One minor correction to your article on restroom doors at City Hall ("Do City Hall Bathrooms Violate Law?" Street Talk, Dec. 20):
The 32-inch dimension you note applies to the "clear opening width" that is, the width of the actual available opening when the door is in an open position. This includes the approximate 2 inches that the door edge occupies when the door is in a 90-degree open position, as well as the width of the door frame's doorstop (typically another inch).
To achieve the 32-inch requirement, therefore, the actual width of the door must be at least 35 inches. We typically use 36-inch doors to do this, since this is the closest standard door size. Therefore, the 30-inch-wide door would need to be 6 inches wider to meet ADA, not just 2 inches.
A minor issue, but I thought it worth noting that adding just 2 inches to the actual door width, as was implied by the article, would not be adequate to bring it into compliance.
Stephen C. WeisensalePrincipal, Architects Dayton,Thompson & Associates
President, AIA Richmond Chapter
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