No More KnobsThe Canadian news networks are all abuzz with the latest code change for the city of Vancouver, Canada.  As of March 2014, doorknobs will not be allowed on new construction – including single family homes.  Here’s where you can read all about it:

City of Vancouver Shows Doorknobs the Exit – The Two-Way

The doorknob is dead. At least in Vancouver, British Columbia.

A recent revision in the city’s building code, designed to improve accessibility, shows the door to the venerable knob, replacing it with the hipper and easier-to-use lever.

The Vancouver Sun:   “In September, Vancouver council adopted new amendments to its building code, effective next March, that, among other things, will require lever handles on all doors and lever faucets in all new housing construction.”

The change has been coming for some time. Last year, for example, all the Art Deco doorknobs in Vancouver’s heritage-listed City Hall were swapped out for “utilitarian gold-coloured levers,” The Sun says.

The newspaper says Vancouver is a national trendsetter, so there appears to be no way out of the doorknob’s impending demise across Canada.

Vancouver Bans Doorknobs in Pursuit of Universal Design – The Independent

Legislation has been passed to change Vancouver’s official building regulations so that all new construction plans only include doors which open with a lever-style handle.

While the ban on doorknobs does not extend to existing buildings, as refits and new builds gradually take over it is inevitable that the now dated method of opening doors will be phased out.

The decision has not been made for aesthetic reasons, however. The city is instead pursuing the concept of “universal design” – that all buildings should be accessible to as many people as possible.

Vancouver to Ban Doorknobs – Toronto Sun (with video)

The new building bylaw, to come into effect in March 2014, bans doorknobs in new homes, favouring the more accessible door handle instead.

The ban not only applies to municipal buildings such as Vancouver City Hall, where most of the treasured art deco style doorknobs will be removed, but extends to all new homes built within city limits.

The bylaw is not retroactive, so if residents won’t have to get rid of doorknobs they already have in their homes.

Nobody panic, but Vancouver has banned doorknobs – The Consumerist

There won’t be a door knob police squad busting into homes however, just all new housing construction will have to comply with the updated code and use lever handles and faucets. So if you’ve got a knob, you can keep it. Cherish it, call it your precious, whatever you want.

But anyone moving into a new place, don’t expect the knob to greet you with its circular little face. Some see that as going too far, including a Yankee with a certain affection for the things.

There is an animated version of this news story on Youtube.

What do you think?  Does this code change go too far by extending into single family residential construction?  Or is it a step in the right direction toward access for all?

You need to login or register to bookmark/favorite this content.