1.4.2 GENERAL VA ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS EXCEEDING UFAS REQUIREMENTS
1.4.2.1 100 percent of bedrooms and patient toilets in Nursing Home Care
Units and Medical, Surgical, and Neurological Nursing Units must be
accessible.
1.4.2.2 20 percent of the bedrooms and resident toilets in Domiciliaries must
be accessible.
1.4.3 SPECIFIC VA ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
1.4.3.1 Other than the 10 percent required to follow UFAS, double upswing
grab-bars will be used at each accessible water closet in patient or resident
toilet rooms.
1.4.3.2 Additional specific VA accessibility requirements that differ from
UFAS are given in "Barrier Free Design Guide" (PG-18-13).
1.5 ARCHITECT-ENGINEER COORDINATION
VA has found that the best design solution for a project occurs when the
complete project team formed by the A/E has input in the early schematics
phase. The team - planners, architects, engineers, programmers, and
consultants - is required to work together from the inception of the project
and must ensure that all engineering disciplines are coordinated with the
architectural and programming requirements of the project. Exercise care to
provide design solutions that meet the construction standards, space
requirements, equipment layouts, and vertical and horizontal clearances
required by VA. Resolve all conflicts between engineering systems and
architectural requirements by the final design development submission.
1.6 PLANNING FOR MECHANICAL AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS
VA space planning criteria does not specifically program electrical and
mechanical areas, but appropriate space must be allocated for these systems
from the beginning of physical planning.
1.6.1 ENERGY CENTER
For guidance on design of a hospital energy center, including boiler plant,
chiller plant, and engineering control center, see Design and Construction
Procedures, Topic 9, "Energy Center".
1.6.2 HVAC EQUIPMENT SPACES
For guidance on locating HVAC equipment, cooling towers, and air compressors,
see HVAC Design Manual, Article 1.7, "Equipment Location and Installation".
1.6.3 ELECTRICAL ROOMS AND VAULTS
A. For guidance on planning electrical switchgear rooms, transformer vaults,
and emergency generator rooms, see Design and Construction Procedures, Topic
8, "Electrical, Signal, and Telephone Closets and Computer Rooms".
B. For ceiling heights in above spaces, see Paragraph 4.6.3 below.
C. For required fire ratings for transformer vaults, see HVAC Design Manual,
Paragraph 2.10.7.4.
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN MANUAL
1-3
GENERAL REQUIREMENTS
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