THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER - Institution of Engineers Singapore

NEWS COVER STORY
BCA’s plan for improved accessibility
Accessibility in Singapore’s built environment has improved
over the years. In response to the recommendations of the
Committee on Ageing Issues, BCA developed its Accessibility
Masterplan in 2006. Since then it has facilitated the following key
improvements in the built environment:
• Close to 100% of public buildings that are frequented by
general public are provided with at least basic accessibility.
These include community clubs, government offices, hospitals /
polyclinics, libraries, MRT stations, bus interchanges / terminals,
sport facilities, market and food centres, etc.
• 88% of buildings along Orchard Road are now provided with
at least basic accessibility, up from 41% in 2006.
• More than 2,000 buildings have at least basic accessibility
features, and it is published on the Friendly Buildings Portal.
(http://www.friendlybuildings.sg)
The first strategic thrust of the masterplan is to improve the
design of new buildings and infrastructure so that the built
environment is seamlessly connected and accessible not only to
wheelchair users but also the elderly, families with children,and
people with other disabilities. The mandatory requirement in
the Accessibility Code, which was introduced in 1990, has led
the way in achieving barrier-free accessibility in new buildings
and those undergoing major addition and alteration works.
The code was reviewed and enhanced thrice. It incorporates
principles of Universal Design (UD), which take into
consideration the physical, social and psychological needs of all
possible users. UD features go beyond basic accessibility and
include the provision of nursing rooms, smaller sized toilet
facilities for children, and ergonomic features such as rounded
edges. In the current review to be completed by the end this
year, BCA together with the key stakeholders such as developers,
architects, relevant government agencies, along with volunteer
welfare associations and educational institutions will consider
the inclusion of some of these Universal Design features in the
Accessibility Code.
Specifically, the stakeholders include Singapore Institute of
Architects (SIA), Real Estate Developers Association of
Singapore (REDAS), Singapore Association for Occupational
Therapists (SAOT), National University of Singapore (NUS)
and voluntary welfare associations such as Handicaps Welfare
Association (HWA), Disabled People’s Association (DPA),
Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH) and
Singapore Action Group of Elders (SAGE).
The second strategic thrust is focused on tackling future
challenges in improving the accessibility of existing buildings built
before 1990, as the mandatory requirements in the Accessibility
Code do not apply retrospectively. Since upgrading to provide
at least basic accessibility for pre-1990 buildings is on a voluntary
basis, the challenge is to improve accessibility to these older
buildings.
Since 2006, BCA has been working with other public agencies to
put in place a medium-term plan to upgrade their building stock.
As of February 2012, almost all these public buildings frequented
by the public have achieved at least basic accessibility. Examples
of such buildings are community clubs, government offices,
hospitals/polyclinics, libraries, MRT stations, bus interchanges/
terminals, sport facilities, market and food centres, etc.
To incentivise the upgrading of existing private sector buildings,
BCA introduced a five-year, S$ 40 million Accessibility Fund (AF)
which was set up to help defray the cost of upgrading. As of
February of this year, 101 applications were approved. These
include buildings like hotels, commercial and religious buildings.
To encourage more owners of existing private sector buildings
to upgrade their buildings, BCA will be extending the fund by
another five years to 2016.
The fund co-pays up to 80% of the cost for providing basic
accessibility features to existing private buildings (except landed
residential properties), subject to a cap of S$ 300,000 per
project. BCA hopes that more building owners can benefit
from the funding and consider coming on board to enhance
the accessibility and user-friendliness of their buildings, which will
eventually benefit users of these buildings and infrastructure.
The third thrust of the masterplan sets out to ensure that
accessible facilities provided are still available for their intended
use and not removed or altered (for example, using the toilet
for wheelchair users for storage, or converting accessible car
parking lots to normal car parking lots).
Regulations are in place to ensure accessible facilities are maintained.
To-date, BCA has sent out a number of advice notices to ensure
continued compliance, upon feedback from the public.
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48 THE SINGAPORE ENGINEER April 2012