December 2, 2009

Ontario Association of Architects questions retrofitting buildings for the disabled

PATRICIA WILLIAMS

staff writer

The Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) has told the province that mandatory retrofitting of existing buildings to make them accessible for people with disabilities is “questionable” from a practical perspective.

“If the government intends to impose retrofit requirements, further analysis is required,” OAA president Gerrie Doyle said in a letter to the provincial committee developing the accessibility standard.

The draft standard would apply to all new buildings and those undergoing major renovations.

In a backgrounder, the Ministry of Community and Social Services said the government does not intend to require that all existing buildings be retrofitted to meet accessibility requirements at this time.

However, the government subsequently plans to take “a more focused look” at how to deal with retrofitting buildings.

Doyle said the OAA is “supportive” of the initiative to set out standards for improving accessibility when it comes to new construction and extensive renovations but questioned the viability of mandatory upgrading of existing facilities.

That view was echoed by Clive Thurston, president of the Ontario General Contractors Association. He said retrofitting certain older buildings could prove prohibitively expensive for building owners and is perhaps not even physically possible.

“Certainly, we should continue to stress accessibility in all new construction but to mandate some form of retroactivity is just not feasible.”

In her letter, Doyle said the architects’ association has a number of concerns with respect to the initial draft document produced by the committee.

As a stand-alone document, the standard “creates an apprehension” that it could become a separate regulation.

Doyle said there should be no regulation other than the Ontario Building Code governing design and construction of buildings.

“To achieve this goal, the standard, as an interim document, must be consistent throughout its various components and written in viable language suitable for Ontario’s building code,” she said.

“When possible, specific requirements should also allow for design options which accomplish the same goals.”

With respect to new construction, incorporation of new accessibility criteria in the building code must establish “an enforceable standard” which eliminates the possibility of legal action by individuals or groups who believe code requirements are not sufficient.

Doyle also recommended that the ministry devise a strategy “to balance the overall increase in construction costs resulting from increased accessibility versus the extent of the benefits to a limited segment of the population.

“The key should be reasonable accommodation to be cost effective.”

Thurston said he agreed with the points made by Doyle.

The draft standard was developed by a 46-person committee that included representation from various organizations. Public input is to be incorporated before a final proposed standard is submitted to the government for consideration as law.

The OAA subcommittee on building codes and regulations reviewed the standard and forwarded more than 180 comments on proposed clause changes.

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