{"id":23890,"date":"2016-05-04T10:32:51","date_gmt":"2016-05-04T10:32:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=23890"},"modified":"2016-09-12T13:45:26","modified_gmt":"2016-09-12T13:45:26","slug":"accessible-environments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/","title":{"rendered":"Accessible environments – Right first time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Right first time will keep costs down in accessible environments<\/h2>\n

We see enough examples every day to tell us that where there are steps it may also be helpful to have a ramp and where there are toilets then nearby there should be one that is accessible. But what does all that mean?<\/p>\n

The same thought processes that recognise those needs should also flag up that it\u2019s not enough to have just any old ramp. And a loo doesn\u2019t become accessible just because you widen the door and stick a picture of a wheelchair on it.<\/p>\n

To borrow a phrase from the politicians, the devil is in the detail, and a lot of people merely scratch the surface.<\/p>\n

By getting it wrong when designing to accommodate access for disabled people you may face the costs of fixing any errors, loss of business and customer compensation, and it underlines the importance of getting the design right at the outset.<\/p>\n

A new construction project or major renovation can involve an army of experts, each of them specialists in their respective disciplines but not necessarily able to anticipate the accessibility impact of their individual contributions on the wider project.<\/p>\n

The general principle of a ten-fold increase in the cost of an error for each stage of the process is particularly applicable to building design.<\/p>\n

For every \u00a31 spent remedying a problem at the concept and preparation phase you can expect to spend \u00a310 if the problem is not resolved by the time you get to scoping a project, and \u00a3100 at the planning and pre-construction stage.<\/p>\n

Add another zero if the problem is still there at the point of application and construction, and be prepared for that initial \u00a31 to climb to \u00a310,000 if you have to make alterations once the property is occupied and in use.<\/p>\n

By having an access consultant on the team you can ensure you get things right first time, avoiding the delays and cost that result from having to revise the work of one specialist and then make sure it fits with the plans of all the others.<\/p>\n

The savings in time and money are such that typically the investment will pay for itself, and that\u2019s before you consider the possible costs of a discrimination claim and the loss of business when a disabled person and the other members of their party decide to shop, eat or stay elsewhere.<\/p>\n

Case studies<\/i><\/h3>\n

Not long ago a client of ours contacted us as they were in charge of a project to install a new ramp to an existing emergency exit which was to become an entrance for a member of staff who uses a wheelchair. <\/i><\/p>\n

The property owner asked the surveyors if they had arranged for the design to be checked by a member of the National Register of Access Consultants. They were concerned because an architect elsewhere on the site had designed a ramp that didn\u2019t work.<\/i><\/p>\n

They\u2019d had to arrange for the ramp to be removed, re-designed and rebuilt. This was all at the architect\u2019s expense, but the site owner was keen to avoid a repeat of the situation and the all-round inconvenience.<\/i><\/p>\n

We reviewed the design and made recommendations for change and we also pointed out areas that had not even been considered. It was clear that, without our input, the same failings would have happened again. <\/i><\/p>\n

There were no contrasting landings to help visually impaired people identify the top, bottom and intermediate levels of the ramp. Similarly the colour contrasting nosings to the steps were only to be found on the stair tread and not on the riser. The handrails didn\u2019t extend beyond the top and bottom of the accompanying steps, creating potential difficulties for people who need to steady themselves. Finally the clear effective width of the door had not even been considered, and might not have been accessibly by wheelchair anyway.<\/i><\/p>\n

Even the smallest and most straightforward of facilities aimed at improving accessibility can so easily be built but yet found lacking. Our fee for the work was negligible in the scheme of things, but the cost of the finished project could have been reduced if our involvement had begun earlier, saving other people\u2019s time, effort and trouble.<\/i><\/p>\n

Accessibility of the loos was the main reason for an improvement programme at a small church. We were called in and gave design guidance about how to set up an accessible WC and how to lay out the room that they proposed to use. It was an existing WC that exceeded the minimum size required, which was very good. They brought in some builders who did all the work and we then went back to look at it.<\/em><\/p>\n

In terms of accessibility it was a disaster. The builders had not stuck to the plan but had laid out the room for their own convenience. With an accessible WC you should be able to reach the wash basin, soap dispenser and paper towels while seated. You couldn\u2019t do any of those things, and it was also very difficult for someone to make a side transfer from a wheelchair to sit on the pan.<\/em><\/p>\n

With our further guidance they were able to make the changes and ensure the layout of the room was accessible. But because it had been presented to us as a completed job the modifications that were required were substantial and expensive.<\/em><\/p>\n

If you want to know more, or you have a question or concern, please contact us at info@aboutaccess.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

Clients can access the NRAC either through its web site www.nrac.org.uk or by contacting the NRAC directly on 020 7822 8282 or by email\u00a0info@nrac.org.uk<\/a><\/p>\n

\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Right first time will keep costs down in accessible environments We see enough examples every day to tell us that where there are steps it may also be helpful to have a ramp and where there are toilets then nearby there should be one that is accessible. But what does all that mean? The same […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[306,304],"tags":[429,172716,172717,395],"stakeholder_rel_tag":[172362],"contributor_rel_tag":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23890","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-building-control-news","7":"category-planning-construction-news","8":"tag-building-control","9":"tag-building-control-insight","10":"tag-planning-construction-insight","11":"tag-sh-about-access","12":"stakeholder_rel_tag-about-access"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAccessible environments<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"About Access discuss how accessible environments should be implemented right first time.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Accessible environments - Right first time\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"About Access discuss how accessible environments should be implemented right first time.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Planning, Building & Construction Today\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBCToday\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-05-04T10:32:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-09-12T13:45:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/About-access-special-report.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"171\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"70\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Nick Wilde\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@PBC_Today\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@PBC_Today\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Nick Wilde\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/5913a95b7386193820910bf11498d715\"},\"headline\":\"Accessible environments – Right first time\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-05-04T10:32:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-12T13:45:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/\"},\"wordCount\":956,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Building Control\",\"Building Control Insight\",\"Planning & Construction Insight\",\"SH About Access\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Building Control News\",\"Planning & Construction News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2016\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/\",\"name\":\"Accessible environments\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-05-04T10:32:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-09-12T13:45:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"About Access discuss how accessible environments should be implemented right first time.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Accessible environments – Right first time\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Planning, Building & Construction Today\",\"description\":\"The Latest Planning, Building & Construction News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Planning, Building & Construction Today\",\"alternateName\":\"PBC Today\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pbctoday-logo-yoast-seo-organisation-1920-1080-001.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pbctoday-logo-yoast-seo-organisation-1920-1080-001.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080,\"caption\":\"Planning, Building & Construction Today\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBCToday\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/PBC_Today\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/5913a95b7386193820910bf11498d715\",\"name\":\"Nick Wilde\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/08769a7f0e8117061c99052ab1753daf3d222e7741c073d814b6838e02c625e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/08769a7f0e8117061c99052ab1753daf3d222e7741c073d814b6838e02c625e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Nick Wilde\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/author\/nick-wilde\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Accessible environments","description":"About Access discuss how accessible environments should be implemented right first time.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Accessible environments - Right first time","og_description":"About Access discuss how accessible environments should be implemented right first time.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/","og_site_name":"Planning, Building & Construction Today","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBCToday\/","article_published_time":"2016-05-04T10:32:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-09-12T13:45:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":171,"height":70,"url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/About-access-special-report.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Nick Wilde","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@PBC_Today","twitter_site":"@PBC_Today","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/"},"author":{"name":"Nick Wilde","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/5913a95b7386193820910bf11498d715"},"headline":"Accessible environments – Right first time","datePublished":"2016-05-04T10:32:51+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-12T13:45:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/"},"wordCount":956,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization"},"keywords":["Building Control","Building Control Insight","Planning & Construction Insight","SH About Access"],"articleSection":["Building Control News","Planning & Construction News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2016","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/","name":"Accessible environments","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#website"},"datePublished":"2016-05-04T10:32:51+00:00","dateModified":"2016-09-12T13:45:26+00:00","description":"About Access discuss how accessible environments should be implemented right first time.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/planning-construction-news\/accessible-environments\/23890\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Accessible environments – Right first time"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/","name":"Planning, Building & Construction Today","description":"The Latest Planning, Building & Construction News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#organization","name":"Planning, Building & Construction Today","alternateName":"PBC Today","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pbctoday-logo-yoast-seo-organisation-1920-1080-001.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/pbctoday-logo-yoast-seo-organisation-1920-1080-001.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080,"caption":"Planning, Building & Construction Today"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PBCToday\/","https:\/\/x.com\/PBC_Today"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/5913a95b7386193820910bf11498d715","name":"Nick Wilde","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/08769a7f0e8117061c99052ab1753daf3d222e7741c073d814b6838e02c625e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/08769a7f0e8117061c99052ab1753daf3d222e7741c073d814b6838e02c625e4?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Nick Wilde"},"url":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/author\/nick-wilde\/"}]}},"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-10-03 19:09:13","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23890","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23890"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23890\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23890"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23890"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23890"},{"taxonomy":"stakeholder_rel_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stakeholder_rel_tag?post=23890"},{"taxonomy":"contributor_rel_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor_rel_tag?post=23890"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}