Several businesses, schools, and public properties to provide commercial-grade, ADA-compliant access solutions for individuals of all abilities. Below are a few examples of the challenges our partners had last year and how EZ-ACCESS was able to overcome them. The following projects are all commercial and industrial uses of the TITAN™ Code Compliant Modular Access System.
Project: Whitman-Hansen Regional High School
- Challenge: This high school needed a wheelchair-accessible entrance and exit for their stadium so students, faculty, parents, and fans of all abilities could easily access the stands to cheer on their team. The state’s initial request to install an elevator was taken into consideration, but there were a few issues identified that ultimately changed the course of the project.
- Solution: After comparing the benefits of an elevator to those of a ramp system, the school decided to install a 137‑foot ramp system to provide access to the top of the stadium. The ramp system was a much more practical, budget friendly option that allows the school to alleviate worry about service issues or the maintenance expenses that often plague elevators.
Whitman-Hansen chose EZ-ACCESS specifically because our all aluminum ramp system could be configured to fit the allowable space, could offer code compliant access, and could be used year round in any type of weather, withstand a high volume of traffic, and involve little to no maintenance.
Project: Elementary School in Arlington, VA
- Challenge: The building that the school occupies is a historic building that previously did not have ADA compliant access for both entry points on the backside of the building. For ingress/egress, a set of stairs was in place for the ground level and second story entrance. When the school took over occupancy of the building, the purpose of the building changed and primary access was necessary to get to the playground they had built behind the building, thus requiring the implementation of an ADA compliant access solution.
- Solution: Our in-house engineering team designed a custom, two-story ramp system made entirely of our commercial grade aluminum components. The ramp system provides access to both the ground level and second story access points.
In order to make the most out of the available space and not encroach any more than it needs to into the playground area, we designed the system to “stack”, and for the ramp runs to run above and below each other. We also incorporated switchbacks into the design due to the limited run space for the ramp. This allowed the system to stay within the confines of the length of the building.
Project: Air and Space Museum
- Challenge: The Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. had a steep set of stairs outside the building’s main entrance, without an accessible route to accommodate individuals with limited mobility. The property needed an accessible solution that could work around the existing steps so they would not have to do any major renovations to the elevated entrance.
- Solution: A ramp system was configured to extend over the concrete steps. The independently adjustable legs were set at the exact length needed to meet the height of each step. Because the short set of stairs were steep, the access solution needed multiple ramps and a few platforms to maintain a 1:12 slope for ADA compliance.
Project: Amazon Loading Dock
- Challenge: Amazon needed a safe and efficient way for its employees to unload and reload off of the loading dock. With a constant cycle of shipments to and from the facility, the solution needed to allow for multiple employees to access the loading dock at the same time. Since the solution was for employees that were required to do manual labor, the solution also needed to meet OSHA standards.
- Solution: Two TITAN ramps were installed side-by-side, connecting to the loading dock. Both ramps were 60 feet in length to accommodate the elevated entrance with a 1:12 slope. There are platforms in the middle of reach ramp that act as a resting place after 30 feet of ramping (an ADA guideline).
Project: Texas High School Graduation Stages
- Challenge: During graduation season in May, a group of Texas high schools needed a safe way for students of varying physical abilities to access the stage at the graduation ceremony and accept their diploma. The solution needed to account for an entrance and exit off stage because there is a steady flow of traffic in the same direction throughout the graduation ceremony. One school in particular held their ceremony on the football field, which required a solution that could be easily installed and taken down for removal from the field and used the following year.
- Solution: We constructed a stage made of several platforms for the graduation ceremony. Attached to the stage were three ramp systems that allowed easy access on and off the stage. There were two standard ramps on either side of the stage and a ramp with a custom width attached to the center of the stage. This allowed graduates to enter from both sides simultaneously and then exit down the middle side-by-side.
Project: High School in Washington
- Challenge: A growing Washington State high school reached out to us and asked for a way to provide safe access for a group of portable classrooms. The existing portable classrooms had deteriorating wood ramps that needed to be replaced, and new classrooms needed their own set of ramps and steps. The students needed to travel from one portable classroom to the next throughout the day, and the access solution needed to meet ADA compliance standards.
- Solution: We used a series of platforms to create a deck that connects a series of the new classrooms that are positioned in a row. This allows students to travel between portable classrooms with ease. Then we installed one ramp and one set of stairs at each end of the deck to provide accessible entry and exit. We also used a series of standalone systems for the classrooms that had wood ramps and the new classrooms that weren’t a part of the row.
After a successful year in 2019, we are eager to partner with additional cities, businesses, schools, and other entities all across the United States in 2020.
