The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) makes it a point of reminding us the standards surrounding the construction of “condo-hotels” or hotel co- ownerships in regard to their accessibility for handicapped people, built under the terms of the Quebec Construction Code, Chapter I, Building, and of the National Building Code of Canada 2005 (modified).
The buildings concerned are those which answer the following definition, drawn from the large terminological dictionary of the Office québécois de la langue française:
“Dwelling in co-ownership which offers hotel services and whose suites or rooms can be rented, on behalf of the owner, by the real-estate trust company.”
By hotel services, the RBQ understands:
• a common reception area with a reservation service and a domestic maintenance service. New constructions of the type “condo-hotel” or hotel co-ownership must be in conformity with the Code.
If you envisage to build “condo-hotels”, you must conform to the regulations and make available to handicapped people at least 10% of the suites of the building.
The requirements as regards accessibility for the construction of a building of the hotel type are envisaged by section 3.8 Design without obstacles, of the Code.
Article 3.8.2.4 mentions the elements of the accessible hotel suites which must be adapted:
• The course without obstacles must be continued until the interior of each room and to the balcony, if necessary;
• The suite must be equipped with a bathroom which abides by the following conditions:
- it must be in conformity with the 3.8.3.12 subparagraphs. 1) a) with I);
- it must have a free surface of at least 1.200 mms in diameter, on all the height of the room. However, a door can open towards the interior if it does not reduce the free surface;
- it must be provided with a bath-tub in conformity with article 3.8.3.17 or with a shower in conformity with article 3.8.3.13 ;
- it must be equipped with a towel bar placed at a height not exceeding 1.200 mm from the floor up so as to be easily accessible for a person in a wheel chair.
• The closets of the suite must observe the following conditions:
- they must have in front of the door, a surface of operation of at least 1.500 mms in diameter;
- they must have a door which opens over its full width;
- they must have a rod located at, at the most, 1,3 m from the floor.
When major alterations are completed in the buildings sheltering existing hotel co-ownerships certain requirements of the Code apply, subject to the permissions envisaged in part 10 of the Code, inter alia for the buildings where it is impossible to arrange an accessible entry.
It is important to check the regulations in force before undertaking any construction, and this, in order to avoid errors or omissions which could prove to be expensive to correct.