The Access Manual: Designing, Auditing and Managing Inclusive Built Environments

This manual covers the design, improvement, maintenance and management of accessible environments. It shows you how to provide and run buildings, services, and employment facilities to enable independent and convenient use by everyone. The Access Manual was first published in November 2003 and has been used by architects and facilities managers needing to meet the requirements of new legislation in 2004. It was well received by design, management, access, and health professionals. This is a fast-moving area and there are now several additional pieces of legislation and guidance central to inclusive design and making buildings accessible to all. This 3rd edition follows the same structure and approach and updates three main areas: The Equality Act 2010 Building Regulations: Approved Documents to Parts M (2013) and K (2013) British Standards:  amendment and updating of BS8300   The authors have also updated the material on access auditing, providing additional examples and sample access audit reports and access statements. With its comprehensive information on standards, legislation and good practice, The Access Manual: designing, auditing and managing inclusive built environments, 3rd edition ensures you can: be fully aware of the issues involved in accessibility and inclusive design understand your legal obligations and the guidance available  commission access audits create and manage an access improvement programme maintain accessibility in buildings and working practices understand access issues in the design of new buildings

Table of Contents:
About the authors ix Foreword by Malcolm Hankey xi Acknowledgements xiii About the Website xv Introduction 1 Objectives of the manual 2 Chapter 1 Inclusive design 5 An inclusive approach 5 Principles of inclusive design 7 Benefits 8 How environments are used 9 Access appraisals 14 Access statements 16 Case study – Canada Water Library 22 Chapter 2 Legislation and regulations 27 Introduction 27 Equality Act 2010 28 Planning legislation 56 Building Regulations 59 Occupier Liability Acts 70 Human Rights Act 1998 73 Case study – The Vine Trust barge 74 Chapter 3 Standards and guidance 77 British Standards 77 Other sources of good practice guidance 81 Chapter 4 Access management 89 Introduction 89 Access audits 90 Access management 109 Case Study – Bramall Music Building 117 Chapter 5 Design criteria 121 Introduction 121 External environment 122 Entrances 136 Horizontal circulation 150 Vertical circulation 159 Facilities 185 Communication and wayfinding 209 Emergency egress 228 Appendix A General acceptability criteria 235 Access audit checklists 235 How to use the checklists 235 Appendix B Information sources 259 Guidance 259 Legislation, standards and codes 261 Useful organisations 262 Index 265

About the Author :
Ann Sawyer BA Dip. Arch. is an architect and access consultant. She works with architects, developers, building owners and facilities managers providing access consultancy services on new and existing buildings and environments. She advises on access and inclusive design, provides access appraisals and audits, advises on improvements to meet new legislative requirements and provides training in accessible design, auditing and the management of accessible environments. She has been involved in many prestigious new build and refurbishment projects for public and private sector clients and has advised on access to a wide variety of historic buildings. Ann is a member of the London Legacy Development Corporation Quality Review panel, the South East Regional Design Panel and is an Urban Design London design surgeon. Keith Bright an independent registered access consultant, Director of Keith Bright Consultants Ltd and Emeritus Professor of Inclusive Environments at the University of Reading. He is a member of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee for England (BRAC), with a special interest inclusive design issues, and is a Design Advocate for the Design Commission for Wales. Keith is a Consultant member of the National Register of Access Consultants (NRAC) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Inclusive Environment Consultants Scheme (IEC). He served as Chairman of the NRAC Management Board until March 2012. Keith is a member of the Civic Trust Awards (CTA) National Judging Panel and Chairman of the judging panel for the joint Centre for Accessible Environments CAE/CTA Selwyn Goldsmith Award for Universal Design. He is also a member of several British Standard committees developing good practice guidance for the provision of inclusive environments. His international roles include working as an advisor to the Building Construction Authority in Singapore and inclusive design training and development for leading organisations in Asia and Europe. Keith has published widely in academic and practice journals and is the author and editor of several highly regarded reference books related to the development of inclusive environments. He is a regular speaker at national and international conferences on topics related to disability and equality legislation and the provision and management of inclusive, accessible environments.