San Francisco City Hall Wheelchair Ramp

By now we all know about the ADA design standards and that it covers private businesses and organizations. With a few exceptions such as churches and other places of worship. The ADA also covers local and state government facilities. Federal facilities are actually covered under the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA). Which is very similar to the ADA with a few differences. Still, the message is that government buildings need to be accessible also. Many of which are still being modified to be made accessible. Such as in San Francisco which recently renovated their city hall and added accessibility features. One feature being this interior wheelchair ramp that was designed to match the existing historic look.

Controversy
Now this project and the ramp in particular is a source of controversy. Basically the ramp cost $500,000+ because of the extra work needed to match the historic look and other issues. I’m all for design and architectural integrity, but I’ll admit that they could’ve made some sacrifices to save on costs. However I want to keep politics to a minimum on this blog and will focus on the design aspects.

Design Aspects
The ramp is in the legislative chamber and leads to the Board of Supervisors President’s desk. In order to lower the rise and length of the ramp, the President’s desk was lowered three steps. The ramp then runs with a slight curve away from the desk. A now extinct mahogany was used in the original woodwork. The side panels of the ramp were made to match as closely as possible to the original woodwork. Low pile carpet from the rest of the room works its way seamlessly up the ramp. Brass railings then make the handrails. The picture on top was taken before the handrails were installed. The picture below is a rendering of the finished ramp.

Conclusion
Without taking the controversy into account, this is a nice ramp that fits in well with the historic integrity of the room. Making it seem like the ramp was always there. A great example of form complimenting function. If you want to know more about the ramp and it’s controversy, read this article from SFGate.