accessibility in alberta - safety codes council · the code recognized barrier-free design as early...

Safety Codes Council #SCCon17

Samantha Proulx, C.E.T.

Accessibility Specialist,

and Building Code Consultant

Accessibility in Alberta

This presentation is protected by Canadian and

International Copyright laws.

Reproduction, distribution, display, and use of this

presentation without written permission of the

speaker is prohibited.

© Jensen Hughes, Inc. 2017

Copyright Materials

These slides are only meant to be cue points, which

are expounded upon verbally by the presenter and

are not meant to be comprehensive statements of

the literal application of the Code or Standards and

their interpretations.

It is advised to use the information learned today, in

conjunction with the applicable Codes and

Standards.

Disclaimer

How is each Province working towards making

Canada more accessible?

Accessibility design requirements of the 2014

Alberta Building Code (ABC),

Accessibility design as it relates to:• Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guideline

• Edmonton Checklist for Accessibility and Universal

Design in Architecture

• Calgary Access Design Standard

Today’s Discussion

At the end of this seminar, participants will be

able to:

1. Understand the principles behind Universal

Design,

2. Understand the intent of key barrier-free design

requirements outlined by the Alberta Building

Code (ABC), and

3. Immediately apply the requirements of Section

3.8. of the ABC and other Albertan Accessibility

Standards to their design projects.

Learning Objectives

ABC – Alberta Building Code

BF – Barrier-Free

BFPT – Barrier-Free Path of Travel

A.F.F. – Above Finished Floor Level

A, A1, A2, A3, A4 – Assembly Occupancies

B, B1, B2, B3 – Care and Treatment Facilities

C – Residential

D – Business and Personal Services

E – Mercantile

F1, F2, F3 – High, Medium, Low Hazard Industrial

Abbreviations

Recommendation BOX

2008 Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide

Edmonton Checklist for Accessibility and Universal Design in Architecture

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 117

Note / Recommended Best Practise

Brief History

7

Safety

Health

Fire and Structural Fire Protection

Accessibility for Persons with Disabilities

Purpose of the Building Code

The Code recognized barrier-free design as early as

1985, and quite possibly earlier

Since than barrier-free design has been slowly evolving

to become more accessible not only for wheelchair users

but for individuals with varying abilities (sensory, vision,

physical, mental)

Accessibility + Alberta Building Code

First Edition: 1974

9th Edition: 2014

Statistics Canada

10

Canada’s Disability Statistics

Approx 15 % of Canada’s population reports having a disability

Albertan Disability Statistics

Approx. 13 % of Albertans report having a disability

Fact: By the early 2030’s Calgary’s population will consist of more

seniors than youth

Statistics Canada

What’s Alberta doing to help create a barrier-free built

environment?

12

Alberta

Has a partnership with the Barrier-Free Sub Council of the Safety Codes

Council

Developed a Barrier-Free Design Guide• improved interpretation of Section 3.8. of the Alberta Building Code (ABC)

Barrier-Free Design Guide, 2006 • Fourth Edition published July 2008

• Where accessibility items are prescribed beyond those outlined by the Code, such

items are considered recommendations not requirements.

• Recommendations must be reasonably accommodated for within government

facilities.

• 2017 Edition – Coming Soon

2016 Calgary Access Design Standards

Edmonton – Checklist for Accessibility and Universal Design in Architecture

Various Accessibility Committees • Calgary and Edmonton Accessibility Advisory Committees

• Premieres Council on Albertans with Disabilities

Everyone Belongs Outside: Alberta Parks Inclusion Plan 2014

Inclusion Alberta

Accessibility Plans For Alberta

What’s the rest of Canada doing?

14

Ontario

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Customer Service, Employment, Built Environment,

Transportation, and Information and Communications. Goal: To be an Accessible Province by 2025

British Columbia

Accessibility 2024 Legislated 10-year action plan to become more accessible:

• government, delivery services, internet, built environment, housing, transportation, income support, employment, customer experiences, and emergency preparedness

Accessibility in Other Provinces

Saskatchewan

The Uniform Building and Accessibility Standards Act National Building Code Saskatchewan Human Rights Accessibility Guidelines

Manitoba

Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) Launched on December 05, 2013 Province to develop mandatory accessibility standards Customer Service, Employment, Built Environment, and

Transportation, Information and Communications.

Accessibility in Other Provinces

Nova Scotia

Currently, the Minister of Community Services’ Advisory Panel of Accessibility Legislation has begun the discussion on developing accessibility standards for their Province.

Yukon, North West Territories, Nunavut, P.E.I, Newfoundland, New Brunswick

North West Territories Disability Committee • Accessibility Action Plan geared to improving

the built environment Yukon Disability Rights Committee Whitehorse Persons with Disabilities Advisory

Committee

Accessibility in Other Provinces

Canada

Canadians with Disabilities Act Goal: to increase the Countries inclusion and

promote equality by removing barriers serving federal jurisdiction.

Accessibility in Canada

The Seven Principles of Universal Design

“Universal Design is the design of products and environments to be useable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or

specialized design”

- Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide (Summarised Definition from The Disability Act 2005)

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“The Design must be useful and marketable to

people with varying abilities.”

“The Design will accommodate a wide range of

individual preferences and abilities”

Everything in a building accessible to occupants should

be accessible to all users.

Design for universal inclusion NOT segregation.

Make the design appealing to everyone.

View a design from all heights, and perspectives.

Equitable Design and Flexible in Use

“Use of the design is easy to understand,

regardless of the user’s experience, knowledge,

language skills or current concentration level”

Balance and uniformity

Simplex NOT Complex

Maintain consistency throughout the building

Simple and Intuitive Use

“The design communicates necessary

information effectively to the user, regardless of

ambient conditions or the user’s sensory abilities”

Signage: Pictoral, Verbal, Tactile

Colour and tactile contrasting

Easy directional wayfinding

Perceptible Information

“The design minimizes hazards and the adverse

consequences of accidental or unintended

actions”

Avoid hazards (projections, lowered ceiling heights etc.)

Provide warnings where there may be a hazard

Tolerance for Error

“The design can be used efficiently and

comfortably with minimum fatigue”

Allow users to maintain their natural postures and neutral

body position.

Consider operational forces for all controls and

mechanisms.

Minimize sustained physical effort.

Low Physical Effort

“Appropriate size and space is provided for

approach, reach, manipulation and use

regardless of user’s body size, posture or

mobility”

Provide clear lines of sight (except where privacy may be of concern)

Consider reaching distances from the seated position or a shorter to

taller stature

Consider clear, level approach spaces where a device must be

functional

Size and Space for Approach and Use

Accessibility

(Barrier-Free Design)

Prescribed by 2014 Alberta

Building Code (ABC)

27

Fire and Life Safety

• Fire alarm systems with

audible and visual signal

devices (3.2.4.)

• Protection of barrier-free

paths of travel (3.3.1.7)

Barrier-Free Design (3.8.)

Barrier-Free Design

ABC

Fire and Life Safety

Fire Alarm System

29

Visual signal devices must be installed in

addition to audible signal devices if a

building is equipped with a fire alarm

system.

• VISUAL– provides strobe like warning

signals for individuals who may be hard of

hearing or deaf

• AUDIBLE – provides sound wave

warning signals for individuals who

may be blind or have vision

impairments

Visual and Audible Signal Devices 3.2.4.20.

Protection of Floor Areas

3.3.1.7.

Section 3.8 provides guidance towards designing

barrier-free accessibility throughout a building.

Section 3.8 addresses the well-being and comfort

of persons with disabilities within a building.

Nowhere in Section 3.8 is the safety of the disabled

addressed in the event of a fire.

In the entirety of the Code, only Article 3.3.1.7.

addresses the provision of life safety, in the event

of a fire, to persons with disabilities.

Areas of Refuge3.3.1.7.

An area of refuge is a safe waiting

area in the event of a building

evacuation.

In the event of a fire, an area of

refuge provides a well known place

for fire fighters to help anyone

unable to use stairs or the elevator.

Areas of Refuge

Three acceptable approaches are given in the Code to provide adequate safety for persons with limited abilities within a floor area:

Sprinkler the building,

Provide a pressurized elevator,

Fire separate the floor area into two, 45 min/1 h fire rated, smoke-tight zones,

Provide balconies for residential occupancies

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 117:

Unless otherwise exempted, all buildings are required to have areas of refuge

whether or not they are sprinklered.

Barrier-Free Design (3.8)“Buildings required to be barrier-free must comply

with all requirements designed to assist persons

with physical, sensory and development

disabilities.”

– ABC Sentence 3.8.1.1.(2)

34

Barrier-Free Requirements DO NOT apply to …3.8.1.1.

Residential Homes:

• Single dwellings, townhomes, triplexes, boarding houses

• Except for those used for social programs (i.e. group homes,

halfway houses)

Re-locatable industrial accommodations

Group F, Division 1 major occupancies

• Except requirements pertaining to hearing sensory impairments

still apply

Areas Requiring a Barrier-Free Path of Travel3.8.2.1.(1) / 3.8.2.2.(1) / 3.8.1.2.(5)

A BFPT is required: From a barrier-free entrance to accessible parking,

From a barrier-free entrance to all normally occupied

floor areas, and

Between two connected buildings

Areas NOT required to be

Served by a Barrier-Free Path of

Travel

Storeys not more than 600 m², that are located above

or below the first storey of a two-storey building

(assuming those floors are not served by an

elevating device).

Areas NOT Requiring Barrier-Free Path of Travel3.8.2.1.(2)

To any storey above or below the first storey in a Group C residential occupancy that:

is three or fewer storeys in building height

has a building area not exceeding 600 m2,

is not served by a passenger elevating device.

Also:

Floor levels within a suite of residential occupancy that are not at the same level as the entry level to the suite, or

Within a suite of residential occupancy that is not required to be served by a barrier-free path of travel.

Areas NOT Requiring Barrier-Free Path of Travel

Areas NOT Requiring a Barrier-Free Path of Travel

Service rooms, elevator machine rooms, janitors

rooms,

Service spaces, crawl spaces, attic or roof spaces,

Mezzanines not served by an elevating device,

To assembly seating spaces that are not served by a

barrier-free path of travel,

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 93:

Mezzanines are required to be served by a barrier-free path of travel.

to portions of floor areas where the same amenities

and uses are provided on other BF levels within that

floor area

Areas NOT Requiring Barrier-Free Path of Travel

Entering A Building

“Entrances must be easily identified. Good

lighting is essential to their identification.”

– Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide

43

Entrances3.8.1.2.

Minimum Number of BF Entrances

Minimum Number of Pedestrian Entrances

Required to be BF

All occupancies (except F1) Not less than 50%

Assembly (A2),

Business (D), and

Mercantile (E)

Completely separate from

and without access to the

remainder of the building

Not less than 1

Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide:

In new construction, the identified primary entrance of the building is required

to be barrier-free.

Service Dog Relieving Areas 2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 79/80 Figure C.80

• Service dog relieving areas must be provided within 50 m of at least

one barrier-free entrance,

• Be at least 7.4 m2 capable of fitting a 3000 mm turning circle, and

• Be connected to the barrier-free path of travel.

Access to Parking

Accessibility begins once an individual

approaches the building, whether it be by foot, by

vehicle, or by transit.

46

A barrier-free entrance must provide a barrier-free path of

travel to:

an exterior parking lot,

at least one parking level in a parking structure, and

to every parking level in a parking structure if served by a

passenger elevating device.

Access to Parking Areas3.8.2.2.

Edmonton Checklist: Parking Areas

• Barrier-free path of travel from parking areas (to be located closest to the

accessible entrance), to be clear of snow, garbage cans and other

obstacles, and be well lit.

Where there is an exterior passenger loading zone:

the access aisle must be not less than 1500 mm wide by

6000 mm long

have a clearance height of not less than 2750 mm at the

vehicle pull-up space and along the vehicle access and

egress routes

Passenger Loading Zones 3.8.2.2.

Passenger Loading Zones 2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Figure A.9/14

Passenger Loading Zones must be provided:

• Where it is not feasible to position barrier-free parking spaces within 50 m of

the barrier-free entrance(s), and

• Where Calgary Transit vehicles stop near a buildings barrier-free entrance.

Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) by the Municipal Government Act

Number of Parking Stalls 3.8.2.2.

Table 3.8.2.2.

Designated Parking Spaces

Number of Parking Stalls

Required

Number of Designated

Barrier-Free Stalls

2-10 1

11-25 2

26-50 3

51-100 4

101 + 1 for each additional

increment of 100 stalls

Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide:

Additional barrier-free stalls should be considered, if the facility anticipates a

larger number of seniors, or persons with disabilities.

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 10:

Where staff and pedestrian parking lots are separate, barrier-free stalls should

be equally distributed.

Parking Stall Design 3.8.2.2.

Designing a Barrier-Free Path of Travel

52

Exterior: 1100 mm

Interior: 920 mm wide (except all main aisles must be 1100 mm wide)

Design of Barrier-Free Paths of Travel 3.8.1.3.

Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide:

Two wheelchair users passing: 1500 mm

One wheelchair user and One Walker: 1200 mm

One Wheelchair user: 920 mm

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 18:

Exterior: 1500 mm

Interior: 1500 mm along a corridor used by the public having an occupant load

is more than 200 persons

Permitted to include ramps, passenger elevating devices to overcome

differences in level.

Design of Barrier-Free Paths of Travel 3.8.1.3.

Barrier-Free Paths of Travel – Plus 15 Bridges 2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 82

Standards for Plus 15 Bridges MUST be barrier-free

Lane Links: 4500 mm wide min.

Elevators: Required to serve both Ground Level and Plus-15 Levels

Entrance Doors: Automatic Sliding or Swinging Doors

No openings to permit a sphere more than 13 mm,

Thresholds not more than 13 mm

Design of Barrier-Free Paths of Travel 3.8.1.3.

Lay-By Spaces 3.8.1.3.(4)

Where a BFPT is 30 m + in length, an unobstructed space

of 1500 mm by 1500 mm is required at 30 m intervals.

Overhead Obstruction3.3.1.9.(3)

Horizontal Projection3.3.1.9.(4)

Changes in Elevation

60

A downward change in elevation must be signalled

by the use of a 600 mm wide tactile warning strip that:

is located 250 mm from the edge,

extends the full width of the

stair, escalator, moving walkway,

ramp or platform, and

is identified using

colour and brightness

contrast.

Ramps

62

Ramps3.8.3.4.

Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide:

Ramps with a slope greater than 1:12 can be difficult for individuals to maneuver

along.

Recommendation:

Where possible slopes of ramps should be 1:15 to 1:20.

Controls

64

Controls (i.e., electrical switches, thermostats and

intercom switches, etc.) located in a BFPT must be:

accessible to a person in a wheelchair,

operable with one hand, and

mounted between 400 mm and 1200 mm a.f.f.

Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide:

Outlets: 500 mm a.f.f.

Remainder of Controls: 800 mm to 1400 mm

(Anything beyond 1200 mm is NOT COMPLIANT with the ABC)

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard

Outlet: 600 mm a.f.f.

Pull Station: 1200 mm a.f.f. (Complies with CAN/ULC)

All other Controls: 1000 mm +/- 50 mm

Recommendation: provide power strip extensions to overcome having to reach

Doors and Doorways

66

Clear Width / Threshold / Opening Force 3.8.3.3.

Minimum Clear Width: 850 mm

Edmonton Checklist: Suggests 920 mm wide entrance doors

Threshold: 13 mm max.

Force Operation: Interior 22 N, Exterior 38 N

Door Hardware 3.8.3.3.

NO YES

Operable Devices: No tight grasping or twisting of the wrist

(ie. Lever devices or “D” Pulls)

Latch-Side Clearance / Maneuvering Space3.8.3.3.

Latch-Side Clearance:

• Pull Side - 600 mm

• Push Side – 300 mm

Door Maneuvering Clearance:

• Pull Side – As wide as the door + 600 mm latch-side

• Push Side – As wide as the door + 300 mm latch-side

• Depth: Not less than the path of travel serving the door, but need not be more than 1500 mm deep.

Example Image of Door Clearances 3.8.3.3.

Vestibules 3.8.3.3.

Vestibule: 1200 mm between two doors in series

Power Door Operators 3.8.3.3.

Power door operators are required on BF entrances (including

both doors of a vestibule) serving:

A hotel, A B2 major occupancy (hospital, hospice etc.) An Assembly (A), Business (D), Care (B3), or Mercantile (E)

occupancy more than 500 m² in building area• Or if such occupancies are separated from and without access to the

remainder of the building, and have a suite area more than 500 m².

Doors not provided with

the required latch-side clearances.

Protection of Persons due to Door Opening 3.8.3.3.

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 94:

Where doorways open into a barrier-free path of travel they are required to be recessed.

Recommendation:

Where doorways open into a barrier-free path of travel, especially those equipped with a

power door operator, such doors should have cane-detectable guardrails or other barriers

installed at right angles to the wall containing the door to prevent “run-in” hazards.

Assembly Seating

74

Number of Designated Wheelchair SeatingTable 3.8.2.1.

Table 3.8.2.1.

Designated Wheelchair Spaces

Number of

Fixed Seats in

Seating Area

Minimum Number of

Spaces Designated

for Wheelchairs

2-100 2

101-200 3

201-300 4

301-400 5

401-500 6

501-900 7

901-1300 8

1301 - 1700 9

1701 + 10 + 1 additional

space for each

increment of 400

Design of Designated Wheelchair Seating3.8.3.6.

At least two wheel chair spaces must be located side by side. Each space having

an unobstructed level area that is:

900 mm wide and not less than

1 525 mm long for side approach

1 220 mm long for front or rear approach

Must be served by a BFPT without infringing on egress.

Must be designated as part of the seating plan to provide

a choice of viewing location and

a clear view of the event taking place.

Designate Wheelchair Spaces and Adaptable Seating

Assistive Listening Devices3.8.3.7.

Assistive Listening Devices (ALD’s) are required in a building of assembly occupancy:

in rooms or suites with an area greater than 100 m²

to encompass the entire seating area, or

one half of the seating area if using an induction loop

Signage

(Wayfinding)

79

Accessibility Signs3.8.3.1.

International Symbol of Accessibility otherwise referred to as the International

Symbol of Access (ISA) are required to identify:

Barrier-free entrances, washrooms, showers, elevators, and parking spaces.

Tactile Signage:

Be not less than 60 mm high, raised 0.7 mm from the surface,

Not more than 1200 mm a.f.f.

Begin not more than 150 mm from the door or entrance,

Be colour contrasting to the surface to

which it is applied, and

Include Braille dots not less than

1 mm in relief, located directly below

the tactile sign. Edmonton Checklist:

• Signage would be white on blue background (high colour contrast),

• Use of symbols, braille and large print,

• Consistency in design and easy to identify,

• Signage lettering to be in Sans Serif (Verdana, Arial, Helvetica)

Washrooms REQUIRED

to be

Barrier-Free

81

Washrooms Required to be Barrier-Free

3.8.2.3.

All washrooms located in a barrier-free path of travel.

Where water closets are required by ABC Subsection 3.7.2., at least one barrier-free water closet is required to provided in the entrance storey, unless:

a bfpt is provided to barrier-free water closets elsewhere in the building, or

the water closets required by 3.7.2., are for dwelling units only.

Multi-stall washrooms must include 1 barrier-free stall for every 10 stalls (this includes multi-stall washrooms used for temporary events)

Washrooms NOT Required to be Barrier-Free 3.8.2.3.

Washrooms are not required to be BF provided:

they are located within residential suites or care suites,

not designed as accessible suites under 3.8.4.1.(1),

they are located in an individual suite less than 500 m²,

and there is another barrier-free washroom located within

45 m.

Washroom Renovations

3.8.2.3.(4)

Where renovations are made to an existing building,

universal toilet rooms are permitted to be constructed in lieu

of provided in lieu of updating, renovating, or constructing

additional multi-stall washrooms.

Barrier-Free

Washroom Design

85

Water Closet Stalls3.8.3.8.

A BF water closet stall must:

have a clear turning space at least 1500 mm in diameter,

be equipped with a door that:

has a clear opening of 800 mm, or

swings outward, unless sufficient space is provided to permit

the door to be closed without interfering with the wheelchair

have a door pull on both sides,

be aligned with a clear transfer space

capable of having the latch required by Subclause (i) released

from the outside in case of an emergency

Water Closet Stalls3.8.3.8.

Grab Bars

horizontal grab bar, and a

rear grab-bar (if no tank).

Water Closet

seat must be located between 400 mm and 460 mm a.f.f.

be situated with its centre line 460 mm to 480 mm from an adjacent side wall,

hand-operated flushing controls or be automatically operable,

have a seat lid or other back support, and

have no spring-actuated seat.

Water Closet Stalls3.8.3.8.

Urinals3.8.3.10.

Wall mounted

Floor mounted

Clear Approach

Space: 800 mm

wide

Grab Bars: Both

Sides

Lavatories

3.8.3.11.

Recommendations:

ABC – “soap and hand towel dispenser to be located

close to the lavatory”

approximately 600 mm measured horizontally from

the front edge of the lavatory

Wheelchair users should not have to touch their

wheels to lather, or dry their hands.

Universal Washrooms3.8.3.12.

All universal washrooms must be designed in

accordance with ABC Article 3.8.3.12., which includes

the following major items:

1500 mm turning circle

No internal dimension less than 1700 mm

875 mm wide transfer space

Lavatory conforming to 3.8.3.11.,

Water closet conforming to 3.8.3.9., however, located not

less than 285 mm and more than 305 mm from an adjacent

side wall

Universal Washrooms3.8.3.12.

Amenities

(ie. Counters, Telephones,

Drinking Fountains)

93

Counters3.8.3.14.

Every counter more than 2 m long, at which the public is served must have an accessible portion not less than 760 mm long centred over a knee space

Counter height: 865 mm max. Knee Space: Width: 760 mm min.

High: 685 mm min. Depth: 485 mm min.

A counter used in a Cafeteria design, or where movement takes place parallel to a counter, such counter would not require a knee space.

Shelves or Counters for Telephones3.8.3.15.

Where built-in shelves or counters are provided for the public, such shelves or

counters are required to be barrier-free.

At least one telephone with a built-in telecommunication device is required to

be provided where public telephones are installed.

Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide:

A telephone that is barrier-free must be served by a clear unobstructed front approach space

of 1500 mm by 1500 mm.

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 176:

Where pay telephones are installed, at least one is required to be accessible to people in

wheelchairs and have variable volume control.

Drinking Fountains3.8.3.16.

If drinking fountains are provided, at least one is required to be barrier-free.

Alberta Barrier-Free Design Guide:

Varying heights of fountains serve a greater number of individuals with varying abilities.

2016 Calgary Access Design Standard Item 152:

In each location where a drinking fountain is provided, one fountain spout is required to be

located between 750 mm and 915 mm a.f.f.

Barrier-Free

Residential Suites

97

Government Funded ONLY projects

Buildings with 10 + dwelling units require 1 adaptable

dwelling unit for every 10 dwelling units (based on the total

number of units)

Adaptable Unit to be served by a barrier-free path of travel

and have it extend into and throughout the unit.

Kitchens, washrooms, entry ways, laundry rooms, etc. to

incorporate a 1500 mm turning circle

Bathrooms to conform to Articles 3.8.3.8. to 3.8.3.11.,

Showers and bathtubs to conform to select requirements

outlined in Articles 3.8.3.13./17.

Kitchens to provide accessible countertop portion and

lowered kitchen sink and cooktop with accessible knee

clearances beneath, and accessible overhead cabinets.

Adaptable Dwelling Units New Subsection 3.8.4.

Presented by: Samantha Proulx, C.E.T.

Accessibility Specialist

1

sproulx@jensenhughes.com

For more information visit:

www.jensenhughes.com

Questions? Comments? Contacts.