Last week I shared a submission for the BHMA 100th Anniversary Challenge – the topic was Built for Safety.  This week’s topic is Built for Access, focusing on how door hardware helps people move through the world.

I started my career back when accessibility wasn’t a main focus during design and construction, I’ve also traveled in many countries where that is still the case.  It’s very noticeable to me at this point, when doors and other building elements don’t meet the accessibility standards that are used across the US.

There are two accessibility standards that are widely used in the US – the ADA Standards for Accessible Design and ICC A 117.1, Accessible and Usable Buildings and Facilities.  These standards address many aspects of accessibility, including the requirements for door openings.  Here are a few examples of those that apply to doors, with links to some additional resources:

  • Door openings must provide a certain clear opening size, to ensure that a wheelchair can pass and that there are no projections that a person with a vision impairment might come into contact with.
  • Vision lights and sidelights must be mounted at a height that allows them to be used for viewing by everyone, including people using wheelchairs.  The bottom rail of a door must extend a minimum of 10 inches above the floor, with no protruding hardware.
  • Hardware must be operable without tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist to operate, and releasing hardware must be mounted between 34 inches and 48 inches above the floor.
  • In addition to ICC A117.1, the International Building Code (IBC) includes limitations on the operable force for door hardware – 15 pounds of pushing or pulling motion (ex. panic hardware) or 28 inch-pounds of rotational motion (ex. lever handle or thumbturn).  The ADA includes an operable force limit for operable parts of 5 pounds.
  • Door closers must be adjusted so that they operate within allowable limits on opening force and closing speed.  Non-fire-rated interior doors must be able to be opened with a maximum of 5 pounds of force.  Closing speed is limited to 5 seconds, minimum, for a door to close from 90 degrees to 12 degrees.
  • Automatic operators are now required by the IBC for doors serving accessible public entrances on certain types of buildings.  The BHMA standards for automatic operators are referenced in the model codes – all power-operated doors must comply with these standards.
  • Thresholds and changes in level are addressed by the accessibility standards, with a maximum threshold height of 1/2-inch and additional limits on the vertical rise or bevel.

Allegion manufactures many products that help door openings meet the accessibility requirements and ensure that buildings are accessible to everyone, regardless of physical ability.  You can learn more about Allegion’s solutions here!

For more on the requirements of the accessibility standards for door openings, check out the video below.

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