Design considerations
4.17 Sleeping accommodation, where
provided for a significant number of
people, e.g. in hotels, motels and
student accommodation, should aim to
be convenient for all. People who use
wheelchairs are likely to require greater
provision of space and access to ensuite
sanitary accommodation. A
proportion of rooms will, therefore,
need to accommodate wheelchair
users. In student accommodation, it is
beneficial to have a wheelchairaccessible
toilet available for use by
disabled visitors.

4.18 Wheelchair users should be able
to reach all the facilities available
within the building. In general,
accessible bedrooms should be no less
advantageously situated than other
bedrooms. It would be beneficial if
entrance doors to wheelchairaccessible
bedrooms were poweredopening,
as this could avoid the need
for the 300mm access space adjacent
to the leading edge of the door.

4.19 Wheelchair-accessible bedrooms
should be sufficiently spacious to
enable a wheelchair user to transfer to
one side of a bed, with or without
assistance. Wheelchair users should be
able to manoeuvre around and use the
facilities in the room, and operate
switches and controls. They should

also be able to gain access to and
conveniently use sanitary
accommodation and, where provided,
balconies. En-suite sanitary facilities
are the preferred option for wheelchairaccessible
bedrooms. Unless there are
compelling reasons for not doing so,
there should be at least as many ensuite
shower rooms as en-suite
bathrooms, as mobility-impaired people
may find it easier to use a shower than
a bath. An en-suite shower room or
bathroom would benefit from having a
finger rinse basin adjacent to the WC,
as well as a wash basin or basin in a
vanitory unit.
4.20 It is also important to ensure that,
in all bedrooms, built-in wardrobes and
shelving are accessible and convenient
to use. It is an advantage if curtains
and blinds are provided with automatic,
or other remotely controlled opening
devices such as rods or pull cords.
4.21 Wheelchair users should also be
able to visit companions in other
bedrooms, for example when attending
conferences or when on holiday with
their families. In these instances,
bedrooms not designed for
independent use by a person in a
wheelchair need to have the outer door wide enough to be accessible to a wheelchair user.

*See Building Regulations Page 48 For More