2008-03-25
Virtually four years have passed since the 2004 edition of Approved Document M of the Building Regulations (2000) was published, but there is still some confusion over what exactly it entails. Legrand's regulations and standards manager, Stephen Willmore takes a look at Part M: Access to and use of buildings.
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The reason a four year old piece of legislation is still causing confusion is easily explained by the fact it’s only applicable to projects that were considered for Building Regulation approval on, or after, May 1st 2004. As we all know, the time between submitting an application and starting construction can often be measured in years, rather than months. As a result, those not immediately affected by Part M simply chose to forget about it until such time as it became relevant.
Fast forward to today and virtually every project now coming on line needs to meet Part M, but what does this mean? Well, as a great deal of Part M is open to interpretation it’s quite hard to give a definitive answer.
Take for example the section referring to the contrast of controls with their surroundings. Aimed at assisting the visually impaired locate controls in unfamiliar environments, the
contrast is considered acceptable when there is a difference of 30-points in light reflectance value between control and surround. What this means is that there are many combinations of colour and finish that will satisfy this recommendation. However, it should be recognised that very different colours do not necessarily provide contrast.
Take a hypothetical situation where a mid-range red switch plate sits on a mid-range blue wall. To someone with normal vision the switch plate would be easily seen, but to some visually impaired people it may look like a monochrome photograph, with a mid-range grey switch plate sitting on a mid range grey wall – meaning they would struggle to see it despite the distinctly different colours. It also needs to be noted that for a wall light switch Part M is not looking for a contrast of the switch with its plate, but a contrast between the switch plate and the surrounding wall.
This puts specifiers, architects and contractors in a position where they are being forced to set their own, potentially differing, standards to which the manufacturer needs to adhere in order to be considered for specification. Therefore, the emphasis is on the manufacturer to provide products that allow specifiers to meet these requirements, while also retaining a standard of design and functionality that makes them stand out in a competitive market place.
The non-prescriptive nature of Part M has given the manufacturer a significant amount of freedom when it comes to product design. A position that will enable the market to evolve naturally as different manufacturers continue to research and develop products in the way they see fit, rather than being heavily constrained by prescriptive regulatory requirements. This natural evolution is likely to lead to a convergence of views on what is, and is not, appropriate, eventually leading to optimum solutions and with it, the end of the Part M confusion.
To order your copy of Legrand's Part M brochure, and to be added to our mailing list, email voltimumenquiries.uk@legrand.co.uk
 Click here to read about Legrand's Part M brochure
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Related contacts
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Legrand Electric Limited
Great KIng Street North
Birmingham
B19 2LF
Tel : 0845 605 4333
Fax : 0845 605 4334
Email : legrand.sales@legrand.co.uk
www.legrand.co.uk |
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Source: Legrand Electric Limited |
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