Universal accessibility in architecture

An 85 cm door instead of 80, a removed threshold, a 1.50 m landing: accessibility often comes down to a few centimetres. In both Wallonia and Brussels, precise rules govern buildings open to the public. Universal accessibility goes further: it means designing places that everyone can use, without having to adapt them afterwards.

From the PRM standard to universal accessibility

The wheelchair is usually the first image that comes to mind. Yet people with reduced mobility (PRM) are far more numerous: parents with pushchairs, older people, people on crutches after surgery, delivery workers, and people who are visually impaired, hearing impaired or have an intellectual disability.

Universal design starts from a simple idea: a building well designed for the most vulnerable users is more comfortable for everyone. At STARC, we translate this into a few principles:

• equitable use: the same entrance for everyone, no service access at the back;
• simple, intuitive circulation, with clear visual cues;
• information perceptible through several senses (sight, hearing, touch);
• reduced physical effort: no unnecessary steps, doors that are easy to operate;
• dimensions suited to assistive devices.

In Wallonia, the Regional Urban Planning Guide sets the framework

Within the CoDT (Regional Planning Code), the Regional Urban Planning Guide (GRU) contains a chapter 4 devoted to the accessibility and use, by people with reduced mobility, of spaces and buildings open to the public or for collective use. These are in fact articles 414-415 of the former CWATUP. Article 414 defines the scope. Article 415 sets out the criteria for the various facilities: parking, access routes, ramps, sanitary facilities.

These standards apply to works subject to a planning permit for a list of buildings. Examples include office buildings, shops, shopping centres, hotels, inns, restaurants and cafés, but also hospitals and socio-cultural or sports buildings. A single-family house generally falls outside this scope. Always check each case with your architect, however.

A few key dimensions, according to a presentation by SPW Territoire (formerly DGO4):

• a direct access route, with a maximum gradient of 5% over 10 m and a 1.5 m manoeuvring landing;
• doors 0.85 m wide with 0.50 m of wall on the handle side, and a 1.50 m turning circle in corridors.

This framework has its limits. The Collectif Accessibilité Wallonie Bruxelles (CAWaB) points out that these articles, which have not been amended for many years, contain significant gaps, particularly for people with sensory or intellectual disabilities. Meeting the standard is therefore a minimum, not an end in itself.

In Brussels, Title IV of the RRU

The current Regional Urban Planning Regulation (RRU) was adopted by the Brussels Government on 21 November 2006 and came into force on 3 January 2007. Its Title IV covers the accessibility of buildings for people with reduced mobility. According to the Sustainable Building Guide from Bruxelles Environnement, it applies to public facilities, new buildings and existing buildings, but not to works that do not involve a major change. Note that this also covers changes of use or of the distribution of uses, and changes to the number of dwellings. Splitting up a building or converting offices into flats can therefore bring your project within scope.

A few Brussels requirements to remember:

• at the entrance, the door must have a clear width of 95 cm, more than in Wallonia;
• the landing doors of adapted lifts must have a clear passage of at least 0.90 m;
• vertical platform lifts are permitted for level changes of up to 1.80 m outside an enclosed shaft;
• Title II requires every new multi-dwelling building with a ground floor and four or more storeys to be fitted with a lift.

A reform of the RRU is in preparation. CAWaB points out that the draft still excludes people with reduced mobility from offices, shops, shopping centres, hotels, restaurants and cafés of less than 200 m². We are following this closely and adapting our designs as soon as a final text is published.

The details that make the difference, on plan and on site

Our architects and Optibim's engineers systematically review the following points:

• the full route, from the street or car park to the relevant rooms;
• thresholds, removed or limited to a minimal, bevelled lip;
• adapted sanitary facilities, with the turning circle kept clear of the door swing;
• colour contrasts on step nosings, glazed doors and obstacles;
• reception areas: a lowered counter and, according to Infrasports (SPW), an induction loop at the reception desk for people with hearing impairments.

The most common pitfalls:

• a door of the right width, but with a handle right up against a corner wall;
• a ramp added at the end of the design process, without enough room for landings;
• a thick doormat or a wide gutter grille in front of the entrance;
• a ramp with a sideways cross-fall, making it dangerous for a wheelchair.

Renovation and older buildings, starting from a reliable survey

Renovation is where accessibility requires the most rigour. One order of magnitude is enough to show why: three 17 cm steps add up to 51 cm to be made up. At a 5% gradient, that means more than 10 m of ramp, plus the landings. In an old farmhouse or a townhouse, that space is not always available.

Our approach:

• a BimBot survey using a 3D scanner, measuring levels, thresholds and actual widths to the nearest centimetre;
• assessing several scenarios: raising an internal walkway, moving the entrance, installing a lift;
• a structural check by Optibim whenever a lift shaft needs to be opened up through an existing floor;
• where a rule cannot be met, a reasoned application for a derogation, together with compensatory measures.

Planning ahead in private housing too

Even without a legal requirement, thinking about accessibility from the design stage costs little and avoids major works later on. For a new build or a full renovation, we recommend:

• including a bedroom and a shower room on the ground floor, or a space that can easily be converted;
• choosing a level access shower rather than a shower tray;
• designing wider internal doors and clear corridors;
• reinforcing partition walls so that grab rails can be fitted later;
• reserving space for a future lift or stairlift.

AVIQ and the non-profit Atingo publish useful technical factsheets on these topics.

Are you planning a project open to the public, an apartment building or the renovation of an older building? The teams at STARC and Optibim can check whether your plans comply with the GRU or the RRU, carry out an accurate survey of the existing building and propose solutions suited to your building. Get in touch with us to discuss it.