Primary differences between the Technical Standards
On this page
- Walkways
- Building Entrances
- Vertical Movement
- Interior Doors and Corridors
- Washrooms
- Drinking Fountains
- Public Telephones/Tactile Signage
- Public Areas
Barrier-free Design Standard and Accessible Design for the Built Environment
The primary differences between the Barrier-free Design Standard (CAN/CSA-B651-M95), ("CSA 95") and the Accessible Design for the Built Environment (CAN/CSA-B651-04) technical standards are:
Walkways
Exterior Walkways
- Increase of minimum width of exterior walkways to 1500 mm (CSA 95: 1200 mm minimum)
Curb Ramps
- Requires curb ramps to have detectable hazard indicators (CSA 95: colour and texture contrasted only)
Stairs/Ramps
- Requirement for extension of handrails for the perimeter of stair landings (CSA 95: 300 mm extensions beyond top of stairs, 300 mm extensions plus one tread depth beyond base of stairs)
- Change of handrail heights from 860-920 mm (CSA 95: 800-920 mm)
- Requirement for ramp handrails to colour contrast with their surroundings (CSA 95: not identified)
- Colour contrast of horizontal face of stair nosings to be 50 ±10 mm deep (CSA 95: not specified)
- Ramps to have colour contrasted strips 50 ±10 mm deep at top, base and landings (CSA 95: not specified)
Building Entrances
Doorways for Building Entrances
- Clear width of doorways to be measured to edge of any panic hardware (CSA 95: measured face of stop to face of door)
- Bottom edge of glazing in doorways not to exceed 900 mm (CSA 95: not mandatory)
- Power door controls to be minimum 25 x 75 mm in size, between 800-1200 mm in height, located in the path of travel and clear of door swings. (CSA 95: not specified)
- Thumb latch door hardware specified as not acceptable (CSA 95: not specified)
- Specifies power doors are to remain open for a minimum of 5 seconds (CSA 95: not specified)
Secure Areas
- Requirements for Access Systems Card Access, Keypads and Security Gates (CSA 95: not specified)
Vertical Movement
Interior Circulation Stairs/Ramps
- Requirement for extension of handrails for the perimeter of stair landings (CSA 95: 300 mm extensions beyond top of stairs, 300 mm extensions plus one tread depth beyond base of stairs)
- Change of handrail heights from 860-920 mm (CSA 95: 800-920 mm)
- Requirement for ramp handrails to colour contrast with their surroundings (CSA 95: not identified)
- Colour contrast of horizontal face of stair nosings to be 50 ±10 mm deep (CSA 95: not specified)
- Ramps to have colour contrasted strips 50 ±10 mm deep at top, base and landings (CSA 95: not specified)
Elevators
- Minimum door/cab size dimension (CSA 95: 910 mm door: 1725 mm wide, 1295 mm deep and 1370 mm deep to face of door)
- Centered 1065Footnote * mm door:
- 2030 mm wide, 1295 mm deep and 1370 mm deep to face of door
- Side (off centered) 915Footnote * mm door:
- 1725 mm wide, 1295 mm deep and 1370 mm deep to face of door
- Any 915Footnote * mm door:
- 1370 mm wide, 2030 mm deep and 2030 mm deep to face of door
- Any 915Footnote * mm door:
- 1525 mm wide, 1525 mm deep and 1525 mm deep to face of door
Door reopening devices
- Permits contact to be made before door reopening device is activated (CSA 95: no contact permitted)
Door timing for hall or car call
- For hall calls, a minimum of 5 seconds is required between the time the door starts to open to the time it starts to close (CSA 95: 4 seconds)
Hall Call buttons
- Extends height range for hall call buttons to 890-1220 mm (CSA 95:1070 mm ±25 mm)
- Buttons or surrounding collar required to be raised a minimum of 1.5 mm (CSA 95: raised, flush or recessed)
- 'Up' hall call button to be above 'Down' button (CSA 95: not specified)
- Clear floorspace of 760 mm by 1220 mm required at call buttons (CSA 95: not specified)
- Objects below hall call buttons not to protrude more than 25 mm (CSA 95: not specified)
- Hall buttons to be a minimum of 19 mm in smallest direction (CSA 95: 20 mm)
Car Controls
- Clear floorspace of 760 mm by 1220 mm required at car controls (CSA 95: not specified)
- Height of car controls to be between 890-1220 mm where elevator serves less than 16 openings (CSA 95: 890-1370 mm). Elevators serving more than 16 openings remain at 890-1370 mm
- Buttons or surrounding collar required to be raised a minimum of 1.5 mm (CSA 95: raised flush or recessed)
- Buttons are to be arranged in either standard telephone style keypad or with numbers in ascending order. When 2 or more columns of buttons are provided, they are to read left to right (CSA 95: not specified)
- Buttons to be identified by tactile characters and Braille only except where arranged in a standard telephone keypad arrangement (CSA 95: tactile characters only)
- Raised star provided immediately left of the button for the main entry level (CSA 95: not required)
Car Position Indicators
- Requires both audible and visible car floor location indicators (CSA 95: visible only)
- Audible signals to sound once for the 'Up' direction or twice for the 'Down' direction or alternatively be verbal stating the word 'Up' or 'Down' (CSA 95: optional to include audible signal only as car passes or stops at a floor)
- Audible signal or verbal annunciator to be 10 db above ambient to a maximum of 80 db (CSA 95: audible signal of minimum of 20 db)
Hall or in-car signals
- Requires visible and audible signaling at each hoistway to indicate which car is answering a call and the direction of travel (CSA 95: car answering call only). In car signals that are visible from the floor area adjacent to the call buttons
- Audible signals to sound once for the 'Up' direction or twice for the 'Down' direction or alternatively be verbal stating the word 'Up' or 'Down' (CSA 95: optional to include audible signal only as car passes or stops at a floor)
- Audible signal or verbal annunciator to be 10 db above ambient to a maximum of 80 db (CSA 95: audible signal of minimum of 20 db)
Floor Designation Signage
- Floor designations to consist of raised characters and braille designations (CSA 95: braille not required)
- Raised designations a minimum of 0.8 mm high (CSA 95: 0.75 mm high)
- Mounting height is 1525 mm to the baseline of the character (CSA 95: centered at 1500 mm ±25 mm)
- Raised star provided immediately left of the floor designation at the main entry level (CSA 95: not required)
Emergency Communications
- If emergency communications device is in a closed compartment, the door hardware is to be operable with one hand, not require tight grasping pinching or twisting of the wrist and not require greater than 22 N to activate operable parts (CSA 95: not specified)
- Requires emergency signalling devices not only to be limited to voice communication. If instructions for use are provided, essential information is to be provided in both tactile and visual form
Limited Use Limited Access Elevators
- New allowance for LULA elevators
- Cab size minimum of 1060 mm width by 1370 mm depth with clear width door opening of 815 mm
Interior Doors and Corridors
Doorways
- Clear width of doorways to be measured to edge of any panic hardware (CSA 95: measured face of stop to face of door)
- Bottom edge of glazing in doorways not to exceed 900 mm (CSA 95: not mandatory)
- Power door controls to be minimum 25 x 75 mm in size, between 800-1200 mm in height, located in the path of travel and clear of door swings
- Thumb latch door hardware specified as not acceptable (CSA 95: not specified)
- Specifies power doors are to remain open for a minimum of 5 seconds (CSA 95: not specified)
Corridors
- Headroom clearance increased to 2030 mm minimum (CSA: 1980 mm minimum)
Washrooms
- Increase in size of toilet stalls to 1600 mm wide by 1500 mm deep (CSA 95: 1500 mm by 1500 mm)
- Requirement for a clear floor area of 1500 mm by 1500 mm outside of the doors for accessible stalls (CSA 95: 1200 mm by 1200 mm)
- Description of requirements for accessible urinals (CSA 95: urinals not included). Although only one urinal is required to be accessible to persons using wheelchairs, all urinals in washrooms would require raised vertical markers
- Lowering of maximum height of coat hooks in accessible stalls to 1200 mm (CSA 95:1400 mm maximum)
- Requirement for D-pulls outside of doors to be horizontally mounted (CSA 95: vertical)
- Soap dispensers to be no more than 1100 mm high (CSA 95: 1200 mm) and within 500 mm reach from the lavatory (CSA 95: not specified)
- Clarification of kneespace clearance under sinks at end walls to be centered on sink (eg. 920 mm width required where at end wall)
- Clarification that tilt mirrors are not recommended (CSA 95: not specified)
- Addition of 1000 mm long horizontal grab bar at entrance to roll-in showers (CSA 95: not required) and increase in length of the same bar at entrances to showers with a fold-down seat (CSA 95: 750 mm long). Increase in length of the grab bar on the rear wall of roll in showers to 1000 mm (CSA 95: 900 mm minimum)
Drinking Fountains
- Requires drinking fountains to colour contrast with their background
- Requires fountains to be cane, detectable recessed or otherwise located outside of circulation routes
- Requires user to be able to control the timing and water delivery height (eg. not electronically controlled)
Public Telephones/Tactile Signage
- Lowering of public telephones for use by persons in wheelchairs to 1200 mm (CSA 95: 1370 mm)
Public Areas
- Requirement for line up guides in cafeterias to
- have clear floor area of 1500 mm by 1500 mm at start, end and changes in direction
- be stable and not move easily
- be cane detectable at or below 680 mm
- colour contrast with surroundings
- Date modified: