A building's facilities include any additional features that are needed to allow people to use a particular building's services, such as WCs, eating areas and bedrooms. Once again, all of these areas should allow independence of access and use.

Part M covers what should be considered in terms of the provision of:

• restaurants and bars
• hotel bedrooms
• changing facilities
• aids to communication
• sanitary facilities (including toilets)
• audience or spectator seating (for theatres, cinemas, sports stadia)

Sanitary facilities

Suitable sanitary facilities – including toilets – should be provided for all building users. All of the following should be considered:

• general provision of WCs
• facilities for ambulant disabled people
• accessible WCs designed for independent use
• accessible WCs designed for assisted use – this may include basic hoist provision, or (in larger buildings) Changing Places facilities

Detailed advice on toilet provision can be found in the Good Loo Design Guide by the Centre for Accessible Environments, which takes an inclusive approach to the provision of WCs to suit a wide range of users.

Accessible toilets

Accessible toilet facilities should be provided in all public buildings. Separate unisex facilities are preferred to permit the assistance by a helper of the opposite sex.

Key points regarding the design of accessible toilets include:

• large enough to allow wheelchair access and circulation
• an outward-opening door
• all fittings – from toilet paper dispensers to light switches – should be at the correct height and position to enable wheelchair users to reach them with ease. Note that some of these features need to be reachable from the WC
• fitted with an emergency alarm that is easily reached, capable of being reset from inside the WC, and will alert someone else in the building as soon as it is activated
• the alarm should also feature visual and audible reassurance within the WC that it has been activated
• good visual contrast between floor and wall, and between all fixtures and fittings (grabrails, lightswitch, and so on) and their background

Note that this list is not comprehensive – more detail on the design and features available can be found in Approved Document M and in the Good Loo Design Guide.

The diagram below indicates the recommended layout for an accessible corner WC.

Unisex accessible corner WC
© Centre for Accessible Environments

Toilets for ambulant disabled people

Sanitary provision should also take into account the needs of ambulant disabled people. Within separate-sex accommodation, at least one cubicle per range of WC compartments should be provided. Cubicles tend to be slightly larger than standard ones, and doors should open outwards wherever possible.The facilties contain grabrails to enable somebody with reduced mobility to use the WC independently.

The diagram below indicates the recommended design of a WC for an ambulant disabled person.

Other facilities

The types of facilities found in a building will vary considerably, depending on what kinds of services the building offers. It is important to consider any areas to which the public have access, as there may be implications for accessibility everywhere. Additional facilities may include:

• showering/bathing facilities
  
• changing rooms
• cloakrooms
• meeting rooms
• hotel bedrooms
• refreshment areas
• retail areas

Some of these are dealt with in Part M, but certain details of the design will go beyond the basic requirements of Part M and will require ‘good practice’ principles to apply.

The British Standard Institution’s publication BS 8300:2009 Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people is one of the key documents for best practice guidance on the design of buildings. It sets out good practice principles that often go beyond the basic guidance within Approved Document M.

BS 8300 is expensive to purchase, but may be viewed at most public library reference departments. Your local authority's Planning or Building Control departments may also have a copy for reference. Alternatively, there is a range of other best practice guidance available, much of it based on the provisions within BS 8300. Visit the Guidance section for more details.