Mayors Office on Disability City and County of San Francisco

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Mayors Office on DisabilityCity and County of
San Francisco

• Discussion of Common Design and Construction
  Errors

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Subjects Covered Today

• Building Interior
• Doors
• Signage
• Stairways
• Toilets
• Operating Mechanisms

• Exterior Accessibility
• Walks
• Gates
• Projecting Objects
• Ramps

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Interior of Building

• Doors
• Signage
• Stairways
• Toilets
• Operating Mechanisms

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Effort to Operate Doors-Closers1133B.2.5, Title
24

• Interior and Exterior doors now must operate with
  5 pounds of force.
• Exception for required fire doors. They may
  require up to 15 pounds, but only if necessary to
  close and latch.

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Door Closers- Problems

• Door closers are frequently installed on doors
  for no apparent reason. Generally, only fire-
  rated doors require them.
• Large glass and / or steel doors are too heavy to
  meet code mandated pressure.
• Floor mounted closers may be difficult to adjust
  to required pressure.

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Door Closers - Solution

• Compensating devices or automatic door operators
  may be installed on most doors in lieu of the
  door pressure limits.

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Door Swing Clearances1133B.2.4.2, Title 24
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Common Door Obstructions

• Door is placed too close to columns or pilasters.
• Door is placed in thick masonry or concrete walls
  and inset more than 8 inches from either face of
  wall.
• Door is placed in alcove and offset in wall is
  less than 18 or 24 inches due to framing error.

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Door Swing Obstructed by Column
Column
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Door Swing Obstructed by Pilaster
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Doors in Thick Walls or Alcoves Swing Side
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Doors in Thick Walls or Alcoves Push Side
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Gates1133B.1.1.4, Title 24

• All gates, including ticket gates, shall meet all
  applicable requirements for doors.
• Smooth 10 inch panel required at the bottom on
  the push side.
• Lever hardware is required.
• Level landings and swing clearances.

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Accessible Gates- Problems

• Chain link fence and tubular steel gates lack
  smooth 10 inch kick plate at the bottom on the
  push side. Sheet metal must be added.
• Metal gates lack accessible hardware. Traditional
  lift and- swivel gate hardware is not allowed.
  Lever hardware is available.
• Level landings and swing clearances frequently
  lacking in exterior locations.

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Required Tactile Signs

• Permanent Room Identification Signs
• Tactile Exit Signs
• Tactile Stair Level Identification Signs

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Location of Tactile Signs1117B.5.7, Title 24

• Next to doors, not on them
• Tactile elements centered 60 inches above the
  floor
• Tactile elements centered laterally 9 inches from
  the door jamb

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Permanent Room Identification1117B.5.1.2, Title
24
Permanent portion must be tactile.
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Tactile EXIT Signs1003.2.8.6.1.1, CBC

• At grade level exterior exit doors

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Tactile EXIT ROUTE Signs1003.2.8.6.1.3, Title 24

• At doors leading to a grade-level exterior exit
  by means of an exit enclosure or passageway.

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Tactile EXIT ROUTE Signs1003.2.8.6.1.4, Title 24

• At doors from an interior room or space to a
  corridor that is required to have visual exit
  signs.
• Rooms having an occupant load of over 49 need
  this sign.

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Tactile Stair Level ID Signs1003.3.3.13.1, Title
24

• Inside all enclosed exit stairways at each floor
  level next to stairway doors.
• All buildings two or more stories in height.

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Tactile Stair Level ID Signs

• When located at the exit floor, a raised five
  pointed star must be added to the left of the
  numeral.
• The star must be the same height as the numeral.
  Suggest 2 inch height.

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Stairway Handrail Extensions1133B.4.1, Title 24

• Extension at the top landing is equal to 12
  inches.
• Extension at the bottom landing is equal to one
  tread width plus 12 inches.
• Bottom extension must continue 12 inches before
  leveling off.
• There is no provision for bending stair handrail
  extensions.

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Stairway Handrail Extensions
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Handrail Extensions-Problems

• Stair is not designed so that handrail extensions
  can extend the full length without bending 90
  degrees.
• Bottom extension of handrails do not travel 12
  inches before leveling off.

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Stairway Handrail Extensions
X
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Small Toilet Rooms Problems1115B.7.1, Title 24

• The clear space between the side of the toilet
  bowl and the side of the lavatory is not 28
  inches.
• There is no level space inside the room for a
  wheelchair measuring 30 by 48 inches to park and
  which allows the door to close.
• The door to the room swings over the clear floor
  space for a plumbing fixture.

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Fixture Clearance Inside Small Toilet Rooms
Room must be 81 inches wide to comply
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In-Swinging Door at Toilet Stall or Room
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Controls and Operating Mechanisms1117B, Title 24

• Controls must be operable with one hand and not
  require tight grasping, pinching or twisting of
  the wrist.
• Controls for heating, ventilating and air
  conditioning must be accessible if under the
  control of occupants.
• Unless HVAC is centrally operated or the
  thermostats are in lock boxes, they must comply.

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Exterior and Site Issues

• Site Slopes and Cross Slopes
• Gates (Already Covered)
• Projecting and Overhanging Objects
• Ramps

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Exterior Site-Slopes1133B.7, Title 24

• Site slopes must be worked out so that exterior
  doors have level landings and connect to
  accessible paths.
• Walkways connecting accessible entrances and
  other features cannot slope more than 5 in the
  direction of travel or have cross slopes
  exceeding 2.

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Exterior Site-Ramp Slope1133B.5.3, Title 24

• Architects and other designers commonly specify
  ramps with a slope of 112.
• Problem This sets the contractor up for failure.
  Given the tolerances inherent in concrete
  forming, portions of the ramp will exceed 112.

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Projecting Overhanging Objects1133B.8.2
1133B.8.6, Title 24

• Obstructions overhanging a pedestrians way must
  be at least 80 inches above the walking surface.
• Objects projecting from walls more than 4 inches
  with leading edges between 27 and 80 inches high
  are prohibited without a barrier underneath.

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Projecting Overhanging Objects
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Examples of Projecting Objects

• Seismic braces
• Stair or escalator runs overhead
• Old style fire dept. connection standpipes on
  building façades.
• Equipment panels or fire extinguisher cabinets in
  corridors
• Equipment racks in parking garages
• Dropped soffits

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Credits

• Signage graphics are from Accessible Signs and
  Wayfinding, prepared by Sharon Toji for the
  Division of the State Architect