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For security, the house entrance needs to be visible from the entry point to the site or the car parking space. The entry itself should provide a level, sheltered landing dimensioned for wheelchair manoeuvrability and be adequately lit for visibility from inside the home. Entry door locks and lever handles should be fitted at appropriate heights and be able to be used with one hand. Avoid any obstructions or level changes which limit access by a wheelchair user or provide a tripping hazard to others.
An Adaptable House should:
- Provide easy access from both the street and car parking spaces in all weather and light conditions.
- Avoid stairs and use ramps only where essential. Dimension both ramps and stairs in compliance with local Disability Laws.
- Construct access paths from well drained, solid, non-slip surfaces that provide a high colour contrast to surrounding garden areas.
- Light pathways with low level lighting directed at the path surface, not the user.
- Protect paths and entries from weather.
- Avoid overhanging branches and plants which may drop leaves causing potential hazards.
Building Access An accessible path of travel shall be provided (Figure – 1)
- From the street and private parking area to at least one main entrance
- From the main entrance to all suite entry doors unless prohibited by the terrain or unusual characteristics of the site
- From the main entrance to the elevator
- From the main entrance to each type of common amenity area (e.g. Containing recreational, storage and laundry facilities)
Door assemblies in the accessible path of travel shall:
- Doors that open into or are located in a public corridor (that provides access to exit from more than one suite), including common amenity area entry doors are door assemblies
- Provide a clear opening of not less than 850 millimetres (mm) if there is only one door leaf
- Have the active leaf providing a clear opening of not less than 850 mm (in a doorway with multiple leaves)
- Be operable by devices which do not require tight grasping or twisting of the wrist as the only mean of operation (excluding doors not intended for resident access such as maintenance rooms) when a force of not more than 38 Newtons (N) for exterior doors and not more than 22 N for interior doors is applied at the handle. (A Newton is a measure of force in the metric system, which, if applied for one second, will cause a 1-kilogram object starting from rest to reach a speed of 1 metre per second)
- Have a push plate or latch releasing device except for locations where greater pressures are required to ensure proper building function, and
- Have a closing period (if equipped with a closer) of not less than 3 seconds measured from the door in an open position of 70 degrees to the doorway to a point 75 mm from the closed position measured from the leading edge of the latch side of the door.
Building entrances in accessible paths of travel shall:
- provide protection from the rain
- have doors that are power-operated, functioning for passage in both directions
Doorways in accessible paths of travel shall: (Figure – 2)
- Have a clear and level area
- when the door swing is towards this area, not less than 1500 mm long by a width equal to the door assembly width plus not less than 600 mm clear space beside the latching jamb of the door
- when the door swing is away from this area, not less than 1220 mm long by a width equal to the door assembly width plus not less than 300 mm clear space beside the latching jamb of the door
- when sliding doors are power-operated or when power-operated doors swing away from the area, of not less than 1100 mm long by the width of the door assembly
- Doors installed in series shall be separated by a space not less than 1220 mm plus the width of any door swinging into the separating space
- Doorway thresholds in accessible paths of travel, where not flush with the floor, shall be not more than 13 mm above the floor and shall be bevelled
- Where any main entrance does not provide access, a sign shall be installed as far ahead of any wheelchair obstruction is practical so as to indicate clearly the location of the accessible main entrance
- If a walkway or pedestrian bridge connects accessible storeys in different buildings, the path of travel from one storey to the other storey by means of the walkway or bridge shall be accessible
 Corridors
The minimum width of an accessible pathway shall be not less than 1220 mm
Corridors shall provide a clear area not less than 1500 x 1500 mm adjacent to the elevator entrance and at intervals of 10 m or less, whenever the corridor exceeds 10 m measured from the elevator entrance to the end of the corridor
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