Should Ireland be taking Australia's lead developing Acesssible Wayfinding and Signage Standards?
It is sometimes hard to specifiy what types of signage should be provided on approach to a building and within the building itself. Although section 1.6.3 of TGD M 2010 does provide information on signage it is still unclear to what extent accessible signage should be provided and to what extent the signs should be designed to. This can present a problem when trying to sign off on a building to demonstrate that it has met the requirements of Part M.
- This is why is it is interesting to see that Standards Australia are currently drafting a standard to address signage/wayfinding. The proposed standard was recently published a Draft for Public Comment Australian Standard relating to Design for access and mobility Part 4.2: Wayfinding and the key content of the proposed standards covers topics such as:
- The types of signage to be used in buildings and where to actually place these signs. This section provides information on where to actually locate signs so that they are easy to find but also provides information on what types of signs should be provided. For example raised tactile and Braille shall be provided for signs located less than 2,000mm which identify the name and address of a building and key rooms/facilities within a building.
- Where to install the signs, which covers information such as heights for signs to be mounted at an angle; Sign content width; Requirements for vertical or wall mounted signs; Accessway connectivity to pedestrian building and site entrance signs and allowable encroachment for signs.
- How to design accessible signage including information such as Braille; Raised content; Raised tactile arrows; Visual pictograms and raised tactile pictograms.
Given that the guidance in TGD M 2010 provides limited information on the accessibility of signage, it would be approapiate for Ireland to follow the Australians lead and develop detailed standards on how to make signage accessible for all users regardless of their age, size of disability.
For further details in relation to Standard Australia's work on the development of their new Wayfinding standard click here.
Alternatively, if you need further information on the design of accessible signage or wayfinding, please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on 01-4151285 or e-mail [email protected].
