Level access shower
The building regulations set out legal requirements for specific aspects of building design and construction. A series of approved documents provide general guidance about how different aspects of building design and construction can comply with the building regulations.
Approved document M provides guidance for satisfying Part M of the building regulations: Access to and use of buildings, which requires the inclusive provision of ease of access to, and circulation within, buildings, together with requirements for facilities for people with disabilities.
Approved document M, Volume 1: Dwellings (2015 edition incorporating 2016 amendments) defines an installed level access shower as a:
| Step-free area with no lips or upstands, suitable for showering, with a floor laid to shallow falls towards a floor gulley connected to the drainage system. |
Depending on the type of dwelling and number of bedspaces, the approved document may require an installed level access shower to be provided, and rooms that contain installed level access showers may be required to be constructed as a wet room, and may need to have the potential for a bath to be installed above it.
Where a wet room is a:
| WC or bathroom compartment with tanking and drainage laid to a fall to a connected gulley capable of draining the floor area when used as a shower. |
A potential level access shower is a:
| Space capable of providing a level access shower without the need to move walls, remove screed or other solid flooring. It should include a capped-off floor gulley, set at an appropriate level and connected to the drainage system. (Usually provided within a wet room). |
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
Featured articles
Check out some of the best features and news from Designing Buildings as well as key stories from around the web.
Green Book changes to drive investment in all parts of UK.
Minimum energy efficiency standards (MEES)
CIAT briefing on response to consultations for privately rented non-domestic properties.
Connect, collaborate, shape the future
Registration now live for UK Construction Week Birmingham.
CIOB announces Saul Humphrey FCIOB as new President for 26/27 term.
A quick, simple, and zero-bills solution to prevent overheating.
The adaptive reuse of large industrial structures.
Promoting the circular economy by extending the life of buildings.
CIAT responds to Climate Change Committee report
An urgent wake-up call for both government and the built environment.
Construction Management, 24 June
FMB pilot aims to build pipeline of site-ready tradespeople.
A quick introduction.
CLC publishes Mental Health Joint Code of Practice.
A quick introduction to its uses and risks.
Construction Management, 17 June
Government rolls out digital planning tool to all local authorities.