Integrating Accessibility and Space Management in Venture Hub Design

Abstract

Venture hubs provide entrepreneurs and start-ups with workspaces, shared resources, and opportunities for collaboration. Their usefulness depends partly on how spaces are organised, accessed, and adapted for different users and activities. This study examines the integration of accessibility and space management in the proposed Odu’a Venture Hub in Ibadan, Nigeria. A descriptive architectural approach combined a literature review with qualitative examination of five purposively selected precedents: Cocoa House, NECom House, World Trade Centre Tower 2, Dakkada Tower, and One Za’abeel Tower. Information was drawn from visual observation, photographs, an observation checklist, documentary sources, and interviews. The material was compared descriptively to identify design considerations for the proposed hub; no statistical testing, formal accessibility-compliance audit, post-occupancy evaluation, or measurement of user performance was reported. The synthesis highlights the importance of accessible circulation, functional zoning, flexible and shared spaces, legible wayfinding, and connections between collaborative and private areas. These considerations informed the proposed arrangement of work, meeting, training, support, and social facilities, alongside pedestrian and vehicular circulation. The study offers context-specific design recommendations rather than evidence that the proposed scheme has improved operational performance.