Multi-residentials and their challenges: Safety and accessibility solutions at a glance

Demographic development requires large-scale construction

The Federal Office of Statistics expects the residential population to increase to 10.4 million people by 2050. Since the search for affordable housing in urban centres is already a major challenge for families, cities like Lucerne and Zurich are tackling this problem with comprehensive construction concepts. For example, SBL Wohnbaugenossenschaft Lucerne is planning the construction of 103 apartments including nursery, cluster apartments for shared accommodation, flexible spaces, commercial space and a bicycle workshop. With the “Harsplen” project, the City of Zurich aims to increase the non-profit part of the rental apartment stock to one third by 2050 and create housing for at least 700 people.

Obstacle-free living spaces are becoming increasingly important

In addition to providing affordable living space, construction projects that adapt the living space to different life situations are also gaining in importance. Over 2 million people in Switzerland already need barrier-free access, including around 600,000 people with severe disabilities and 1.6 million people over the age of 65. Since their share of the total population will account for about a quarter by 2050, an age-appropriate high-rise building will be built in Zurich-Seebach, which will also include a health centre.

Inclusion & diversity: Residential projects according to the “Design for All” principle

These examples show that planning large superstructures is not just about creating living space, but also about taking into account diverse interests and life situations. This also applies in particular to the minimum requirements of the Disability Equality Act (BehiG), as these are already mandatory in most cantons from four or five residential units. In line with the “Design for All” philosophy, the standards SIA 500 “Obstruction-free buildings” in Chapters 9 and 10 and VSS SN 640,075 “Obstruction-free traffic space” regulate which concepts must be implemented. The specifications for specific forms of housing go one step further, extending beyond the general requirements for residential buildings. For these special buildings, which include, for example, retirement homes and residential and care facilities, it is also necessary to study the guideline room programmes or guidelines defined by some cantons in addition to the SIA 500. “To ensure that the projects deliver what actually needs to be implemented in individual cases, dialogue with the responsible authorities should be sought at an early planning stage,” emphasises Sandro Ramundo, Team Leader Specification & Key Account Management PEU at ASSA ABLOY (Schweiz) AG.

Residential facilities for all: Focus on minimum dimensions and drop-down seals

At the same time, these requirements have direct consequences for equipping residential complexes with suitable access technologies. Obstacle-free passages require prescribed minimum dimensions for movement areas, passages, corridors and doors. As even the smallest edge can become a tripping hazard for wheelchair users and the elderly, door systems should be equipped with suitable drop-down seals. After the entry into force of DIN EN 17210, which lowers the maximum permissible threshold height to 10 mm, low-profile solutions are required here.

Door handles and door closers: Standard-compliant solutions for barrier-free access

However, removing steps or thresholds alone is not enough to make doors completely accessible. The force required to open the door also plays a role. The specifications of SIA 500 must therefore be taken into account, for example for door handles that must be easy to grip. A special door handle design that facilitates actuation at the end of the handle can also support the leverage effect. The force torque that must be taken into account when using door closers is also standardised: According to SIA 500, they should be operable with a force not greater than 30 N and a speed of approx. 1°/s. Special door closers can keep this counterpressure low, for example with CAM Motion technology, which significantly reduces the opening resistance, and allow more time for passing through with a hydraulic closing delay. There are also solutions where the door closer function only becomes active when required and the hydraulic closing function is enabled, for example, by pressing a button or actuation by the fire alarm system. This has the advantage that doors can run smoothly or even remain open during daytime operation and do not constitute a barrier.

Secure locking solutions for large superstructures: Mechanical and electromechanical

Since large superstructures have a higher number of residential units, high-performance locking technology is also essential. Modern mechanical burglary protection should at least correspond to class RC2 within the DIN standard series EN 1627-1630 or VdS class N. Modular locking systems that offer cylinder profiles for apartment doors, furniture and cabinet doors as well as letter boxes, garages or elevator control systems are recommended. In properties with mixed use, such as residential and commercial areas or healthcare facilities, the use of electronic locking solutions can pay off. They offer great flexibility and administrative convenience by quickly and easily defining access authorisations and issuing time-limited authorisations. Lost keys can be deactivated easily via a web manager software. In addition, the documentation of all locking events enables an increased security standard.