UNITED KINGDOM: Free On-line Guide Helps Architects Meet New Building Regulations

A unique and free on-line guide for architects and other key specifiers has been unveiled by powder coatings manufacturer Valspar to help design professionals meet Government regulations that affect the visually impaired. The regulations under Document M, relate to access of buildings for those with disabilities. One section particularly relates to the use of contrasting colours to allow the visually impaired to discern items such as handles on doors.

Designers wanting to tone in colours could fall foul of these regulations and the only way to check is via a complicated set of calculations which could take several hours to complete. This has now been solved by Valspar for architects using either their Syntha Pulvin or Synthatec ranges of powder coating products with a guide that can complete all colour calculations in a matter of seconds. The free Guide, which can be accessed via the company''''s website, offers architects an instant calculator to compare colours. All the specifier has to do is type in the product codes and the calculator will do the rest.

With over two million people in the UK with significant sight problems, according to the Royal Institute for the Blind, the Government is now insisting that colour differences are used on the designs of new buildings or they could fail building regulations. It"s an area likely to attract even more legislation say the Institute with more than 50 people every day reporting sight problems.

By UK Civic and Public Bulding