Disabled Shower Room Design Ideas

More and more businesses are choosing to invest in their disabled washroom, changing and shower facilities. Accessibility is a big issue and despite huge strides being made in the development of new buildings, many established organisations still fall short when it comes to providing facilities for disabled users and staff.

When it comes to refurbishments of washroom facilities, showering often gets overlooked. The tendency is that washrooms are in many cases replaced in a like-for-like fashion, with little attention given to improvement works. The accessible shower room is a prerequisite for any day centres, care homes, leisure facilities and anywhere changing rooms are present. Here we look at some of the best design considerations in this environment. 

Use a Doc-M shower pack

First and foremost, we need to ensure we are including all the necessary features of a disabled shower room. This includes a shower seat for users to sit on, as well as shower grab rails located at specific points throughout the room. The room will need to be designed as a wet room so that the floor gently slopes towards a floor drain. We need the floor to have no lips or steps as this makes manoeuvring through the room, particularly in a wheelchair, more difficult. One of the simplest ways to make sure you have all the required accessibility features in your shower room is to use a Doc-M Shower Pack. This includes everything you need to comply with Document-M of Building Regulations. 

Contrast colours

It’s important to point out that grab rails need to be in a colour that contrasts to the wall they are mounted on. This is so they stand out clearly for the visually impaired. Contrasting colours is a good idea to bear in mind throughout your disabled shower room for this very reason.

Colour and protection for your walls

Because this room is going to be designed as a wet room, it’s a good idea to consider your wall covering carefully. Tiles are a great move, though look to use large format tiles to minimise grout lines - an area ripe for bacteria growth. Cladding like Altro Whiterock is a strong choice as it not only gives you watertight protection but offers easy clean functionality and powerful fire ratings. Most waterproof wall cladding comes in a wide array of colours, meaning you can maintain that contrast of colour to the fittings of the room, but also bring in a warm and inviting design aesthetic too.

Changing space and keeping things dry

Of course, as well as providing the right amount of space for your user to access and use the showering facilities, you also need to ensure they have space to store their dry clothes. This also needs to be done in a manner that’s easy to use. Shelves are a great option, as are hooks at a height that can be accessed from a wheelchair. 

To explore the dimensions of a disabled shower space, read our earlier article HERE.

If you would like further advice on disabled showering rooms, or to speak with one of the team about our supply and fit services, get in touch on 01202 650900.