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Advertising supplement provided by Provided by Hadrian

By Virginia A. Greene, AIA

Handicapped Accessible Design

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal civil rights law that ensures people with disabilities have equal access to goods and services. The law applies to most types of facilities and public rest rooms, regardless of local building codes. While wheelchair accessible bathrooms are required in new facilities, not all accessible toilet partitions are designed for the required five-foot wheelchair turning radius.

All new public bathroom details must plan fixtures and partitions to accommodate the wheelchair-turning radius within a partitioned space. Some designs provide large accessible stalls, and standard access compartments with out-swinging doors clearing 32 inches, for direct wheelchair access to wall-mounted toilet compartments without turning space. These designs have accordingly increased the depth of each stall from 48 inches to 56 inches in depth. By comparison, floor mounted toilets require 59 inches for accessible design.

It is important to note that handicapped-accessible partitions and stalls are not interchangeable with standard partition stalls because they accommodate specific accessibility needs. These unique stalls therefore have specific design criteria with a separate set of standards within the toilet partition system. For example, toilet partition door hinges are out-swinging to meet code standards for 32 inches clear when open at 90 degrees. Handicapped accessible partitions must provide mounted grab bars at 33-inches to 36-inches above the finished floor material. Horizontal grab bars are to be mounted on the nearest sidewall and behind the toilet.

Architects specify hardware designed for accessibility, but should always adhere to the latest ADA specifications. Requirements can vary by region and state. Accessible hardware includes lever-type door handles, which must be operable without a twist or turning movement. Additionally, standard ADA-compliant hardware, with safety release latches in case of an emergency, should also be considered. According to Martino, theater design is increasingly including the convenience of an additional, separate ADA rest room facility, with one toilet and one sink, thus allowing the wheelchair user to be accompanied by someone for assistance. “This concept allows ease of moving the patrons within the theater complex,” Martino observes.

The use of multiple handicapped accessible direct access partitions in a bathroom provides everyone a more accessible experience. When the same accessible hardware is used uniformly throughout the design, such as lever-type handles, users may experience greater ease in using the rest room, such as opening and closing a partition door if their arms are full of packages, or if they are carrying a child into the bathroom. Also, providing access and orientation for a person entering a rest room facility is an important design objective, which can be achieved by the layout of the space, and by use of accessory elements for each application. Toilet partitions can typically be customized from a selection of options.

Standard Toilet Partitions and Urinal Screens

The type of metal toilet partition that architects generally specify has 58-inch-high doors and panels and is ”headrail braced,” which is also referred to as ‘floor mounted-overhead braced.’ This standard height for metal toilet partitions is also available in ceiling-hung, floor-mounted, and floor-to-ceiling styles. Floor-to-ceiling mounted partitions and screens are the strongest and are specified where extra durability is required. There are several choices affecting cost, such as mounting and material expense.

Toilet partitions should be designed and specified for privacy, security, design flexibility, use of quality materials, and ease of installation. The same design standards apply to urinal screens, which are used as visual barriers only, and are not required to enclose the urinal space. The installation and alignment of these screens is key to their successful use.

A honeycombed core, or corrugated internal panel structural design, improves the strength and impact resistance of metal toilet partitions. Some industry standards have developed over time, such as concealed hinge mounting for better appearance, and higher-quality hardware. Continuous hinge partition doors and flange mounting of screens are simpler in their design and easier to clean. Hinges designed for high use are able to take asymmetrical loading situations, such as packages hung on coat hooks on the backs of stall doors. The metal plates at the foot of partition stanchions or pilasters, which are referred to as shoes, protect and conceal the floor and ceiling mounting hardware. This can give a clean line to the design and increase washable surfaces, which do not collect dirt and debris.