Public Consultation on Draft Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2025

Building and Construction Authority

Consultation Period: 30 Dec 2024 - 27 Jan 2025

Status: Closed - Summary of Responses

Consultation Outcome

Summary of Responses to Public Consultation on Draft Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2025

1. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) conducted a public consultation on the draft Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2025 ("Code") from 30 December 2024 to 27 January 2025. The Code sets out baseline design standards to enhance the accessibility and inclusiveness of buildings for persons with disabilities, the elderly and families with young children.

2. The Code was developed in collaboration with a Code Review Committee (“Committee”) comprising government agencies, industry associations, academic institutions and social service agencies, along with input from subject matter experts and vulnerable groups. In the review of the Code, the Committee took a balanced approach to ensure that the needs and views of different stakeholders were taken into consideration.

3. The consultation garnered 130 responses from diverse stakeholders, including industry professionals and members of the public. Respondents are largely supportive of the proposed amendments, with some providing suggestions to improve specific design requirements.

4. The main areas of feedback are related to elder-friendly facilities, family-friendly facilities, lifts, and hearing enhancement systems. The responses to Code-related feedback are available in Annex A, while responses to non-Code-related feedback are provided in Annex B.

5. The Code has been finalised and will take effect from November 2025. BCA acknowledges the valuable contributions of all stakeholders whose active participation and insights have helped to enhance the Code.

Building and Construction Authority

7 April 2025

ANNEX A: Key Areas of Code-related Feedback and Responses by BCA

1) Elder-Friendly Facilities

There were many comments and suggestions on elder-friendly facilities to better serve our seniors. The feedback mainly focused on safety features such as staircase dimensions, handrails, anti-slip flooring, bathtub surfaces, colour-contrasting grab bars, and lighting. Many of these safety elements, including staircase and handrail requirements, are already covered in BCA's Approved Document on general design safety. To cater to the needs of older persons, the Code further addresses specific accessibility needs by requiring handrail extensions, slip-resistant flooring, anti-slip bases in bathtubs, and sufficient illumination for partially sighted individuals. Regarding the proposal to mandate the use of colour-contrasting grab bars, BCA assessed that such grab bars are already widely implemented. Hence, instead of imposing additional requirements, BCA will work with relevant stakeholders to promote and enhance these good design practices.

2) Family-Friendly Facilities

We appreciate the valuable feedback received on making our buildings more family-friendly, particularly regarding facilities for parents with young children. Regarding diaper changing stations, the new Code 2025 will introduce additional safety requirements by ensuring that they can properly support a child's weight and reduce the risk of falls. We also received thoughtful suggestions about lactation rooms, with some respondents proposing more stringent standards for universities, larger institutions and shopping malls. As the upcoming Code 2025 will already be enhancing lactation room requirements across all building types to better serve nursing mothers, the Committee will maintain these current improved provisions. To ensure our family-friendly facilities continue meeting the needs of parents and caregivers, BCA will continue to monitor the usage of lactation rooms for future reviews.

3) Lifts and Stairlifts

We received helpful suggestions from industry respondents on making lifts more accessible for everyone, especially those who need more time to enter and exit. To address this, the new Code will include a design advisory for longer lift door holding times. For users who are elderly and/or with low vision, the Code’s requirements for lifts already come with user-friendly features such as buttons in contrasting colours, tactile indicators, and braille markings. While there was also a request to reduce the minimum size of stairlifts commonly installed in existing and older buildings, the Committee deliberated and decided to maintain current requirements to ensure the safety and comfort of wheelchair users. These requirements are also in line with international standards.

4) Hearing Enhancement Systems

To better serve our seniors with hearing needs, we will require hearing enhancement systems at service and information counters in nursing homes, homes for the aged and welfare homes. This improvement comes from valuable feedback and recognises that many elderly residents and visitors would benefit from clearer communication at these important facilities.

ANNEX B: Other Non-Code-related Feedback

We received a wide range of feedback that extended beyond the Code's scope and purpose of establishing minimum building design standards. Many of these suggestions encompassed operational concerns such as crowd control, facility maintenance, and prevention of misuse of accessible facilities. While these operational matters fall under the respective building management's purview rather than the Code's regulatory framework, BCA will continue to work with stakeholders to promote good design practices and encourage responsible use of facilities. Feedback pertaining to other agencies' jurisdictions has been forwarded to the relevant authorities for their consideration.

Examples of feedback beyond the Code's scope:

1. Road safety: Request to install humps or CCTV cameras to deter speeding cyclists or users of personal mobility devices

2. Thermal comfort: Request to install air-conditioning and solar panels in schools due to higher temperatures

3. Bicycle parking: Request to provide foyer space at entrance of residential units for bicycle parking as there are limited parking spaces

4. Housing issues: Request to increase residential unit sizes due to inflation

5. Crowd management: Request for MRT stations to provide a minimum of 2 lifts, for elderly’s priority access and redundancy

6. Operation and maintenance: Request to not wash all accessible washrooms at one time, and impose restricted entry, so that accessible washrooms will remain available/cannot be misused

7. Existing conditions: Feedback regarding insufficient space or no wheelchair-accessibility in older buildings

8. Construction noise: Suggestion for study on the impact of noise generated from construction sites

9. Amenities beyond minimum accessibility standards: Request to provide shelter to all accessible routes, accessible fitting rooms within all apparel shops, etc

Detailed Description

1. The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) invites the public to provide feedback on the proposed draft Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2025.

BACKGROUND

2. The BCA Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment (“Code”) provides the baseline standards for making buildings accessible to persons with disabilities and other users. The Code is regularly reviewed to ensure that the standards meet the changing needs of the population.

3. The tripartite Code Review Committee (“Committee”) was formed in September 2023 to review the current 2019 version of the Code. The Committee comprises representatives from relevant government agencies, industry associations, academic institutions and social service agencies (see Annex A). The review aims to:

   1. address current gaps and future needs of persons with disabilities, the ageing population and young families;

   2. improve clarity of the design requirements and promote deeper understanding of the underlying principles and intent of the requirements.

4. The proposed key changes to the current Code are listed in Annex B.

PERIOD OF CONSULTATION

5. The draft Code on Accessibility in the Built Environment 2025 is available for public consultation from 30 December 2024 to 27 January 2025.

The draft can be downloaded from BCA website.

Annex A - Members of The Code Review Committee

Annex B - Key Changes