Accessibility

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Accessibility in Väven

We want everyone to be able to visit Väven, whether or not you have a functional impairment. Here is some information about accessibility at Väven from various perspectives. Accessibility in each venue available for hire is described in the document How to hire Umeå Municipality’s premises in Väven.

The Väven building

Väven is a large building that covers an entire block and is located on the hillside from Storgatan down towards the river. The side streets slope steeply. Levels 1 and 2 of Väven consist of two buildings separated by Strandgatan. Levels 3 and 4 cover the whole block. You might say that Strandgatan is a tunnel through the first two floors of the building. The buildings have three large stairwells, which are black from floor to ceiling and can be used as landmarks. There is an escalator by the Storgatan entrance. Terraces can be accessed externally via stairs or from inside on level 4.

Finding your way to Väven

There are bus stops at Renmarkstorget (approx. 350 m away) and Vasaplan (approx. 450 m away).

There are reserved, designated parking spaces for people with impaired mobility within 25 metres of the Storgatan entrance (kerbside parking), at Swedbank (approx. 30 m away), on Västra Rådhusgatan (in the courtyard) and on Västra Strandgatan. There are drop-off and collection points at the entrances on Storgatan, Västra Rådhusgatan and Strandgatan.

Cycle parking is available at locations including Rådhustorget, Renmarkstorget and between Väven and Nya Rådhusparken.

Entrances

Entrance at Storgatan 46 A: Slight slope towards the door, handrails provided. Sensor-controlled doors. Floor with slight slope to the right towards a staffed information counter and to the left towards the lively indoor square. Straight ahead is a stairwell with lifts, escalator and information board.

Entrance on Västra Rådhusgatan: Level inner courtyard. Revolving door and hinged door next to it, with bollard on which opening device is fitted. This entrance leads into one of the library’s information points. This entrance is ideal for those who want a quiet entrance with less fuss and fewer people. Straight ahead is a stairwell with a lift.

Entrance on Strandgatan: Level pavement to the entrance, revolving door and hinged door next to it with a door opener. Straight ahead there are stairs, and to the left a ramp down to the café, which is staffed. Behind the café is a stairwell with a lift.

Entrance on Strandleden: There is a level walkway next to the façade. From Strandleden there are stairs and a ramp to the entrance, which has a revolving door and a hinged door next to it. Bollard with door opener. This entrance leads to the café.

Entrance on Thulegatan: Stairs to the entrance, there is no ramp.

Finding your way around inside Väven

Guide path: From the main entrance on Storgatan there is a guide path in the floor to an information board and on to a staffed information counter.

Information counters: These are green and often located close to the stairwells.

Toilets, including toilet adapted for the disabled, and baby-changing room: There are toilets on all levels by the stairwell closest to the river. There are toilets on levels 3 and 4 by the Thulegatan stairwell. There are toilets one level down from the entrance on Storgatan (level 2). There is a large toilet with a height-adjustable baby-changing table on level 4, behind the Storgatan stairwell.

Parking for pushchairs: Available on level 4, by the lift.

Storage lockers: Lockable storage lockers at different heights are available one level down from the Storgatan entrance, outside the toilets, and in the cloakroom by Vävenscenen.

Drop-off counter: There are drop-off boxes for books on levels 2, 3 and 4 close to the Thulegatan stairwell. The drop-off counter on level 3 is height-adjustable.

Lending stations: Available on levels 3 and 4 near the stairwells facing Storgatan, Thulegatan and Strandgatan. There is a lending station on level 2 next to the entrances from Rådhusesplanaden and Thulegatan respectively.

Quiet zone and rest room (Andrum): There are areas with a quiet sound environment on level 3 nearest to the river.

Safety: The premises have a sprinkler system. Evacuation takes place via entrances and stairwells. Stairwells and terraces can serve as areas to await assistance. Evacuation alarms in all toilets have both audio and visual alarms.

Accessibility based on various functional impairments

Visitors with reduced mobility

Four entrances are accessible, see previous page. A person who finds it difficult to walk long distances should use whichever entrance is closest to his/her destination. All departments in the building can be reached by means of lift or ramp. There are plenty of facilities to sit down and rest in all parts of the building. Terraces can be reached from inside the building on level 4. There are several toilets on each floor with room for a wheelchair and carer. In the toilet area on level 2 there is a toilet adapted for the disabled with a ceiling-mounted hoist (traverse system). Bring your own harness. The baby-changing room on level 4 has a height-adjustable changing table. There is a microwave oven in the VIP room. The drop-off counters on level 3 are height-adjustable.

Next to Vävenscenen is a box and toilet adapted for the disabled with a shower. Vävenscenen has spaces for wheelchairs on the balcony and on the floor in front of the stage. These spaces must be pre-booked. Most rooms are spacious, although there is very limited space for wheelchairs in the digital labs Ordna, Ladda and Mixa, and in the Spela music room. There are no integrated spaces for wheelchairs in the film rooms Tystnad and Tagning, and in Sagorum.

Visitors with impaired hearing

There is a folder with a map and information about the various departments in Väven. Door telephones in the bollards by the entrances have amplifiers. There are hearing loops in Vävenscenen, the film rooms Tystnad and Tagning, the multi-purpose room Upplev, the group room Väx, Sagorum and the art room Ventilera. The information counters have built-in hearing loops. Rooms for conferences and presentations have facilities for spotlighting interpreters. Certain areas within Väven will be lively and sound levels may be high (for example Torget by the Storgatan entrance), while many other parts of the building have good sound conditions. The quiet zone (Tyst zon) and rest room (Andrum) areas are on level 3 nearest to the river.

Visitors with impaired vision or cognitive functional impairment

It is a good idea to study information about the building before a visit so that it is easier to find one’s way around. There is a guide path in the floor from the Storgatan entrance that leads to a staffed information counter. At present there are no other artificial guide paths in Väven, and visitors can therefore obtain assistance from staff or are advised to follow the walls and fittings in rooms, especially bookshelves. The stairwells on each floor are indicated by large black boxes containing clear green numbers. There is also information there about the departments on each floor. The doors to rooms are labelled in the form of signs on the wall next to the door handle. The signs are clearly printed and can be read at close quarters. Väven has two signage systems, one for the library and one for other departments. The stairwells have handrails and contrast markings. The lifts have spoken information and marked buttons. The large glass surfaces have dark and light markings. The technical equipment in Väven can be difficult to use, as it often consists of touchscreen buttons and interactive technology with smart boards and displays. The digital lab Ladda corresponds to the former Länken room in the library. This room has computers with assistive programs.

Other functional impairments

Asthma and allergies: staff are instructed not to use strong fragrances or perfumes. Materials in Väven have been selected with reference to use by persons with asthma and allergies. Certain rooms have textile fittings and soundproofing wall cladding made of felt. The floors are made of stone or wood throughout.

Ostomates: Väven has several toilets and one of these, the toilet adapted for the disabled on level 2, has an ostomy flushing device.