Access Consulting Services Explained: From Due Diligence to Completion

The Right Access Assessment Depends on the Project Stage

Each assessment serves a different purpose. Buying a property requires a different review than designing a new building, and existing buildings present other challenges compared to new projects.

Buying a Property? Start With Access Due Diligence

A property may look ideal based on its location, size, or intended use. However, a closer look can reveal accessibility issues that raise new concerns. You might find an entrance that is hard to use, tricky level changes, narrow hallways, or facilities that limit how you can use or update the property.

The building’s compliance history also matters, especially if documents are missing or previous changes are unclear. In such cases, access due diligence becomes valuable.

An access due diligence assessment reviews all available information about the property and checks for potential accessibility issues based on your intended use or development plans.

For developers, the aim is to identify any issues that could impact the project before deciding to buy, lease, or proceed with a plan. This helps the team decide whether they can manage an accessibility compliance issue, need to investigate it further, or whether it should lead to changes in the development plan.

Once Design Starts, Test the Access Strategy

Once the architectural design is underway, the question becomes more specific: does the proposed design provide the required access for the building and its intended use?

An access design review looks at whether the proposed development meets the relevant accessibility requirements. By contrast, a BCA design review covers overall building compliance. The review examines the entire access strategy.

For example, an accessible entrance alone does not solve the problem if the path to it is still a barrier. Likewise, a lift may offer vertical access, but other parts of the circulation plan might still be unsuitable.

Depending on the project, an access design review may consider:

• Site access and pedestrian approaches
• Accessible entrances
• Circulation spaces
• Doorways and clearances
• Ramps, stairs and handrails
• Lifts and changes in level
• Accessible sanitary facilities
• Accessible parking
• Signage and wayfinding
• Other relevant access provisions

The specific scope depends on the building, its classification, intended use, and design stage. An early review allows the architect to address access issues while the design still has flexibility.

For Existing Buildings, Start With an Accessibility Audit

The assessment team can review a proposed building through its drawings. An existing building needs to be assessed in the context of what is physically there.

An accessibility audit examines an existing building or facility to identify access barriers, potential compliance gaps, and areas that may require improvement. An audit can be useful when:

• An owner is planning refurbishment
• A property is being redeveloped
• A property is being acquired or leased
• An asset manager is planning future upgrades
• Existing accessibility concerns have been raised

The assessment includes the building’s physical condition along with available drawings, approvals, and other relevant documents. For a redevelopment, understanding the existing access position before detailed design begins can help the architect account for constraints that may not be apparent from historical drawings alone.

When the Standard Access Approach Does Not Suit the Design

Some projects involve existing conditions, unusual layouts, or design constraints that make a standard access solution difficult to apply. In these situations, access performance solutions may instead provide an alternative compliance pathway where appropriate.

The process starts by understanding the specific access requirement and the reason the standard approach cannot be followed. The proposed alternative can then be developed and assessed against the applicable requirements.

This could be relevant to a complex development, an existing building with significant constraints, or a design where applying a standard provision would have substantial implications for the project.

Identifying the need for an alternative approach during design gives the architect and access consultant time to coordinate the solution with the rest of the project.

Check the Access Provisions Before Completion

Access Inspections and Completion Support are often part of the broader access consulting services. This is because accessibility requirements established during design still need to be reflected in the completed building.

Construction-stage access inspections can review relevant elements and identify issues requiring clarification or rectification before completion.

This can be particularly useful where accessibility depends on physical details such as dimensions, levels, clearances, or other elements that cannot be fully confirmed from design documentation alone.

Which Access Service Does Your Project Need?

Where you start depends on the decision you need to make.

We partner with architects, developers, builders, property owners, certifiers, and government organisations to address access requirements at every stage of a project. For projects in Sydney or anywhere in NSW, an access consultant can give tailored advice on access reviews, reports, audits, and alternative compliance solutions.