Maneuver clearances to 'all' sauna rooms throughout the plan?

[Ryan Schultz]

Helping a client with a sauna/cold plunge spa.
As you can see from the floor plan, there's individual rooms for the sauna and/or cold plunge.
Question: If the doors to all these individual rooms swing, and have latches, do they all need ADA maneuver clearances next to the door?

Or do we only need maneuver clearances (obviously) next to the (1) ADA accessible sauna room, indicated on the plan?

related code: https://up.codes/viewer/wisconsin/ibc-2015/chapter/11/accessibility#1109.6

 

[walker.t]

Helping a client with a sauna/cold plunge spa.
As you can see from the floor plan, there's individual rooms for the sauna and/or cold plunge.
Question: If the doors to all these individual rooms swing, and have latches, do they all need ADA maneuver clearances next to the door?

Or do we only need maneuver clearances (obviously) next to the (1) ADA accessible sauna room, indicated on the plan?

Yes, all the doors require maneuvering clearances. Doors are part of the accessible route per A117.402.2 and have various accessibility requirements such as minimum clear width (A117.1 403.5,) hardware requirements (A117.1 404.2.6,) and door maneuvering clearances (A117.1 404.2.3.) If you don’t provide the required accessibility requirements for a door is cannot be considered part of the accessible route.

and have latches

Even if a door doesn’t have a latch there is still a requirement for a door maneuvering clearance.

The resolution of your plan is too low to be able to read the notes and dimensions, I’m assuming the brownish-colored symbol is the plunge tank. Whatever it is it looks like you don’t have the required clearance on the latch side of the doors on the inside of the rooms. Also not sure if your corridors are wide enough. You might consider showing the door maneuvering clearances dashed in a light lineweight on the plan.

You’ll want to confirm the requirement for a 30”x48” clear floor space at the plunge tanks, typically doors cannot overlap clearances at fixtures.

 

[Sifu]

I can't tell from the plans if they could be considered clustered. Below is the commentary to the IBC, which is the same language as the referenced code. Commentary provides some guidance on what is considered clustered. It also says that the requirements must provide for entering the room, closing the door behind you, and providing transfer space. I read that to be the requirements for the actual sauna, not the room the sauna is located in. If there are individual rooms with a sauna within the room I think the room would need to be compliant, but maybe not every sauna, if the rooms/saunas are clustered.

I recently reviewed a project with 4 individual saunas. They were all in one room. One sauna had to be compliant, and the room had to be compliant. I don't think that a room containing a sauna is exempt from the maneuvering clearances. But, if one reads the requirements in the commentary to mean the "room" the sauna is in, it could be said that 5% or 1 of the rooms must comply. Note the commentary does say "room", but since it also references transferring to a bench I think the intent is that the "room" is the sauna room, not the room containing the sauna.

Since 2009, ICC A117.1 has included technical
requirements for saunas and steam rooms. The
scoping in the IBC is consistent with bathrooms and
coordinates with the 2010 ADA Standard. What constitutes
a “cluster” is subjective; however, typically the
rooms would have to have entrances immediately
adjacent to or across the hall from one another to be
considered “clustered.”
The requirements in the standard provide for entering
the room, closing the door and then transferring to
the bench in the room. Removing the wheelchair from
the space is not addressed, so perhaps a special
chair might be utilized. Section 914 of the International
Mechanical Code® (IMC®) addresses safety
requirements for sauna rooms.

 

[walker.t]

What constitutes a “cluster” is subjective; however, typically the rooms would have to have entrances immediately adjacent to or across the hall from one another to be considered “clustered.”

ADA Advisory 213.2 “Toilet Rooms and Bathing Rooms Exceptions 3 and 4” has a comment regarding the term “cluster”: “A ‘cluster’ is a group of toilet rooms proximate to one another. Generally, toilet rooms in a cluster are within sight of, or adjacent to, one another.” I would assume that applies to anything that may be considered as a cluster.

Ask the guys on the construction site what a “cluster” is and they’ll give you a much different definition!

 

[Ryan Schultz]

Here's a higher resolution floor plan, if interested.

20240410 - Pure Health - Madison - Layout Option.pdf

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

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@walker.t Thanks. I was under the impression that if the door doesn't have a closer or latch that you don't need maneuver clearances on the side of the door.
video excerpt:

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If not possible with a swing, I would assume a pocket door could be used to eliminate these 'side' maneuver clearances, correct?

 

[Ryan Schultz]

Just to be clear, with a having a pocket door or swinging door without a latch/closer, i understand you can remove the part of the maneuver clearance in red, indicated below, not the 'entire' maneuver clearance. Maybe that was the confusion.

 

[walker.t]

@walker.t Thanks. I was under the impression that if the door doesn't have a closer or latch that you don't need maneuver clearances on the side of the door.

You’re welcome. Even doors without a closer and latch will need door maneuvering clearances, but adding closers and latches makes them larger.

If not possible with a swing, I would assume a pocket door could be used to eliminate these 'side' maneuver clearances, correct?

Just to be clear, with a having a pocket door or swinging door without a latch/closer, i understand you can remove the part of the maneuver clearance in red, indicated below, not the 'entire' maneuver clearance. Maybe that was the confusion.

Regarding pocket doors and the extra area to the side of the pocket, you can only remove the part you show in red if you have a front approach to the pocket door. if you have a side approach you will have extra area per A117.1 Figure 404.2.3.3: