Cabinets in a Kitchenette (commercial)

[rooster]

Let's say we're doing a simple kitchenette with base cabinets and wall cabinets.

According to ANSI we need 50% of the shelf space to be accessible.

Now the base cabinets are pretty straight forward: 23"D base cabinets with a 24"D work surface @ 34"H.

Now for the wall cabinets to be the least bit accessible the t.o. the bottom shelf would need to be 46"H max.

In this scenario the top shelf of the base cabinets, the drawers and the bottom shelf of the wall cabinets would be accessible. We get 50% easy.

But the problem is we have less than 12" above the work surface and below wall cabinets, which doesn't leave a lot of room for working on the work surface and small appliances.

How are people dealing with this?

-Are they keeping the wall cabinets high and putting in a full ht cabinet? - in a kitchenette this ends up taking up a good amount of space.

-Are they changing the levels of the bottom shelf of the wall cabinets so that some are accessible and some aren't? - this also isn't very feasible in a smaller kitchenette where there really may only be one cabinet above the sink and counter.

-Or are they just leaving out the wall cabinets all together?

-Or are they just keeping the bottom shelves low because what else can you do?

Or lastly...am I missing something?

Thanks all.

 

[mark handler]

 

[rooster]

This goes under the category or "am I missing something." Very cool.

Am I wrong or would you still need to have the bottom shelf at 46"H so you can reach the rack?

 

[mark handler]

I do not understand your questions

Provide 50 percent of the shelves at an accessible level.

 

[rooster]

View attachment 811

This is kind of what I'm talking about. This would be a very simple kitchenette in a small office space, but even with the lowered wall shelves you can't get 50% (and I'm being generous in counting the drawers since I'm not using volumes). And with this you can't even get a coffee maker on the counter.I understand your adjustable shelf option would make this layout more than 50%, but then you would still need a very low shelf to reach the rack. So it seems the only option is to not have the wall cabinets...BUT then you would only have the base cabinets and they would be 50% accessible because of the sink.View attachment 811

/monthly_2013_08/kitchenette.jpg.0abfefb1ea01c5b706df68bbb3fd8916.jpg

 

[rooster]

View attachment 812

better image I hope.View attachment 812

/monthly_2013_08/kitchenette.jpg.f02a1a94a12cdc2ef69cb11359294b46.jpg

 

[mark handler]

Your image does not reflect 50 percent and the sink is not accessible

 

[lpiburn]

This issue has troubled me several times in the past. The intent of the code is good, but the application is often extremely difficult. What usually ends up happening in these situations is that the wall cabinets get eliminated, which does nobody any good. In fact, the 2009 A117.1 removed ALL requirements for accessible storage in kitchen cabinets. (to be fair, due to the wording you could argue that is only residential kitchens)

The one that really gets me is a misinterpretation of a similar requirement where one "of each type" of storage must be accessible. The AHJ interpreted this to mean that the uppers were one type and the base were another type, which meant we had to lower an upper cabinet down to 48". The end result is just what you have in your sketch: An unusable counter top, and an upper cabinet where a wheelchair user could only barely reach the front edge of the shelf anyway.

In your case it is obviously about the 50% rule not a misinterpretation, but the difficulty with this issue still exists. Does providing "technically" accessible upper cabinets really provide the benefit to disabled users that is intended by the code section? I would say no. If the only way to comply with the code is to compromise the usability of the counter then the obvious choice is to remove the uppers entirely. This of course removes a feature that is desirable to non-disabled users which is obviously NOT the purpose of the 50% rule to begin with.

Ranting opinions aside, I don't have a good solution to the problem. In the past we just lowered the uppers where required by the AHJ and put up our hands saying "oh well".

Mark: A side approach without knee clearance is permitted at wet bars and kitchenettes without a cooktop.

 

[mark handler]

A side approach without knee clearance is permitted at wet bars and kitchenettes without a cooktop.

Which code? Section?

Remember "common" spaces in the work environment are not "work areas"

 

[rooster]

Which code? Section?Remember "common" spaces in the work environment are not "work areas"

ANSI 2003 - 606.2, exception 1

to lpiburn: This is what I'm trying to get at. I believe the code has good intentions, and I am not one to try and sherk my responsibilities to create an accessible space. On the contrary, I've been more diligent about this issue than any other. But in this instance I see no really good solutions. Only half-assed ones that try to address the needs everyone, but in the end the results benefit no one. And we have been going with the 48" as a default, but this doesn't even meet the reach range set by ANSI because the counter is an obstruction more than 10".

It seems to come down to the fact that the kitchenette as we know it just doesn't really work.

I was just curious if I was missing something.