Access Strategy
Improving access in historic buildings demands careful planning. Develop an access strategy to determine the options available and establish which is most suitable. The objective is to enable all users to access the building and services in the same way and independently.

The access solution(s) should reflect this, while preserving the buildings original features. There are three main steps to creating an effective access strategy.

Conservation Assessment
Alterations will be sensitive to what makes a historic building special.

Distinctive physical features, layout, style, materials and method of construction used, or association with particular personalities and events, can all help determine the historic value.

Significance may also lie in the hidden archaeological remains that survive below ground.

It is critical to define and understand this significance, to establish what to protect from change. Damage to original materials and fabrics should be minimised and alterations made reversible. Identify less important elements, as altering these may not be detrimental to the significance of the building. Compile a conservation assessment from this information.

Access Audit
The next stage is to evaluate the building’s accessibility, by means of an assessment or building survey.

This should identify all barriers and issues to be resolved. Do not prepare proposals to improve access until the audit has taken place. The audit should follow the total path of travel by all visitors, from arrival, to entry into the building and access to each of the services it provides, to departure from the building.

The audit should take into account transportation methods, parking access, circulation within and around the site, adequacy of toilets and other facilities and access to other levels. It should also consider physical factors, such as gradients, weights of doors and surface textures. Someone experienced in assessing access should carry out the audit. Many access equipment suppliers offer professional advice and assistance as part of the service.

Access Plan
An access plan is the final part of the access strategy. This reconciles the needs of access against conservation, and identifies possible solutions.

Each historic building is unique, so standardised access solutions are not usually appropriate. The access solution should depend on the purpose of the building and its anticipated users.

For example, an office may be used chiefly for administration, while a church or museum must be accessible to staff and visitors.

Access Tips
A person’s journey to, around and from a historic building can be fraught with obstacles. Each accessible area requires separate consideration to ensure compliance with DDA regulations and the preservation of British history.

Internal Access
Carefully consider which areas need to be accessible to visitors.

Use management techniques to preserve historical fabric and make access simpler, such as leaving doors open or even removing them to allow easy wheelchair access. Wheelchairs normally need a width of 800mm to pass. If a doorway is too narrow, widen it by fitting offset hinges or joining two leaves together.

Closed doors should be light and easy to open. If they are heavy, it may necessitate automatic opening and closing mechanisms. Operation can be by touch pads, light beams or pressure sensitive mats. Ensure there is enough room for a wheelchair to manoeuvre through the door and place handles, doorknockers and bells at an appropriate height (less than 1,100mm).

Use handles that are easily turned.

If the original handles are historically significant, retain them but supplement them with others. Remove obstacles and trip hazards such as mats.

Often, there may be more than one entrance into a room, with one accessible and the other not. Consider guiding people through the accessible door, rather than trying to overcome the problem of the narrower one. Widening doors is possible, but it may risk the historical significance and structural stability of the building. Only consider this if the door is not part of the original structure. Threshold steps can be dangerous to wheelchair users and the visually impaired, so remove them or overcome them by adjusting floor levels.

Accessing Different Levels
In many circumstances, lifting devices may be preferable. If stairs remain as part of the access solution, incorporate handrails on both sides to cater for people with a right or left sided disability.

Nosings on stairs are dangerous to the less able and the visually impaired.

Define them clearly with bright colours so they are easily visible.

In many historical buildings, platform lifts have proved the most effective means of improving disabled access.

There are various factors to consider when purchasing a platform lift. Vertical travel distance is important. There are different models available for short journeys (around 900mm) and long journeys (usually anything over 1.5m).

Consider space dimensions to ensure the lift fits in the allocated space.

MovemanSKG offers standard models and will tailor-build to specific requirements.

The nature of the application is a key issue in lift selection. An office may opt for functionality over aesthetics, as how the lift looks may not be particularly important. However, historic buildings are often open to the public, so lifts must be visually pleasing. The type of application will determine the type of lift required, for instance an internal or external model.

Ramps may be utilised to improve access in an historic building. Where possible, ramps to entrances should respect the existing elevations and not leave them with a lop-sided appearance, use two to maintain symmetry if appropriate. Permanent ramps are preferred as they are more stable, but temporary ones are easily removable, preserving the building’s historic nature.

Short ramps should not exceed a gradient of 1:12. Longer ones of more than two metres should not exceed a gradient of 1:15 and should incorporate at least one handrail for extra safety.

Always provide steps as well, as they are sometimes easier for ambulant disabled people and the visually impaired.

Consider curved ramps if obtrusion is a problem, as they can appear more natural. Take advantage of existing features and slopes to help them blend in. Finish ramps and steps with materials suitable to the existing building.

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