by Brianna Crandall — August 22, 2016 — Singapore continues to set the pace with its sustainable, progressive initiatives, this time in the area of accessibility. The city-state’s Building and Construction Authority (BCA) will introduce new mandatory requirements on barrier-free accessibility in existing buildings from 2017. These requirements will mean that owners of commercial and institutional buildings — visited frequently by the public — must include barrier-free accessibility upgrades when they undergo additions and alterations (A&A) works. Lawrence Wong, Minister for National Development, announced the new requirements at the opening of the recent Singapore Universal Design Week 2016.
Commenting on the expanded requirements, BCA’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. John Keung said:
For a future-ready built environment we need to prepare for tomorrow even as we build today. Singapore’s demographics will change in the next few generations, so these requirements will compel us — including the industry — to plan ahead on how our living environment can meet the needs of all Singaporeans. This is not just about improving the accessibility of our buildings but also concerns the employability, social mobility and convenience of everyone.
Under the new requirements, owners of existing buildings undergoing additions and alterations (A&A) works must provide basic accessibility to their premises, i.e., by making the building entrance barrier-free and one toilet accessible to a wheelchair user (see Table 1). The new requirements will apply to commercial and institutional buildings that are frequently visited by members of the public, such as offices, schools, universities, community clubs, shopping centers, markets and food centers.
For example, when an existing ten-story commercial building, without an accessible building entrance or an accessible toilet, undergoes A&A works on its ninth and tenth stories, there is currently no requirement to provide barrier-free accessibility beyond the works at these two floors. Under the new requirements, the owner must provide an accessible building entrance and one accessible toilet in addition to the current requirements that the ninth and tenth stories must be accessible.
| Areas | Minimum requirements for existing buildings |
| Addition & Alteration works (Current) | Require to be made accessible |
| Accessible entrance (New) | Provide either a ramp or a stair-lift / platform lift to overcome steps |
| Accessible toilet (New) | Provide at least one accessible toilet |
Table 1: Minimum requirements for existing buildings undergoing A&A works
Accessibility Fund
To encourage more owners of existing buildings to incorporate barrier-free upgrades as part of the A&A works, BCA will extend the S$40-million Accessibility Fund for a further five years, i.e., from FY2017 to FY2021, expand its scope, and enhance its eligibility criteria to benefit more building owners. The Fund will cover accessibility features for the visually and hearing impaired and allow up to two applications per building or development.
Dr. John Keung added:
With these improvements to the Accessibility Fund, our objective is to encourage owners to plan gradual improvements to their buildings’ accessibility that are in line with their maintenance and A&A cycles. We hope that the expanded eligibility criteria will also bring earlier applicants of the Fund back to upgrade their buildings with additional features and enjoy the same incentive that is available to new applicants. We hope that the Fund and the additional requirements will put us one step closer to fulfilling our goal of having 70% of commercial and institutional buildings in Singapore barrier-free by 2030.
Events during Universal Design Week facilitate sharing among experts, industry and voluntary welfare organizations on inclusive design in the built environment. It is part of BCA’s efforts since 2008 to promote universal design in Singapore.
