CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Targeting LEED Gold certifi cation, the 121,000-square-foot multistory Integrated Education Building at GateWay Community College in Phoenix houses classrooms, life/ physical science labs, library and computer commons, and one- stop student services center; The lobby bar at the Renais- sance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club was expanded to improve beverage service in the lobby as well as the veranda. The newly up-lit ceiling timbers emphasize the linear quality of the space, which is broken into several generously furnished gathering areas, all of which are handi- capped-accessible; LEO A DALY designed the presidential suites at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club to be generously proportioned, encompassing about four bays each. These rooms, which meet ADA require- ments, have a desk for the busi- ness traveler, but incorporates social space as well.
BUILDING ANALYSIS The fi rst step in an ADA retrofi t project is an analysis of the building, to see where it’s non-compliant. Daniel Mason, LEED AP, architect with Mark Horton Architecture, San Francisco, says the biggest thing to keep in mind is equivalent access. “You need to make sure that as you retrofi t a building, whatever program you are providing in one area of a project is either accessible to a disabled person or that equiva- lent program is provided in an accessible location.” ADA retrofi ts are specifi c to the building in
question, and the programmatic alterations that are being done, notes Buchanan. “Although construc- tion typology could play a role in the renovations, it is the combination of all factors that really defi ne ADA renovations. Older buildings and/or buildings that have been through many rounds of adhock renovations, tend to be the most challenging renova- tions to meet ADA.” ADA compliance consultants, such as Phil
Kaplan of Palm Springs, Calif.-based Access Beyond Measure and Dave Goldfarb of ADA Compliance Specialists Inc. in Miami Beach, Fla., can be brought
in to look at existing buildings and recommend solutions on how to become ADA compliant. Kaplan works with architects, developers, contractors and more, while Goldfarb works primarily with property owners and ADA attorneys on compliance issues, noting that his primary role is to do ADA barrier removal inspections. ADA consultants analyze exist- ing structures and properties for ADA compliance, taking extensive photographs and notes before pro- viding detailed reports that discuss defi cient areas while referencing current codes. When surveying properties, Kaplan uses a
checklist and divides the survey into exterior site elements and interior elements. “I look at every- thing from parking, path of travel, protruding ob- jects, restrooms, water fountains, stairs, handrails, signage, elevators, tables and seating, and on and on,” he says. “It is a comprehensive list of items to apply for accessibility.”
ACCESS PROBLEMS The general rule of thumb with existing building retrofi ts is to start with the public accessible path of