The advantages of retractable sliding doors are often overlooked when designing new or renovated accommodation for people with disabilities and interiors where inclusive design is considered important.
Through a sliding door the awkward back and forth movement necessary when using a hinged door is completely eliminated, making it easier to enter for those who have difficulty in manoeuvrability and beyond, in fact this also applies to those who use walking aids or those who are blind or visually impaired, as the danger of the entrance edge is also eliminated.
There is a specific regulation dealing with the design and minimum requirements for doors that must allow access for people with disabilities. There are two main standards to refer to: the law n. 13 of 1989, which aims to encourage interventions concerning the removal of architectural barriers in private buildings and the D.P.R. 503/96 for public buildings.
To these are added other accessory norms such as D.P.R. 384/78 – Technical norms for public structures for collective use which also contains information on the dimensions of the door itself.
With regard to the size of the door, the D.P.R. states that a passage span of 85-90 cm risks being more inaccessible than one with a span of 75-80 cm. This is because wheelchairs are hardly ever wider than 75 cm and a large door, besides being more difficult to manoeuvre for a disabled person, is more expensive.
The Filmar range of sliding door counterframes includes a model for every need.
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