Barrier-free accessibility

Barrier-free accessibility is defined as follows under the German Disability Equality Act (BGG, Article 4):

"Buildings and other facilities, means of transport, technical devices, information processing systems, acoustic and visual sources of information and communication facilities as well as other designed areas of life are barrier-free if they can be located, accessed and used by people with disabilities in the customary manner without particular difficulty and without outside help. The use of necessary disability-related aids is permitted."

The terms "senior-friendly" and "age-appropriate" should not be confused with the term "barrier-free" in the design of a living space. Barrier-free accessibility is defined in the German Disability Equality Act (Article 4), which establishes the minimum conditions for how areas of life must be structured.

Since 2010, barrier-free construction has been defined in DIN standard 18040 for public and private buildings. DIN 18040 Section 2 determines and defines the basis for barrier-free planning, construction and equipping of residential buildings and their outdoor facilities. The goal of the standard is to define the requirements that must be met in order to achieve barrier-free accessibility. DIN SPEC 1104 also takes into account the lowest possible force requirement for easy access to doors. In addition, the VDI 6008 guidelines present various methods for avoiding or reducing barriers.

In addition to meeting the standards for a wheelchair-accessible or barrier-free home (DIN 18040), you should not compromise the functionality, durability and appearance of your windows, doors, roller shutters, roller garage doors or sun protection. You can also take advantages of individual subsidy opportunities.

A distinction is made between accessible doors and zero-barrier doors without thresholds. Barrier-free doors include all door systems with a maximum threshold height of 20 mm. Zero-barrier doors, on the other hand, have no threshold at all. For accessible facilities in the areas of healthcare, administration and culture, as well as accessible flats and houses, threshold-free, zero-barrier doors are required.

Additional features of barrier-free doors include the door and passage width, handle height and automatic operability.