Detail of the Week

In an attempt to edify as well as possibly amuse, WAD presents a Detail of the Week. Learn about the minutiae of architecture without actually finding out anything that you could share around the water cooler on Monday.

Below is a photo of an ADA sink panel, which you'd likely find in a medical facility:


Why, I bet you're asking, didn't the architect just put cabinet doors below the sink? Good question. Here's the deal: in order for a sink to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the sink cannot be higher than 2'-10" above the floor, and a wheelchair must be able to slide underneath the counter so the person can reach the sink controls and put their hands under the water stream.

Also, many (though not all) medical facilities are inspected and accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO, pronounced "jay-ko" in da biz). Accreditation by JCAHO assures that a health facility has high standards and is safe and good and right and wonderful. It also makes their insurance rates lower, so I hear. one of JCAHO's rules is that nothing can be stored underneath a sink because it might be toxic, or worse, toxic and forgotten about. Storage space in a medical facility is of the utmost importance, so if you give them cabinet doors under a sink and say "don't put anything there," you can bet as soon as that damned architect is out of the room, they're gonna chuck some extra antibacterial soap and paper towels and Formula 409 and a box of lollipops for the kids under there. Or something.

So, no cabinet doors. But you still need something to hide the pipes under there, right? Cuz it's gotta be perrty. Hence...the panel. But just how does one get that panel on there? Hmm?




Oh-ho-ho! There's one of these latches at the top and bottom of the panel on the left and right sides. The hooks on the panel slides neatly onto the little brackets inside the cabinet. Now, it hides the pipes from view, protects the knees of anyone in a wheelchair, and provides no real storage space for would-be storage addicts.

In other news, Wanda took it upon herself to print the whole Pomme de Terre set at 4pm today. I told her I'd print my sheets as well as Leslie's but she wanted to batch publish them. This means that her computer was probably locked up for an hour while the software printed every single sheet. The rest of the Pomme de Terre team showed their solidarity by leaving at 4:05. I can't say I blame them. I hope all of them have a good weekend--that whole group has spent way too much time in the office this week.