< PreviousTECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C1 Horizontal escape © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT Doors Doors across escape routes hinder evacuation, may also let in/out heat, and should therefore be kept to the minimum number compatible with the satisfactory operation of the premises and any requirements for fire-resisting construction. Doors should be easy to open and free from fastenings so far as reasonably practicable. Any fastenings should open on hand or body pressure alone. Security concerns may necessitate alternative or additional mechanical means of locking the premises when unoccupied. Doors in general, and always if intended as part of means of escape, should be recognized, not mistaken as part of a wall. Doors or the architrave/frame (or both) should be obvious but need not be conspicuous. This is irrespective of any escape route signage deemed necessary. Recesses enable doors to be flush with the walls when open and thereby avoid bunching of patrons and assist wheelchair users. However it is important that all doors can be closed manually so suitable handles should be provided which enable easy closure of the doors. Automatic opening doors Automatic opening doors help to provide easier access for non-ambulant people and those using walking aids. There are concerns, however, that the reliability of automatic doors may not be assured; any failure could lead to a safety hazard in the event of an emergency. Generally automatic doors, whether outward opening (swing) or sliding, are best provided at the main entrance alongside non-automatic outward opening doors. In general and where space permits, automatic outward opening doors are preferable to sliding doors as they are easier to manipulate in the event of an emergency. Automatic closing doors Smoke and fire doors are required to be kept closed in a fire emergency. Where it is not practicable to maintain these doors locked shut, self-closing devices should be provided to prevent the doors being left open where there is otherwise a likelihood of the doors being left open. Self-closing devices are readily available. Many managers find it desirable to hold doors open, for example in order to speed entry and exit at the beginning and end of performances. It also enables easier movement for mobility-impaired people, especially wheelchair users. There is a real concern, however, that doors might be left open during, or after, an evacuation which would allow smoke or fire to travel into other areas. This problem is best resolved by designing the premises so that fire/ smoke check doors are not sited in busy areas. In most cases, however, the only practicable solution is to install mechanisms which will automatically close doors on detection of smoke or failure of power supply. Depending upon the type of mechanism fitted doors may swing-free or self-close at all times unless held open. Automatic door closure mechanisms are readily available. There are even some self-contained battery-operated devices which may be useful for premises which are only used occasionally where the expense of a major installation might be unjustified. Devices that hold open doors for a few seconds (“leaky vacuums”) may be helpful in storage areas but should not be used where the public may be present as doors fitted with these devices close without warning. Wedges or obstructions to hold doors open are not acceptable. Wedges cause damage to the hinges which in turn may prevent the door closing properly to make a smoke seal. Wedges have been known to become jammed under doors and have frequently caused people to trip. Locking doors Electrical locking systems require different facilities dependent upon the use of the premises. Systems generally need to fail safe in the open position with local means of disconnecting the power supply to the lock so that escape can be assured even if other circuitry fails to release the door. In some situations, however, a fault on the system or malicious action, which automatically released doors, could cause a problem, for example in a pop venue where fans might gain uncontrolled access. In such cases suitable back-up power supplies and cabling with a high degree of mechanical endurance should be provided. It may even be desirable for the doors to remain locked after initiation TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C1 Horizontal escape © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT of the fire alarm system in order that management can maintain control of the premises. Electrical locking systems should be individually selected to ensure that an appropriate system is provided. Auditorium doors Observation panels in doors to entertainment areas may cause operational difficulties if light, especially daylight, can spill into a darkened entertainment area. Careful siting of doors should avoid the problem; where this is not practicable the use of slightly darkened glass may reduce the light spill. The management solution of ensuring that doors are opened by attendants as necessary will allow the doors to be unglazed. Curtains across doors are not acceptable whether to avoid light spill or draughts, as they can cause obstructions. If auditorium doors are not fitted with automatic door closing mechanisms, simple self-closing devices should be installed where required. If necessary attendants should be stationed at each door to ensure the doors are opened or held open as wanted and to ensure that the doors are closed in the case of emergency. This could prove to be expensive and requires vigorous management to ensure that wedges or other obstructions are not substituted. It may be acceptable to fit upside down cabin hooks to hold doors open as a temporary measure provided staff are present near each set of doors to release the cabin hooks in emergency. See Section F6 for Recessed doorways with Recommendations F6.01 to F6.08 and Recommendations F6.09 to F6.15 for Exits and Entrances. C1.47 All doors across escape routes should open in the direction of escape. Note:If the room holds less than 60 people, consideration may be given to inward opening doors. C1.48It should not require two separate actions or the use of two hands to open a door across an escape route. Note:It may not be practicable to avoid two actions if an automatic door has failed; the smashing of a break- glass unit and then pushing open the door would be acceptable. C1.49The décor of the doors (and/or the architraves or frames) should so contrast with the adjacent walls that the doors are not likely to be mistaken as walls. This contrast need not apply to cupboard doors and ‘staff only’ doors which are not intended for use by the public. C1.50 Doors should be arranged so as to open to at least 90º and any door furniture or other fittings should not obstruct the full opening. C1.51 Single doors and at least one leaf of double doors should have a clear opening width of 800mm although 750mm is acceptable for existing premises. Single doors should have an unobstructed space on the side next to the leading edge of at least 300mm. See Figure J. C1.52All doors should be hung to open easily. Doors when open should not obstruct any gangway, passage, stair, landing or any other door. No door should require more than 20N force applied at the leading edge in order to open the door. Note: This provision is not necessary where powered or automatic doors are installed or where the door is normally only used in the direction of escape, for example as with many final exit doors. Where a self- closing device cannot operate within the above parameter or where the positioning of the door could cause a nuisance, the door should be held open by an automatic door closure device – see Recommendation E1.14. C1.53 Where it is not practicable to avoid a door opening onto an escape route, for instance with a door leading from a staff room, the door should be hung so as to be closed by the stream of people passing in the direction of escape. Any such door should be self-closing and be provided with a vision panel. Note: Where an outward opening door would prejudice the easy operation of the premises or the safety of staff, for example a door leading from a control room onto a public passageway, consideration should be given to relocating the door or hanging the door so that it opens inwards. With a limited number of staff not exceeding 10 persons a sliding door may be provided. C1.54 Sliding doors should not be provided as emergency exits for the public.TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C1 Horizontal escape © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT C1.56 Self-closing devices should be fitted to doors required to be kept closed in the event of a fire or suspicion of fire (see Recommendation E1.14) and/or where energy conservation and/or noise control are needed. Where automatic door closure mechanisms are selected, doors may swing-free or be held open depending on the type selected. Automatic door closure mechanisms should comply with BS EN 1154 and BS EN 1155 . Note: Wedges should not be used to hold open doors. C1.57Collapsible gates or roller shutters should not be provided across any escape route. If such an arrangement is unavoidable, for instance with existing buildings, the gate or shutter should be arranged so that: a)it can be locked open so that a key is required to release it; and b)when open it does not obstruct the escape route; and c)be provided with a sign complying with Recommendation J2.10 - J2.22. C1.58 Revolving doors should not be provided across any escape route unless they are additional to other exit doors which themselves provide the required width for escape in emergency. C1.59External doors or roller shutters should usually have suitable security including the frames such as LPS 1175-7.2 Any glazing in the doors should be laminated to a minimum 7.5mm thickness to BS 6206 . Emergency escape doors and frames are best manufactured in steel without any visible external ironmongery. Roller shutters should be to LPS 1175-7.2 . Where necessary the locks should be internal unless using close-shackled padlocks to BS EN 12320 . Note:For windows see F6.16. C1.55 All double swing doors, any doors across a corridor or passageway and other doors, where appropriate, should be provided with glazed observation panels to provide a zone of visibility. This may be either from a single panel from a height of 500mm to 1500mm from the finished floor level or alternatively from two panels from 500mm to 800mm and 1150mm to 1500mm from the finished floor level. Vision panels fitted in fire doors should be of fire-resisting safety glass. See Figure K. Note:Vision panels may not be required where security issues arise.TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C1 Horizontal escape © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT C1.60 Check-barriers provide a means of temporarily controlling the movement of the public, for example for restricting admission when checking tickets. Rigid check-barriers should not be provided across any gangway or escape route. Rope and similar barriers should be fitted with automatic catches or slip connections, arranged to part on body pressure and not to trail on the floor when parted; the fittings should not project into the gangway or escape route. Automatic Doors C1.61 All automatic (powered) doors should comply with BS 7036 . It should be possible to open any automatic door at all material times. Automatic doors with a fire separation or smoke control function should also meet Recommendation E1.14. Note:It may be desirable to provide a warning signal in the event of a functional failure of an automatic door so that management is warned to open the door and secure it in the open position. C1.62Every automatic door should be provided with an emergency control button (this may be a break-glass unit) which, when operated, will open the doors if they fail to open when approached. C1.63 Emergency control buttons and break-glass units should be: a)sited in a prominent position adjacent to every automatic door; b)mounted between 750mm and 1200mm above the floor; c)coloured green; d)provided with a sign complying with Recommendation J2.10 – J2.22. Note: Break-glass units should not allow the power operation facility to be reset until the glass has been replaced. C1.64 Automatic swing (hinged) doors should be easily openable by hand to allow escape at all material times, irrespective of the state of the power supply or the fire alarm system. C1.65 Automatic sliding doors should fail safe in the open position and remain open in the event of any of the following: a)operation of the emergency control button, which may be a break glass unit, sited adjacent to the door; b)operation of the fire alarm system. See Recommendation H1.35; c)failure of the main power supply. (This does not preclude the use of a secondary power supply; where provided this should meet the Recommendation E4.09.) Note: In staff areas the provision of a manual override to allow escape at all material times (instead of the use of a fully monitored system) is acceptable. Manual overrides should be coloured green and clearly indicated by signs meeting Recommendations J2.01 to J2.08. Thresholds C1.66 A door should not open immediately over or onto a step or steps. A landing should be provided between the door and the first step of any stair. The landing should be at least as wide as the door and at least as long as the width of the door plus 400mm. A single step on the line of a doorway is not acceptable. C1.67 An upstand or threshold bar should not be provided across any exit or escape route, other than a chamfered weather bar or threshold seal for sound insulation protruding a maximum of 6mm and arranged so as not to cause a trip hazard. Door fastenings C1.68 All exit doors should be free from fastenings at all material times other than fastenings that may be readily opened in emergency. It should not then be necessary to use two hands or a key to open any exit door in the direction of escape. Note: This does not preclude the use of a key, for example with a key-operated panic bolt, to open the door from the outside. C1.69 Where a room may be occupied by more than 60 people, any fastenings on doors should be panic bolts or panic latches operated by push bars and should comply with BS EN 1125 .TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C1 Horizontal escape © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT C1.70 If a room holds less than 60 people, push pads or lever handles complying with BS EN 179 are acceptable. The use of latches operated by lever handles should be avoided in public areas. C1.71 Doors serving staff areas may be provided with simple lever handles, preferably complying with BS EN 179 , or push pads complying with BS EN 179 . Note: Round knobs should not be used as they could be difficult to operate. C1.72 Door furniture should be fitted at height of between 800mm and 1200mm above floor level and of a type which is unlikely to snag clothing. Door furniture should provide visual contrast with the surface of the doors. Manual controls for powered doors should be between 750mm and 1000mm above floor level. C1.73 Pull-to-open handles and push-to-open plates should normally be arranged appropriately, that is pull handles should not be provided where the action required is to push nor should push plates be provided where the action required is to pull. C1.74 Removable devices to improve security, such as locks, bolts, chains or padlocks, are sometimes fitted to doors required for means of escape. A door alarm system to improve security is preferable to such devices. Where the use of removable security devices cannot be avoided, a panel or similar arrangement should be provided for their storage when the premises are occupied. The panel should be located in a secure position such as the manager’s office or the building control centre. This panel should identify each item, for example by ‘shadowing’, so that it is obvious if any device is missing. (‘Shadowing’ means outlining each item, for example with paint, on a contrasting background.) Electrical locking systems C1.75 Electrical locking systems may be provided where panic exit devices are necessary. Electrical locking systems may facilitate entry from outside by electronic means such as the use of a card or code. Electrical locking systems should meet the Recommendations of C1.68 to C1.74. C1.76 Electrical switches and similar devices used to release electrical locks should: a)fail safe open; b)be double pole; c)be installed so as to directly disconnect both poles of the final connection to the locking system (and not be wired via a central or separate control unit); d)be of robust and proven construction and, if mechanically operated, not rely on micro-gap switches; e)be installed so as to obviate any risk of any component becoming dislodged from the operating mechanism. C1.77 Electrically operated door locks should unlock automatically in the event of any of the following: a)operation of the ‘panic bar’ or ‘push pad’ mounted on the door; Note: In staff areas prominently located push buttons may be used in place of ‘push pads’. b)operation of an emergency break glass unit sited adjacent to the door; c)operation of the fire alarm system. See also Recommendation H1.32; d)failure of the power supply. (This does not preclude the use of a secondary battery power supply; where provided this should meet the Recommendations of E4.09.) C1.78 Emergency break-glass units should: a)be coloured green; b)be provided in a prominent position adjacent to every electrically operated door lock; c)be mounted between 750mm and 1200mm above the floor; d)be wired directly in series with the lock and not rely on any connection to a central control unit; e)immediately disconnect both poles of the electrical supply to the adjacent electrically operated lock upon breaking of the glass;TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C1 Horizontal escape © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT f)not allow the lock to be reset until the glass has been replaced; g)be provided with a sign complying with Recommendation J2.13. Loose furniture, fittings and equipment C1.79Fixtures and fittings should be positioned so there are no hazards. Furniture, particularly loose furniture, should be carefully sited. Sufficient and suitable storage should be installed where it does not prevent easy circulation or cause a hazard. There should be no serious risk of impedance at any time when the premises are occupied. Excess storage should be away from the premises. Staff should inspect the premises regularly and take action when necessary. C1.80Where furniture, fittings or equipment are not fixed, provision should be made to ensure they do not impede easy exit from the premises at all times. It is particularly important that the movement of loose chairs does not hinder evacuation in an emergency. C1.81 There are particular problems in premises where there is a change of use during opening hours, for example café/restaurant to bar/nightclub, or where furniture or equipment is removed to create space for a dance floor. Care should be taken to ensure that storage does not create a hazard, block escape routes or prevent evacuation in an emergency. C1.82Frequent inspection of loose furniture and equipment is essential. C1.83Whilst planning and permanent precautions assist, efficient staffing is essential in all entertainment premises. The personnel, both management and staff, of the premises should be: a)fully trained; and b)sufficient in numbers; and c)fit for their posts. Tensioned wire grid (TWG) A TWG is a high level access floor made from high tensile tensioned wire cable over which people can walk and work giving access to hoist, sound and lighting equipment at high level. A TWG is effectively transparent and acoustically neutral which allows luminaires and sound equipment to be rigged above (or below) the TWG. The construction is either a continuous surface laced in situ (situation) or a number of smaller separate panels. C1.84The TWG woven mesh can carry a maximum point load and a live load as specified. These must not be exceeded. Each cable has to be tensioned post installation and during maintenance inspections. Note:Lids to cover the cable ends should be provided to avoid trip hazards if the TWG is laced in situ. C1.85 A TWG should be managed in the same way as any other grid area. Access to the grid areas should be controlled and restricted to trained personnel. C1.86Excessive load must not be taken on the TWG when installing equipment. Point load suspensions may pass through the TWG itself to support loads below the plane of the TWG from a structure located above the plane of the TWG. Note:Sound and lighting equipment should not be left on the TWG, but be removed or be suspended from fixed structures, usually above the TWG. C1.87Parts and tools should not be left on the TWG at any time unless being wired or chained to a secure point. C1.88Normal and emergency lighting should be provided and in use when people are above the TWG. C1.89Permanent signs should be provided at all access points with clear indication of the maximum number of people allowed on the TWG or other grid at any one time together with all other constraints. C1.90Access below the TWG or other grid should be prohibited or limited whilst in use to mitigate the risk of injury to anyone below. TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C2 Seatways and gangways © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT C2 Seatways and Gangways COMMENTARY Seatways form the first part of the escape route for people seated in an auditorium. Operators of theatres and similar premises generally require seats to be close together to enhance the entertainment experience and for commercial reasons. However it is important safety is not compromised thereby. In the past the number of seats in a row has been arbitrarily limited. There is no reason to limit the number of seats in a row other than by travel distance, provided there is an adequate gangway at both ends of the row so that escape is possible in two directions and the seatway is generous. Table 9 gives details of the necessary arrangements. However where dining facilities are provided for a closely-seated audience the seats should be limited to 12 in a row and the tables arranged so there is no encroachment into the seatway. A good seating layout can significantly assist in a speedy evacuation. Careful layouts will avoid bunching at exits and intersections of gangways. Seats and gangways in an auditorium should be so arranged as to allow free access direct to the exits from the auditorium. See Figure N. Wherever possible wheelchair spaces should be provided within the main area of the public seating. Wheelchair spaces should not all be in one place; wheelchair users should be able to enjoy a choice of location (ticket price and vantage point) as offered to other people. Because of considerations of layout and seatway widths, wheelchair spaces will usually be in front, at the rear and to the side of the main blocks of seating. It should be noted that wheelchair users with hearing or vision impairments will usually need to be close to the performance space. Permanent spaces for wheelchairs are preferred but in order to achieve better locations within an auditorium it may be acceptable to remove seats to make way for wheelchairs when required so long as this can be done readily. This is particularly appropriate in smaller premises. It may be more appropriate, however, to allow loose chairs when wheelchair spaces are not required provided the chairs do not cause a hazard. In all cases there must be easy access to escape routes. Handrails including lower handrails at the end of each row of seats can materially assist the elderly and infirm when walking along stepped or raked gangways. BS 8300: Design of an accessible and inclusive built environment Part 2: Buildings – Code or Practice BS 8300-2 Buildings – Code of Practice gives recommendations on how buildings can be designed, built and managed to achieve an inclusive environment. Two sections reference audience accommodation: Section 17 Audience and Spectator Facilities . It is noted, however, “ [This section] does not include recommendations on audience seating in closely seated auditoria, such as theatres, which is covered in 20.7 .” Within Section 20.7 Entertainment-related buildings Section 20.7.1.1 Access for members of the audience states “Seating in entertainment buildings designated for wheelchair users should meet the recommendations in 17.1 and 17.2.” The recommendations given in BS 8300-2 Section 17 are unlikely to be suitable for closely seated managed auditoria as found in places of entertainment. For such venues the guidance contained herein in Section C2 along with the statutory requirements of Approved Document M and the guidance contained herein in Section N Management should be used. BS 8300-2 and the aspirations therein may be applied where appropriate and in lecture theatres and conference facilities.TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C2 Seatways and gangways © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT Amphitheatre seating Theatres in classical times were generally amphitheatres as were the galleries of 19th century theatres. The audience sits on steps with no backrests as distinct from today’s long rows of seats (‘continental’ or ‘arena’ seating). Typically classical open air amphitheatres and theatre galleries were steep, often in excess of 35º above horizontal. The height of the risers forming the amphitheatre is a compromise between vision, leg comfort (feet firmly on the ground) and the need for relative proximity to the stage. Generally the rake of modern amphitheatres is relatively shallow although in theatre galleries rakes remain somewhat steeper. Many older galleries have been changed to fixed seats; however some remain, for example Hackney Empire is still in active use. Some amphitheatre seating is a retractable seating bank without the seats; unaccompanied children often form the whole audience. It is important that people when walking along seatways in an amphitheatre do not fall off the edge. An up-stand, which demarcates the seats, and which may be shaped or cushioned to ensure further comfort, keeps people moving along the seatways well away from the edges of the steps. In theatre galleries the up-stand is often replaced by fixed padded slabs. With a shallow rake people often walk up the seating whereas with a steep rake it is necessary to provide conventional stepped gangways. With steeper gangways handrails are essential. In amphitheatres it is generally not practicable to pass along seatways past other people in order to reach particular locations. For this reason it is generally easier to have unallocated (unnumbered) seats, with audience division for pricing, if required, being in blocks of seating. Depending on the age of any children however a steep rake may be uncomfortable if they cannot put their feet on the floor. Cinema screens It used to be thought that gazing upwards at a cinema screen could cause eyestrain. Nowadays scientific opinion considers neck strain more likely. In any case the problem is less likely to be acute given today’s larger screens and shorter cinema programmes. It is desirable, however, that seats are so arranged that a spectator’s eyes do not have to look up more than 35° to see the top edge of a cinema picture. See Figure M. Where this is unavoidable children should not occupy any affected seats. Cushions Loose cushions are generally not encouraged as there is a concern that people may slip or trip on a cushion. However it is quite usual in open air theatres for patrons to be provided with or to supply their own cushions. Loose individual cushions are not likely to be a hazard from a fire on stage in the open air and are unlikely to cause a problem on shallow tiers. Long thin cushions fixed down have been tried but when unfixed become more of a problem than single cushions. On steep tiers with amphitheatre seating, as in some theatre galleries, any seat padding should be fixed to the stepping. Cushions are undesirable since any loose items could cause tripping in an emergency and on an open tier become a serious hazard.TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C2 Seatways and gangways © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT RECOMMENDATIONS C2.01 Seating and gangways should be designed and laid out to facilitate ready escape from the premises. Loose cushions do present a possible fire risk indoors and a trip hazard if they were to fall into the seatways. Patrons should be discouraged from bringing personal cushions and any cushions provided by management should meet the same standards as the upholstered seating in the venue. Some theatres especially where young persons attend may have patrons sit on the floor in the front of the stalls (‘the pit’) or on stepped amphitheatre seating. Loose cushions have been so used where they are readily visible without any known problems. Strapontin Seats If a strapontin seat is included in an auditorium either as an attendant’s seat or for the use by the audience in a seating row the design, manufacture and maintenance of the mechanism must ensure reliable tip up operation if its failure would cause the seat to compromise the clear and/or minimum width of a seatway or gangway. (see C2.39) When alternate rows of seating are offset by half a seat’s width to improve sightlines it may be possible to use a strapontin seat in the gap at the end of the row. When tipped up in its storage position a strapontin seat will only occupy half a seat’s width and bring the row end into alignment with the ends of the rows in front and behind. (See C2.38) When folded down it will provide a full width seat for an audience member. If this approach is adopted the strapontin seat when in use must not reduce the width of the adjacent gangway to less than is recommended. (See C2.32) Audience members using such seats should not be allowed to leave coats and bags under their seat which in the event of an evacuation would be left in the clear width of the gangway at the row end. The strapontin seat when tipped up should not reduce the width of the seatway to less than is recommended. (See C2.16 & C2.17) If the strapontin seat when tipped up produces a local obstruction to the clear width of the seatway, but not such that it reduces it to less than the minimum recommended width, the seat should be designed to have high visual contrast with the surrounding furnishings and finishes even in low lighting conditions. TECHNICAL STANDARDS 1. The premises should be designed and constructed, maintained and managed so as to ensure the health and safety and welfare of all the occupants. 2. Suitable provisions should be made to enable all people to use the premises. 9. There should be adequate means of escape from all parts of the premises. All of the Technical Standards are listed in Section A2. Section A3 has some details of definitions and explanations. Section A4 lists the publications referred to in Technical Standards for places of entertainment and their publishers.TECHNICAL STANDARDS 2022 C2 Seatways and gangways © ABTT+CIEH+DSA+IOL + TT C2.02Seatways in front of blocks of seating need not be treated as gangways so long as width does not exceed 900mm. C2.03 Seating and gangways in auditoria with adaptable layouts should meet the Recommendations of Sections C1 and C2 in all configurations. C2.04 Floors under seating may be level, stepped or sloped. C2.05 Floors under seating should not be inclined at more than 1 in 1.5 (35º above the horizontal). C2.06 Where a rake exceeds 1 in 2 (25º above the horizontal) consideration should be given to increasing the height of the seat backs to around 600mm (measured from the floor of the row behind) or alternatively to the provision of suitable rails along the backs of the seats. (For balcony fronts see Table 14 in Section D2.) C2.07 Table 8 shows the recommended minimum seating space that should be assigned to each person. More comfortable seating would be at least 525mm wide for seats with arms (460mm for seats without arms). Wheelchairs C2.08 In closely-seated auditoria at least 6 wheelchair spaces or 1% of the total seating capacity (rounded up), whichever the greater, should be available as wheelchair spaces. Approved Document M: Access to and use of Buildings gives the statutory minimum requirement for the Provision of Wheelchair space. For a seating capacity of up to 600 the minimum provision of spaces for wheelchairs: Permanent: 1 % of seating capacity (rounded up) Removable: Remainder to make a total of 6 For a seating capacity of over 600 but less than 10,000 the minimum provision of spaces for wheelchairs: Permanent: 1 % of seating capacity (rounded up) Removable: Additional provision if required Spaces should be provided in various parts of the auditorium to allow for different vantage points. C2.09It may not always be practical to provide wheelchair spaces in existing buildings in which case other provisions should be made for wheelchair users. C2.10 There should be easy access for means of escape for wheelchair users from within the auditorium. BS 9999 gives some advice. C2.11 Wheelchair spaces should preferably be permanent. Note: It may be acceptable to locate loose chairs in wheelchair spaces when not in use for wheelchairs, subject to management control. C2.12Spaces for wheelchairs may be provided by removing fixed seating. This provision should be readily and easily achieved. Note: Removal and replacement of fixed seating should not be undertaken when the public are in the auditorium. C2.13At least some of the wheelchair spaces should be paired so that friends in wheelchairs can be seated together. C2.14 At least some of the wheelchair spaces should be located next to the fixed seating so that a companion in the fixed seating can be adjacent to the wheelchair user. C2.15In new buildings provision should be made for the nearby storage of wheelchairs for users who wish to transfer to fixed seats during the performance.Next >