Education
Robert Topping earned a Bachelor of Architecture (1979) from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland before emigrating to Canada.
Robert Topping earned a Bachelor of Architecture (1979) from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, Scotland before emigrating to Canada.
Topping has over twenty-five years of experience practising and teaching architecture with a specialization and interest in the fields of barrier-free design and universal design at Humber College and then Sheridan College. He has appeared in conferences around the world educating design professionals about universal design as it relates to the built environment, and currently serves as the treasureron the Global Alliance for Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES). Bob is a registered architect and design consultant with the Ontario Association of Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. the B651 Technical Committee of the Canadian Standards Association: Accessible design for the built environment
the Canadian Committee to the International Organization for Standardization TC 59/SC16: Accessibility and Usability of the Built Environment
the Use and Egress Technical Committee to the National Building Code of Canada
the Ontario Home Builders Accessible Housing Design Council
He is the author of "Changes: disability and the challenge of renovation" published in 1985 about his experience renovating a home for a family who had adopted several children with severe disabilities.
Bob was the lead author for the City of London"s Facility Accessibilty Design Standards (FADS), which has become the basis for over 100 municipal and educational institutions across Ontario.
Originally published in 2001, this document was different from other accessibility standards at the time because not only did it include the actual space needs of people with disabilities based on research, but also principals of Universal Design. The document is made available for free by the City of London, Ontario on their web site and has been updated twice in 2004 and 2007.
A new 2015 version is expected soon including the revisions to the Ontario Building Code and the new AODA Design of Public spaces legislation. As of 2008, Topping has retired from teaching full-time to focus on his work at DesignABLE Environments.
Topping is the president of Designable Environments Incorporated., and a founding member of the Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES). He is also a member of:.