Building: Class 6 head spa and beauty treatment fit out in an existing retail tenancy
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland
NCC edition: NCC 2022, Volume One (Amendment 2)
Area of NCC requirements: D1P1 access for people with a disability; D4D2, D4D4; AS 1428.1:2021 clause 7.6 step ramps and door circulation spaces
Raised by: The building certifier
Year: 2026
The challenge
A 140 mm raised floor was built through the treatment area for plumbing, reached by a 1:10 step ramp from reception. The ramp finishes at a 920 mm cavity sliding door that the operator wanted for acoustic privacy, so there was no level top landing as AS 1428.1 requires. Along the 1,020 mm hallway, three of the four treatment room doors could not achieve the required latch side clearances.
The performance solution
Expert judgement and comparison with the Deemed to Satisfy Provisions, in two parts.
Step ramp. The ramp otherwise complies with clause 7.6 (140 mm rise, about 1,400 mm long, not steeper than 1:10). The landing exists so a wheelchair user does not have to operate a door on a slope. Here, treatments are by appointment and patrons are met at reception, so staff open the top hung cavity slider fully before an assisted patron uses the ramp. The level hallway beyond then acts as the landing.
Treatment room doors. All four rooms offer the same treatments. Treatment Room 2, at the end of the hallway, has compliant circulation and is the nominated accessible room. Bookings for patrons who need it go there, and staff open doors fully when needed.
Conditions
A Plan of Management prepared with the certifier covering the accessible room, staff assistance, keeping the door open, clear circulation, equal service and staff training. Physical conditions included 850 mm clear openings with D pull handles and contrasting door frames, a top hung slider with no floor track, splayed ramp edges, slip resistant and contrasting ramp edges, and a sign at reception offering assistance.
Authority
Prepared under the Building Act 1975 (Qld) for the building certifier, to be referenced on the development approval and Certificate of Classification.
Outcome
Final report issued in October 2026, peer reviewed, and successfully accepted by the building certifier.
Lesson for fit outs
A raised floor for plumbing quickly creates access problems. Where a door has to stay at the top of a ramp, a written management plan and one nominated accessible room can give equitable access without losing the design.
Related: Performance solutions Queensland | Access performance solutions
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