Building Laws

Instructor: Pedro M. Santos Jr.

Module 04
Topic BP 344 (The Accessibility Law)
Lecture Video lecture by instructor
Quiz 15 items + Answer key
Student’s Read the IRR of BP 344 in its entirety, especially Annex A
Assignment No. 4 (Definition of Terms) and Appendix A (Minimum
(For self-study) Requirements).

LECTURE – BP 344
Outside and Around Buildings
-about accessibility features outside buildings and especially friendly to PWD’s
Dropped curbs
- Changes in level walkways should be by a dropped curb.
- Drop curbs should be provided at pedestrian crossings and at the end of
walkways.
- Drop curbs at crossings must have a width equal to the width of crossing but it
should never be less than 900 millimetres wide.
- Drop curbs shall be ramped towards adjoining curbs with a gradient not
steeper than 1:12

- Dropped curbs shall be sloped towards the road with a maximum cross
gradient of 1:20 to prevent water from collecting at the walkway
 - The lowest point of a drop curb should not be more than 25 millimetres above
the road or gutter.

Curb cut-outs
- A curb cut out is only allowed when it will not obstruct a walkway or make
the walkway narrower than required.
- Minimum width of curb cut out: 900 millimetres.
- Maximum slope of curb cut out: 1:12

Walkways
- Walkway should be as level as possible and finished with a slip-resistant
material
- Minimum width 1200 millimetre
- Maximum longitudinal gradient 1:20
- Maximum cross gredient 1:100
- Avoid locating gratings within walkways
 o If located within walkways creating openings should not be larger than
13X13 millimeters
o Gratings shall not project more than 6.5 millimetres above the
walkway. (Bawal mag lubog or project more than 6.5 mm)
- For long walkways provide turning spaces or rest stops.
o minimum clearances for turning space is 1500 MM X 1500 MM.
o Maximum gap between turning spaces is 12 metres

- For blind people, walkways should follow striaghtforward routes with right
angle turns.
- Minimum walkway headroom is 2 metres no obstructions like plants trees
columns and bollards and more shall reduce these clearances to less than
required. (veritcal clearance)
Handrails
- Hand rails should be installed on both sides of
ramps and stairs and at the outer edges of drop
curbs
- Handrails shall have a height of .9m and .7m above
steps or ramps
- If protection for heights like balconies, handrail
mounting height may be increased to 1.0. to 1.06m
- Handrails must extend beyond the start and end of
the ramps by 300mm
- Handrail width: 30-50mm
- 50mm Handrail clearance from wall if
horizontally mounted
- 40mm Handrail clearance from wall if
vertically mounted
 Open
Spaces
- Open spaces is disorienting for the blind
- Walkways must be given defined edges thru texture like grass verges, planters
with dwarf walls or any texture that can define the path
- Tactile strips on the flooring for the blind
Signages
- Readable
- Simple and easy to understand, Use contrasting colors and contrasting gray
values

- Signs on walls and doors if you mount them is 1.60m max height and 1.40m
minimum height.
- Symbols, letters or numbers on signages should be raised by at least 1 mm.
- Braille (Tactile writing system for the blind) symbols should be included
Crossings
- Perpindicular to the carriagway as much as possible. 90 deg.
- Located at the narrowest, most convenient part of the carriageway
- Central refuge area at least 1.5m deep but prefereably 2.00m provided as a
midcrossing shelter if the width of the road to be crossed exceeds 10.00m.
- Pedestrian Desire line – a place where people conveniently cross the road
- Locate crossings close to or exactly along the pedestrian desire line
- Provide tactile blocks to communicate to the blind through texture.
o Should be sufficiently high to be felt through the cole of the shoe but
not too high to cause pedestrians to trip or affect mobility of
wheelchairs.
 - Brushed or groove concrete are not an acceptable substitute.
- Light controlled crossing with synchronized aidible signals for the blind.
- Crossing period is assume the walking speed of .9m/sec. Absolute minimum
of 6 seconds.
Parking
- Wider parking spaces to allow trasfer from vehicle to wheelchairs. Minimum
width is 3.7m (2.5m normal parking)
- Located close as possible to the accesible entrance.
- Perpendicular or at an angle to the driveway.
- 1.2 min walkway between front ends of parked cars.

Entrances
- Entrances should be accessible from arrival and departure points.
- In case of changes in elevations, a ramp must be provided, except when
served by an elevator or any other mechanical device
o Minimum clear width is 1.20m and maximum gradient or slope is 1:12
- Entrances with vestibules must have a level area at least 1.5m wide x 1.8m
deep.
o Vestibule – a space before the entrance door; an anteroom or foyer
leading into a larger space.
Ramps
 - Maximum ramp length is 6.00 m if the gradient is 1:12. If the ramp needs to
be longer, provide a 1.50m-deep landing before the next run of the ramp.
- A level area at least 1.80m-deep should be provided at the top and at the

bottom of any ramp.

Doors
- Minimum clear width is 800mm
 - Swing out doors for storage rooms, closets
and accessible toilet stalls.
- Door hardwares should not require wrist
action or fine finger manipulation. (Latching
or non-latching doorknob)
- Door hardware mounting height 0.82m to
1.06 m from FFL but 0.9m is preferred.
- Vertical pull handles na door is centered at
1.06m above FFL, and are preferred to
horizontl pull bars.
- If the door is located along a major circulation
route (busy area) it should be provided with kick plates at height 0.3m to 0.4m
Thresholds
- Part of the floor underneath the door.
- If necessary has a max height of 25mm and preferably a ramp.
Switchs
- Mounting height of 1.20m to 1.30m from ffl
- Should not be farther than 200mm from latch side of door
- Should be on the doorknob side.
Corridors
- Minimum width of 1.20m
- Turning space with a minimum area of 1.50 x 1.50m spaced at a maximum of
12.00m
- Turning spaces should be provided on dead ends or withing 3.5m max from
the dead end.
Washrooms and Toilets
- PWD stall minimum dimensions is 1.70m x
1.80m
-
- Minimum number of PWD toilet stall (per
gender)
o 1 if the number of water closets in the
floor is 20 or less
 o 2 if the number of water closets in the floor is more than 20
- 900mm x 900mm min grab bar.
- 800mm minimum swing out door.
- Turning space outside the stall is 1.50m x 1.50m.
Signage Details
- For men’s toilets. Equilateral triangle pointing
upwards. 300mm per side.
- For women’s toilets. Circular, 300 mm diameter

Water Closet
- Max Height of water closet seat is 0.45m
- Max height of flush is 1.20 m
Grab bar
- 0.8m mounting height of grab bar
Lavatory
- Max height of lavatory is 0.8
- Provide a knee recess space
underneath 0.6-0.7m high and at
least 0.50m deep
Urinals
- Should have an elongated lip. The
maximum height of the lip should be
0.48m
- Grab bar should be 600mm tall
mounted 600mm from the floor.
Stairs
- Tread must be slip resistant
- Slanted nosings are preferred to projecting nosings or open stringer
- Try to make the nosing a different grey value
- Tactile strip 0.3m wide shall be installed before hazardous area such as
sudded changes in floor levels and at the top and bottom of stairs.
Elevators
 - Accessible elevators should be
loacted not more than 30m from
the entrance.
- Minimum dimensions 1.1m x
1.4m inside clear dimensions of
the elvetor car.
- Topmost height of the buttons
from the floor is 0.9m to 1.2m
- Button sizes should be minimum
20mm in diameter. And should
have a maximum depression depth
of 1mm
Safety
- All excavations weather on the road or footway must be adequately protected.
- Fence all around the excavation. With a height of at least 1.00m. And a
tapping rail with a height of 0.35m from the surface.

- If there is an excavation hole and If the footway is less than 1.20m. then the
footway should be completey covered if width between excavation and edge
of walkway is less than 1.2m
- Sigs should not reduce the
available walkway width to
less than 1.20m
- Evacuation plan should be
embossed for the blind.