Entrance
Accessible Routes
General
- At least one accessible route leading to an accessible entrance of the building shall be provided.
Width
- An accessible route shall be 1200mm to allow for both a wheelchair user and a walking person to pass except where additional maneuvering space is required at doorways.
- A minimum width of 1800mm shall be provided where space is required for two wheelchairs to pass
Walls
- There shall have no sharp edges at the corner of walls
- The wall finish shall be smooth or in case of rough walls, trailing bars shall be provided at a height of 840mm from the floor level so that persons with visual impairment can trail along it without hurting their hands.
Door
General
- Door shall be level
- There should be at least one power assisted or automatic door provided at the main entrance to a building
- Automatic doors with swing or sliding type shall be provided instead of manually operated doors whenever is possible and practical. Heavy and revolving doors shall be avoided
- Where revolving doors are installed, there shall be an auxiliary side-hung door with a minimum clear opening of 850 mm.
- The color of the door shall be contrast with the door frame or wall
Clear Opening
- The minimum clear opening of doorways shall be 850 mm measured between the face of the door and the face of the doorstop with the door open at 90°
Maneuvering spaces at doors
- The doorway of a one-way swing door shall have maneuvering spaces on both sides for wheelchairs and the following clear spaces shall be provided adjacent to the leading edge of the door;
(a) min. space of 600mm on the pull side
(b) min. space of 300mm on the push side
· Min. space of 300mm adjacent to the leading edge of the door shall be provided on each side of door where two-way swing door of sliding doors are used.
Door hardware
- Operating devices such as handles, pulls, latches and locks shall:
(a) be operable by one hand;
(b) not require fine finger control, tight grasping, pinching or twisting of the wrist to operate; and
(c) be mounted at a height of 900 mm to 1100 mm from the floor.
· Color of door hardware and doorbells shall have contrast with the background.
Door Handles
- Door handles with following characteristics are recommended:
(a) push-pull mechanisms that do not require grasping;
(b) lever handles should be used on latched doors;
(c) U-shaped door handles that reduce the risk of catching on clothing or injury from the exposed lever end; and
(c) should contrast with the colour of the door.
Examples:
Push Plate Door Pull Lever Handles
Door closers:
- The sweep period of the door shall be adjusted so that from an open position of 90° the door will not take less than 3 seconds to move to a semi-closed position of approximately 12°.
Kick plates:
- In order to protect the push side of doors form damage caused by wheelchair foot-rests, kick plates of not less that 250mm high is recommended for doors in high-use areas.
Glass Doors:
- Unframed full-height glass doors shall, if provided, be prominently marked or highlighted with motifs to make them visible.
- The markings or motifs shall consist of two horizontal bands, each at least 100 mm high and of contrasting colors to assist visibility.
- The upper band shall be affixed at a height between 1400 mm and 1600mm and the lower band affixed at a height between 850 mm and 1000 mm above the floor level. Where each band zone consists of more than one band, the aggregate width of the bands in each zone shall not be less than 100 mm.
- The doorway shall either have –
(a) a clearly marked boundary; or
(b) tactile indicators such as firmly fastened carpets on both sides of the door.
Ramp
General
- Ramps shall be provided for wheelchair users to move from on level to another.
Gradient
- Gradient of ramps shall be as following table and be constant between landings
Gradient and Length of a Ram
Gradient of ramp
1:12 – 1:14
1:15
1:20
not gentler than
1:25
Intervals (maximum length of
horizontal run in meters)
9
11
15
18
Width
- The minimum width of a ramp shall be 1200 mm.
Surfaces
- Ramps and landing surfaces shall be slip-resistant and in accordance with
the current edition of SS 485.
Landings
- Ramps shall have a level landing at the top and bottom of each run and also where the run changes direction
- Landings
(a) shall have a level platform of not less than 1500 mm;
(b) shall be provided at regular intervals for different gradient and the intervals shall not be more than as shown in the table below
(c) need not be provided if the gradient of a ramp is equal or
gentler than 1 : 25;
Ramp Handrails
- ramp run with a rise greater than 175mm shall have handrails as follow:
(a) on both sides
(b) Place at height of between 800mm and 900mm above the floor level.
· Handrails need not be provided if the gradient of a ramp is equal or gentler than 1 : 25
Outdoor conditions
- Outdoor ramps and their approaches shall be designed so that water will not accumulate on the walking surfaces.
Platform Lift
General
- A platform lift or a wheelchair stair lift should be considered as an alternative where it is impractical to provide a ramp or a passenger lift for vertical movement within the building.
Platform lift
- Platform lift shall have a clear door opening of 900mm
- The minimum size of the platform lift shall be 1100mm wide by 1400mm deep
- A barrier of flip-up ramp shall be provided if a door is not provided, to act as a safety barrier for the wheelchair and serves as an access ramp.
- It shall be designed with an automatic homing device so that in the event of power failure the platform lift will home to the entrance level.
