stations on metro L1 have been made a little more accessible to users.
Nine students from Elisava’s Industrial Design Engineering Degree and Design Degree were in charge of advancing the design.
The students had the strategic direction of the innovation unit of the Barcelona Design Center, who together promoted this pilot project.
The objective focused on the design and creation of armrests that have been placed on the benches of the subway platforms.
The initiative, led by TMB’s innovation area, was born with the aim of making metro stations more accessible to citizens.
It was also a timely response to the state’s Royal Decree and Catalonia’s new accessibility decree. This regulation makes the installation of this type of elements mandatory.
On metro L1, armrests to improve accessibility
These armrests are a good complement to the arrival of ischiatic seats.
These are elements that allow users to rest their lower back and are also aligned with the Universal Accessibility service promoted by TMB.
Another factor to note about the armrests is that they are sustainable. They are fabricated from decommissioned 30-gauge stainless steel bus tubing.
This steel, due to its caliber, has a long life and does not deteriorate easily due to vandalism.
Throughout the manufacturing process, we have sought to minimize industrial processes to make them more sustainable and ensure a minimal ecological footprint.
Design and functionality
The design of the armrests is based on a universal and ergonomic prototype, which can be adapted to all benches in the city’s metro network.
The profile of the armrest is round, as it is more comfortable for the user. Likewise, the surface is rough, which favors grip.
The objective is to install two armrests on each bench at a distance of 50 centimeters from each other. In this way, the user is able to sit up, stand up or sit down with ease.
The design was created with user ergonomics in mind and the prototypes are located right on the benches in perfect alignment with the corresponding car doors for passengers with reduced mobility.
