Access Tips

A person’s journey to, around and from a historic building can be fraught with obstacles. Each accessible area requires separate consideration to ensure compliance with DDA regulations and the preservation of British history.

Parking

Consider the parking location carefully. Less able people often have difficulty travelling large distances. Set up distinctive parking spaces for authorised permit holders. These should be as close to the building’s principle entry point as possible. Drop down kerbs will provide easy access to the pathway. Clearly signpost all access routes to avoid confusion and increase safety in the parking area.

Be wary of the ground surface. Loose gravel, chippings, setts or cobbles are notoriously difficult for wheelchairs to cross and may be hazardous to the elderly or others with physical impairments. Use hard, slip resistant surfaces such as such as brick, concrete or bitumen.

Accessing the Principle Entry

The principle public entry is the entry that most people use to access the building. It is discriminatory to expect the less able to use a secondary entrance, but if it means the preservation of the building’s historic integrity then it is sometimes acceptable to create one. However, if the principle entry is inaccessible to the less able, consider these options first:

• Relay existing paving to level out the ground surface.
• Create a wooden walkway above unsafe material that visitors have to cross. This preserves the original feature and is easily removable.
• If there is a height difference between the path and main floor level, an extensive range of platform lifts and ramps is available.

Assess each option to establish which is most suitable. It should not be detrimental to the historical impact of the building. Minimise the loss or alteration of original entry point features, such as porches, railings, steps and windows.

Internal Access

Carefully consider which areas need to be accessible to visitors. Use management techniques to preserve historical fabric and make access simpler, such as leaving doors open or even removing them to allow easy wheelchair access. Wheelchairs normally need a width of 800mm to pass. If a doorway is too narrow, widen it by fitting offset hinges or joining two leaves together.

Closed doors should be light and easy to open. If they are heavy, it may necessitate automatic opening and closing mechanisms. Operation can be by touch pads, light beams or pressure sensitive mats. Ensure there is enough room for a wheelchair to manoeuvre through the door and place handles, doorknockers and bells at an appropriate height (less than 1100mm). Use handles that are easily turned. If the original handles are historically significant, retain them but supplement them with others. Remove obstacles and trip hazards such as mats.

Often, there may be more than one entrance into a room, with one accessible and the other not. Consider guiding people through the accessible door, rather than trying to overcome the problem of the narrower one. Widening doors is possible, but it may risk the historical significance and structural stability of the building. Only consider this if the door is not part of the original structure. Threshold steps can be dangerous to wheelchair users and the visually impaired, so remove them or overcome them by adjusting floor levels.

Accessing Different Levels

In many circumstances, lifting devices may be preferable. If stairs remain as part of the access solution, incorporate handrails on both sides to cater for people with a right or left sided disability. Nosings on stairs are dangerous to the less able and the visually impaired. Define them clearly with bright colours so they are easily visible.

In many historical buildings, platform lifts have proved the most effective means of improving disabled access. There are various factors to consider when purchasing a platform lift. Vertical travel distance is important. There are different models available for short journeys (around 900mm) and long journeys (usually anything over 1½ metres). Consider space dimensions to ensure the lift fits in the allocated space. MovemanSKG offers standard models and will tailor-build to specific requirements.

The nature of the application is a key issue in lift selection. An office may opt for functionality over aesthetics, as how the lift looks may not be particularly important. However, historic buildings are often open to the public, so lifts must be visually pleasing. The type of application will determine the type of lift required, for instance an internal or external model.

Ramps may be utilised to improve access in an historic building. Where possible, ramps to entrances should respect the existing elevations and not leave them with a lop-sided appearance, use two to maintain symmetry if appropriate. Permanent ramps are preferred as they are more stable, but temporary ones are easily removable, preserving the building’s historic nature.

Short ramps should not exceed a gradient of 1:12. Longer ones of more than two metres should not exceed a gradient of 1:15 and should incorporate at least one handrail for extra safety. Always provide steps as well, as they are sometimes easier for ambulant disabled people and the visually impaired. Consider curved ramps if obtrusion is a problem, as they can appear more natural. Take advantage of existing features and slopes to help them blend in. Finish ramps and steps with materials suitable to the existing building.

External Access

Treat a historic park, garden or landscape in the same way as a historic building. Assess its significance and decide which features to preserve. Consider access routes around scattered buildings and features carefully. Access to every part of the site may not be necessary if people can appreciate all its elements. Wheelchair users can often view a landscapes layout from a single location, which saves them having to traverse difficult areas of grass or gravel.

Provide a choice of routes. This flexibility may be more beneficial to the building and certainly, people will appreciate it and select the route that best suits their needs. Make sure obstacles are minimised and clearly define access routes. Paths should be of a suitable width, grade and firmness, and their construction material should respect the site’s historical significance.

Consider the impact of any changes on landscape features. It may be hard to achieve adequate gradients on steep old sites without altering old landform patterns. In these circumstances, think about providing alternate means of getting around such as buggies and electric wheelchairs. These are capable of traversing rougher, steeper terrain.