Accessible Bathrooms: Design that Enables
After a life-changing injury or diagnosis, everyday tasks such as bathing or using the toilet can suddenly become difficult or even unsafe. Returning home should feel reassuring, with meaningful adaptations in place to make everyday routines comfortable and effective.
At Steven Docker Associates, we ensure an accessible bathroom is a carefully designed environment that restores independence and comfort. We focus on design that enables the client to regain autonomy and quality of life.
Maximising Space for Safety and Comfort
Many accessible bathroom designs fail because there is limited space for wheelchair manoeuvring. While the minimum requirement is a 1500mm turning circle, this is often not large enough in practice.
For a client’s home, our team advocate for more generous space for movement, which enhances comfort and safety, particularly when accommodating for larger powered chairs or when carers need to assist.
Optimising Fixtures for Personal Needs
An effective accessible bathroom begins with a level-access shower, flush with the floor and easy to use from both seated and standing positions.
Key features are always tailored to the user:
- Controls and Seating: Remote shower controls should be positioned within reach, alongside wall-mounted or mobile shower seats set to the client’s preferred height.
- WC Height: The toilet height should be set to the specific user rather than the standard accessible height (480mm).
- Transfer Aids: Grab rails should be implemented at a specific height to suit their needs.
To maximise wheelchair movement and ensure safety, we specify safe, slip-resistant flooring. Vinyl is an effective option, offering a smooth surface without grout lines.
Technology and Design for Seamless Independence
We incorporate advanced technology and design elements to promote independence and safety:
- Toileting: Where appropriate, we install wash-and-dry toilets to promote clients’ privacy and independence.
- Transfer: In en-suite bathrooms, ceiling hoist tracks provide seamless transfers between the bedroom and bathroom. Hi-lo baths with powered transfers and height-adjustable basins can be set at the right height for each person, ensuring care is adapted to individual needs while maintaining comfort.
- Safety and Lighting: Lighting is designed to be bright and glare-free, with the option of automatic or sensor controls.
SDA's Approach: Bespoke Design and Lasting Comfort
At Steven Docker Associates, we don’t see accessible bathrooms as a set of standard fixtures, but bespoke projects designed to support independence and comfort at home. Our architectural service focuses on integrating these adaptations seamlessly and aesthetically into the overall property design.
Focusing on the client’s specific long-term needs, from the force required to operate a tap to the exact height of a transfer rail, means our team achieves outcomes that standard designs cannot match. This attention to detail is important for:
- Restoring Dignity: Incorporating features like wash-and-dry toilets and appropriate hoists promotes the client’s privacy and reduces reliance on carer assistance, particularly for intimate areas.
- Ensuring Safety: Correct clearances, specific rail placement, and slip-resistance flooring directly contribute to reducing the risk of falls and injuries, which is one of the most important factors in adaptation projects.
- Futureproofing: Our designs allow for modifications in care routines and mobility changes without requiring immediate, major construction work.
Ultimately, an SDA-designed accessible bathroom is a therapeutic space that provides independence, improves safety, and allows the individual to comfortably enjoy their home.
To see how we transform stand spaces into fully enabling environments, view our Architectural Design services and explore our case studies.