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Accessible gang shower?

Y

Yikes

Gold Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Messages
3,078
Location
Southern California
I'm working on an old community rec center / gym / pool in California. the shower rooms (male and female) have gang shower areas. We've been asked to make sure at least one shower is ADA accessible. for sake of discussion, let's say the gang shower room is 15' x 20'

When I look at the standard roll-in shower details, it shows walls on 3 sides of a compartment, which means we would need to add a wall into the shower room. For various reasons I won't get into here, the Owner does NOT want a 3rd wall added. The rest of this post is asking about other alternatives to create an accessible gang shower:
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Option 1: Note that at the seat end of the shower, there are no wall-mounted grab bars or other components on that side wall, so is the side wall really necessary?. Couldn't I just make the seat fold-down from the back wall, and eliminate the side wall, like this?

1713311721254.png

Option 2: Alternatively, and this feels a little odd to say, but since the standard roll-in shower stall is 30" minimum x60" minimum, then is a 15' x 20' compartment code-compliant, with the grab bar on the wall that is 20' away?

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We recently reviewed a similar gang shower arrangement, for the showers at a public swimming pool. We didn't require any walls. As the plan was originally submitted, though, there was an issue with the fold-down seat. It was last Spring, so I don't remember what the issue was but it had to do with the folding seat impeding something. The architect made some minor changes and we approved it.

Nope -- I remember now: the location and configuration of one of the grab bars interfered with folding the seat up and down. The fix was some minor repositioning of the seat and the offending grab bar.

Keep in mind that a roll-in shower user doesn't need grab bars -- they're in a wheelchair. The grab bars are to facilitate transferring to a seat (fixed, or folding). And the shower controls have to be within reach of the person while seated. Putting a grab bar 20 feet away from the seat is obviously not a consideration. A swing-up or swing-away grab bar might be a possibility.
 
I don't understand:
1. Where does the Access Board get their info for accessible gang shower configuration? There is no link to an applicable code or 2010 ADA section.
2. How can I determine that no grab bars are required by code? ADAS 608.3 says they are required:


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I see that in ADAS seats are only required at (1) transfer-type shower compartments and (2) roll-in showers in transient lodging mobility rooms.

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UPDATE: California in its infinite wisdom modified this code section to require folding seats in ALL roll-in showers required for accessibility.

11B-608.4 Seats
A folding seat shall be provided in roll-in type showers and transfer type shower compartments. Seats shall comply with Section 11B-610.
Exception: In residential dwelling units, seats shall not be required in shower compartments provided that reinforcement has been installed in walls so as to permit the installation of seats complying with Section 11B-608.4.
 
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