Entrances should be placed in a logical relationship to the routes that serve them.

Priority should be given to access through a main entrance for everyone. Disabled people should not have to use a different entrance from other people, unless absolutely no way can be found or constructed that will allow everyone to share the same entrance. Making disabled people use an alternative entrance segregates and discriminates. It can also be inconvenient, particularly when disabled people are separated from the rest of the group, or when the accessible entrance is normally kept locked.

The key principles of an accessible entrance are:

• level access, with enough space outside doors for wheelchair users to manoeuvre clear of the door swing
• good signage clearly indicating the entrance
• visible entrances with shelter provision
• independent access

Key advice for access groups: revolving doors of any size are not considered to be accessible, so make this very clear if you see any proposed for new buildings. As well as being impractical for wheelchair users, a range of other people may not have the confidence to negotiate them. If they already exist in a building, they must be supplemented by a fully operational swing door.

Door design

Design details that need to be considered carefully are:

• effective clear width of door
• opening force of door
• visual contrast of door area
• design of door handles
• design of communication systems for security doors

The minimum effective clear width of external doors should be:

• 1000mm in new buildings
• 775mm in existing buildings (although 1000mm is preferred)

The ‘effective clear width’ refers to the door width that is available when door frames and any projecting ironmongery is taken into account, so beware – it is not simple a measurement of the doorframe. The measurement is illustrated in the following diagram.

Effective clear width of doors
© Centre for Accessible Environments

The opening force of a manually operated door should be as low as possible. Approved Document M states that this should not exceed 20 Newtons.

Automatic sliding doors tend to be the easiest type for most people to negotiate, as there is no door swing, and no manual opening force needed. These doors should preferably be activated by a motion-sensor, although a large push-pad could be used when a motion-sensor would not be appropriate. This should be placed between 750 and 1000mm above floor level, and set back 1400mm from the leading edge of the door.

All doors should be made immediately apparent through the use of good visual contrast. Fully glazed doors must have adequate manifestations (markings) on the glass.

Door handles

Handles should be at the right height and easy to use, even by someone with limited manual dexterity. The following diagrams show the recommended design of a standard D-handle, and of a level-action handle that operates a latch.

Height and design of door handles
© Centre for Accessible Environments