Bathing rooms: showers, tubs and transfer spaces

Chapter 6: Plumbing Elements and Facilities Bathing Rooms Additions [§202.2] Additions are required to comply with requirements in the Standards for new construction. Each bathing room of an addition must comply as would be required in new construction. Alterations [§202.3] When existing bathing rooms are altered, the Standards apply according to the planned scope of work. If one bathing room on a floor is altered, the Standards apply to that room only; if all bathing rooms on a floor are altered, the Standards apply to each bathing room that would be required to comply in new construction. The scope of work also determines which technical requirements apply. If some, but not all, elements in a bathing room are altered, only those elements altered must comply. If a room or space is completely altered (or built new as part of an alteration), the entire room or space must comply. Recommendation: While only those elements altered are required to comply, it is advisable to maximize opportunities for accessibility in alterations. Alteration of multiple elements in a room or space may provide a cost-effective opportunity to make the entire room or space fully accessible. Compliance in an alteration is not required where it is “technically infeasible.” The term is defined as “something that has little likelihood of being accomplished because existing structural conditions would require removing or altering a load-bearing member that is an essential part of the structural frame; or because other existing physical or site constraints prohibit modification or addition of elements, spaces, or features that are in full and strict compliance with the minimum requirements.” When it is technically infeasible to make existing men’s and women’s bathing rooms comply, an accessible unisex bathing room can be provided instead if it is in the same area and on the same floor as the existing bathing rooms (§213.2, Ex. 1). If technical infeasibility is encountered, compliance is still required to the maximum extent feasible. Where existing bathing rooms in an alteration do not comply, signs with the International Symbol of Accessibility (ISA) must be provided indicating the location of the nearest accessible bathing room. Those that comply must be labeled by the ISA (§216.8). Bathing Room Location The Standards do not generally require bathing rooms to be provided in a specific location. However, in multi-story facilities that are exempt from the requirement for vertical access between stories based on the story count or square footage per floor (§206.2.3, Ex. 1 or 2), if a bathing room is provided on an inaccessible story, a bathing room also must be provided on an accessible story so that it is connected to an accessible entrance by an accessible route (§213.1). Bathing rooms provided on other stories must fully comply as well. 2