Building for Disabled People. Houses and Apartments

Accessibility: In the rented residential sector, access via corridors is the most common layout. This enables large numbers of angles and corners to be avoided; a straight main corridor is preferable. The entrance area should be of an appropriate size, with shelves and coat hooks planned in. The minimum area of entrance halls is 1.50 x 1.50m, and 1.70 x 1.60 m for a porch with a single-leaf door. (It should be noted, however, that minimum recommended dimensions are often not very generous and in practice can prove to be too small.) For blind residents it is important to have an intercom system at the apartment door and the building's main entrance.

Living area: Living rooms should allow adequate free movement for wheelchair users and have sufficient space for two or three more visitors' wheelchairs. For blind people, additional space should be provided for their literature and tape equipment: Braille books and newspapers are roughly three times bulkier than their printed equivalents. Single disabled people need more space than those in shared households. In apartments, recommended minimum areas for living rooms with a dining area are: 22 m² for one person; 24 m² for two to four people; 26 m² for five; and 28 m² for six. The minimum room width is 3.75 m for a one- or two-person home — (5).

If an additional study area is to be incorporated, the floor area must be increased by at least 2 m².

Kitchen: Ergonomic planning is of great importance in the kitchen to allow disabled people to utilise their capabilities to the full. The arrangement of the storage, preparation, cooking and washing areas should be convenient and streamlined. The cooker, main worksurface and taps should be placed as close together as possible. Storage spaces must be accessible to wheelchair users (i.e. no high cupboards). The reach of the arm is roughly 600 mm horizontally and between 400 and 1400mm vertically. The optimal working height must be adapted to suit each disabled person, within the range 750-900 mm, so it is desirable to have a simple adjustment mechanism.

Single-family houses: The single-storey family house with garden is often the preferred form of residence for disabled people. Their requirements can be satisfied easily in this type of accommodation: i.e. no steps at the entrance and no difference in level between the individual rooms and the garden; rooms can be connected without doors and custom designed to best suit the residents. However, two-storey family houses can also be suitable, even for wheelchair users, if a suitable means of moving between floors (vertical elevator or stair lift) is incorporated.

Multi-apartment dwellings: The grouping of apartments in multiple occupancy dwellings is a housing solution that offers disabled people an environment which is both sociable and supportive. In economic terms, it is rarely possible to convert ordinary apartments into adequate homes for the severely disabled, so they need to be included at the preliminary planning stage. It is once again preferable to situate apartments for disabled people at ground-floor level to avoid the necessity of installing Iifts/elevators.