An Access Audit of the Bangladesh National Building Code

Abstract

The Bangladesh National Building Code was published in 1993 to safeguard life, limb, health, property, and public welfare. The provisions of the Code are applicable to all persons of Bangladesh. This study was undertaken to know what provisions are related to or have an impact on accessibility for people with disabilities.

The findings reveal that the general and specific requirements in the Code are not sufficient to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are met. Even though the Code mentions people with physical and mental disabilities, their needs for an accessible environment are not addressed adequately. Further, educational institutions, among other buildings, are explicitly excluded from the requirement for accessible toilet facilities and drinking fountains.

In 2001 the Bangladesh People with Disabilities Welfare Act was adopted. According to this act, measures should be undertaken to make public and private buildings, schools, and public toilets accessible to people with disabilities. To provide related professionals with design requirements for buildings that are accessible to all, proper accessibility guidelines need to be developed, adopted and followed by concerned authorities and actors.

Introduction

According to the United Nations no part of the built environment should be designed in a manner that excludes certain groups of people on basis of their disability. The Bangladesh People with Disabilities Welfare Act, adopted in 2001, states that measures must be undertaken to make public and private buildings, schools, and public toilets accessible to people with disabilities.

An accessible building is characterized by the possibilities of reaching all places, entering all places and making use of all facilities. Accessible buildings are relevant to everybody. However, in this paper the term "accessibility" is only used with respect to people with disabilities.

This study was undertaken in order to understand to what extent the needs of people with disabilities had been addressed in Bangladesh National Building Code (in the following referred to as "the Code"). The provisions in the Code were compared with requirements in common guidelines for accessibility.

Background of the Code

A substantial portion of national resource is invested in building construction, in both public and private sectors. In order to ensure optimum return of this investment and to achieve satisfactory performance of the building, the construction needs to be controlled and regulated. Legislative measure for such control has been taken in the Building Construction Act of 1952 and other acts, ordinances and regulations, and are supplemented by local and development authority rules. These instruments need updating, rationalization and unification. It was therefore felt that a comprehensive building code would serve the purpose of a uniform national standard. The work to develop the Code began in 1992 and was completed by the end of 1993.

Purpose of the Code

The purpose of the Code is to establish minimum standards for design, construction, quality of materials, use and occupancy, location and maintenance of buildings within Bangladesh in order to safeguard, within achievable limits, life, limb, health, property and public welfare.

In the Code it is stated that the provisions are applicable to all persons of Bangladesh.

Organization of the Code

The Code is organized into the following ten parts:

• Scope and Definitions
• Administration and Enforcement
• General Building Requirements, Control and Regulation
• Fire Protection
• Building Materials
• Structural Design
• Construction Practices and Safety
• Building Services
• Alteration, Addition and Change of Use of Existing Buildings
• Signs and Outdoor Display

Each part contains a number of chapters, which are divided into sections and subsections.

Part 1, 3, 4, 5, 8 and 10 are of specific interest when identifying the provisions in the Code to ensure accessibility for people with disabilities.

Findings in Part 1 of the Code

In part 1, Scope and Definitions, it was found that the provisions of the Code are applicable to all, which includes people with disabilities. Further, the purpose of the Code is to safeguard public welfare. Thus, the Code attempts to safeguard the welfare, i.e. health and happiness, of people with disabilities too.

Findings in Part 3 of the Code

In the part on general building requirements, control and regulation (part 3), a number of provisions are relevant to accessibility for people with disabilities. It was found that:

• The minimum width of walkways is too narrow for pedestrians or wheelchair users meeting another wheelchair user.
• The maximum slope of ramps at off street parking spaces are too steep for wheelchair users, which is a problem if an alternative provision to reach the parking space is not made.
• Properly utilized the required parking space allows for accessible car parking.
• The maximum riser height in staircases is too high.
• The minimum height of handrails in staircases is too high.
• The minimum clear passages between cabins leading to exits are too narrow for wheelchair users.
• Nothing is mentioned about the position of windows to allow wheelchair users' viewing through the window.
• The required minimum average intensity of illumination is too low for people with reduced vision.

In the classification of buildings, custodial institutions for people with mental and physical disabilities are recognized.

Findings in Part 4 of the Code

The part on fire protection (part 4) includes provisions that are relevant from an accessibility perspective.

• Ramps shall be used in exits and exit corridors if the elevation does not exceed 300 mm. This may cause inaccessibility in exit corridors with elevation differences above 300 mm if alternative provisions are not made.
• A maximum step down of 200 mm is permitted at exterior doors not required to be used by handicapped or aged people. From an inclusive perspective, there are no such doors.
• All exits shall be clearly visible and exit access corridors shall be marked and signposted.
• Exits shall be easily discernable and accessible from areas served by them.
• The minimum widths of corridors, passageways and ramps are too narrow for wheelchairs users.
• The maximum slope in exit access aisles is too steep.
• The minimum width of level or ramped aisles is too narrow.
• The minimum width of a doorway is acceptable.
• The means of exit and exit access in buildings requiring one exit should also be signposted, and not only the exits in buildings requiring more than one exit.
• Signs shall be clearly visible, and supplemented by directional signs where necessary.
• Doors shall be clearly marked for easy identification.
• Signs are required to be in high contrast.
• The required minimum sizes of signs are adequate, but a maximum stroke width is not given.
• Ramps are given as an example of exits in institutional buildings.
• The minimum clear widths of exits and corridors of custodial and penal and mental institutions are adequate.

Findings in Part 5 of the Code

Nothing is mentioned about avoiding materials causing allergic reactions in part 5 on building materials.

Findings in Part 8 of the Code

In part 8, building services, the following was found:

• The recommended values of illumination of work places and for buildings are too low for people with reduced vision.
• No recommended values of illumination are given for institutional buildings.
• Nothing is mentioned about the location of main switch and switchboards to ensure accessibility for others than firemen and other personnel.
• Lifts are only required in buildings of more than six stories or 20 m in height.
• No minimum dimensions of the required lifts are given.
• Lifts in buildings having more than ten storeys or a height of more than 32 m shall have at least one lift with stretcher facility. However, the lift does not have to serve all floors. The lift makes it possible for wheelchair users to enter the lift, but not to turn the wheelchair inside the lift.
• The nominal height of hall call buttons of lifts is appropriate.
• The minimum size of direction buttons is too small. Further, only raised buttons should be required.
• Besides the required visual indication to show registered lift calls, there should be an audible signal too.
• The proposed audible signal, to supplement the visual signal to indicate which lift is answering the call, should be a requirement.
• The minimum size of the visual sign indicating direction or position of the lift is adequate.
• The special sign indicating floor designation on the doorjambs are adequately specified. However, the relief should be a little more raised.
• In the chapter on water supply nothing is mentioned about accessibility.
• Residential, educational, storage and hazardous buildings are explicitly excluded from the requirement of having at least one water closet and one drinking fountain accessible to and usable by physically handicapped persons.
• In public buildings not accessible by people with physical disabilities, water and sanitation fixtures shall be located not more than one floor above or below the floor occupied by the people for whose use the fixtures are intended, unless elevator service is available. According to the disability act there are no such buildings as all public buildings should be accessible.
• The desired maximum path of travel to water and sanitation facilities is too long.
• The required plumbing fixtures for institutions for mentally and physically handicapped are far below the requirements for other occupancy types, e.g. educational facilities and institutions for care of children.
• The minimum dimensions of water closet compartments for wheelchair users are too small.
• The minimum dimensions of water closet stalls for people with ambulatory disabilities are very small (even smaller than the general requirements for toilets).

Findings in Part 10 of the Code

When it comes to signs and outdoor display (part 10), it can be noted that:

• No signs shall be erected that would confuse or obstruct the view or interfere with official signs, signals or devices installed for the purpose of guiding or controlling road, rail, marine or air traffic.
• It is the responsibility of the owner to en-sure safety and legality of the sign. This requires awareness about requirements for people with disabilities.
• All temporary signs shall be erected in such place so as not to obstruct any public way, footpath or entrance and exit of any building.

Discussion

Although the Code addresses certain aspects of accessibility relevant to people with disabilities, the findings reveal that the provisions are not sufficient.

The inclusive approach, indicated in the purpose of the Code, is commendable. However, the minimum requirements in the Code do not safeguard the public welfare as intended. If the requirements of the Code are followed, a large portion of people with disabilities will not be able to enjoy the health and happiness that follow on reaching, entering and using the builings and their facilities, not to mention the services provided in the buildings.

To facilitate the construction of accessible buildings, relevant actors need to know how the buildings should be designed. There will be an increasing demand for such knowledge as the section on accessibility in Bangladesh Persons with Disability Welfare Act is being enforced and progressively put into practice. To avoid a diverse range of accessibility solutions, it is important that a common accessibility standard is developed and followed. Consistency between different buildings is a crucial accessibility feature for many people with disabilities, e.g. people with visual impairments and cognitive disabilities.

This study was carried out under extreme time constraints. It is therefore possible that certain accessibility related provisions in the Code were not identified.

Conclusion

In 2001 the Bangladesh People with Disabilities Welfare Act was adopted. According to this act, measures should be undertaken to make public and private buildings, schools, and public toilets accessible to people with disabilities. The findings of this study reveal that the requirements of Bangladesh National Building Code are not sufficient to ensure that the needs of people with disabilities are met. To provide related professionals with uniform design requirements for buildings that are accessible to all, proper accessibility standards and guidelines need to be developed, adopted and followed by concerned authorities and actors.

Author

Johan Borg
Contact details in Sweden:
Propempo, Hvilan 17 C, SE-795 30 Rättvik
Tel: +46-248-515 51, +46-70-515 52 31
E-mail:   johan@propempo.se

Contact details in Bangladesh:
Bangladesh Centre for Assistive Technology
InterLife - Bangladesh
House 5A, Road 25A, Banani, Dhaka
Tel:   +880-2-881 32 40
E-mail:   ilb@citech-bd.com

References

• Bangladesh National Building Code , Housing and Building Research Institute, Dhaka, 1993.
• Bangladesh People with Disabilities Welfare Act , Government of Bangladesh, Dhaka, 2001.
• Borg J, Fundamentals of Accessibility , InterLife - Bangladesh, Dhaka, 1997. (In Bangla)
• Bygg ikapp handikapp , AB Svensk Byggtjänst and the Handicap Institute, Stockholm, 1989.

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