New houses must be more accessible for people with special needs

New houses must be more accessible for people with special needs New building accessibility requirements took effect this month. The rules for new apartment buildings will apply starting next January, and at least one‑tenth of the apartments must be easily adaptable for a person with special needs. The goal of the new requirements is to consider people with disabilities, elderly, children, people with strollers and those with temporary health issues more than before when designing buildings. Ivo Jaanisoo, deputy secretary general for living environment and circular economy at the Ministry of Climate, said accessibility must be a basic feature of a building, not a special solution added later. "The purpose of the new regulation is to make accessibility the standard for new buildings, not a later special solution that requires rebuilding when people's circumstances change — whether due to old age, moving with a stroller, temporary injuries or the need to use a mobility aid. These buildings should already be usable for as wide a group of people as possible when they are built or rebuilt," Jaanisoo said. Requirements were reviewed for doors, stairs, ramps, elevators, intercoms, evacuation routes and restrooms. Existing buildings do not need to be fully rebuilt, but accessibility must be improved during major renovations when technically possible. In new apartment buildings, at least one‑tenth of the apartments must have a layout that can be adapted relatively easily if needed. Jaanisoo said the ten percent requirement is a compromise reached with construction sector participants. Mari Tuulik, accessibility advocacy adviser at the Estonian Chamber of Disabled People, stressed that writing requirements alone is not enough. "Maybe the question is not whether everything was written down, but rather how these requirements will be followed — meaning who participates in decision‑making when choices are made. Today public space automatically considers certain types of bodies and physical experiences, but unfortunately does not automatically consider people with special needs. A special need or disability is simply a different experience of being a person," Tuulik said. Tuulik said architects, planners and clients should involve organizations representing people with disabilities from the very beginning of the planning process. Adjusting a finished solution later is more complicated and more expensive, she said. The requirements for new residences will take effect on January 1 of 2027. -- Editor: Johanna Alvin, Argo Ideon