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 2010Building 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 designunderstand your legal obligations and the guidance availablecommission access auditscreate and manage an access improvement programmemaintain accessibility in buildings and working practicesunderstand access issues in the design of new buildings

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.

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