Case Study: Improving ADA Accessibility at East Carolina University

Hiring an architect to conduct an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) assessment is one of the first steps an organization can take to ensure that their spaces are widely accessible to all user groups.  

Architects take a comprehensive approach to assessing and designing a space that not only looks at individual problems but sees each element of a building as an interconnected system that works together to create a whole building. As an architectural firm, we not only review specified areas for ADA compliance during an assessment, but also consider related NC Building Code items and how corrective measures can address both deficiencies. 

Since MHAworks’ founding in 1988, our team has assessed thousands of square feet for ADA compliance for a variety of public and private entities, including numerous college campuses across the state. College campuses present several unique challenges from an accessibility and design standpoint because their campuses often contain a combination of buildings originally designed in different eras, some spanning back hundreds of years.  

East Carolina University (ECU) boasts a population of nearly 29,000 students on their 1,600-acre campus in Greenville, North Carolina. ECU has been educating students since 1907, and several of the buildings on their campus have been standing since the university’s founding.  

Since the ADA was first introduced in the ’90s, any buildings built before the ADA was signed into law probably contain some ADA violations. It is important for any public-facing facility to be accessible for all people to enjoy and campuses like ECU are taking the necessary steps to create an accessible campus by hiring architectural teams to perform ADA assessments and upgrades.  

ECU first reached out to MHAworks in 2013 to complete a campuswide ADA assessment and develop an ADA transition plan. In 2021, MHAworks assisted ECU in updating our original ADA transition plan to include renovations and new construction completed since 2014.  

An ADA transition plan is a living document that details all ADA violations discovered during the ADA assessment of a building or campus. Creating this plan is the first step that an entity can take to ensure that its spaces are accessible and meet all the latest ADA guidelines. In this document, each violation is prioritized so that the entity can better choose which violations to fix first based on its budget. However, entities should strive to implement all changes noted in the ADA transition plan as quickly as possible.   

Once ECU’s ADA transition plan was updated, our team trained ECU’s facilities staff on how to update the documents provided by our team to include future campus improvement projects and how to survey different sites on campus for ADA deficiencies.  

Since updates to ECU’s ADA transition plans were made, ECU has implemented many of our suggestions into their scopes of work for campus improvement projects. A few we have helped bring to life include:  

Brewster Building

Originally constructed in 1970, ECU’s Brewster Building is home to many of the university’s social science departments including economics, history, political science, sociology, philosophy, and geography. The building was built surrounding an O-shaped courtyard and consists of four wings – A, B, C, and D.  

MHAworks is currently renovating six restrooms on floors 1, 2, and 3 within wing B. These restrooms were surveyed as a part of MHAworks’ Main Campus Assessment and were identified as phase 1 in a buildingwide restroom study conducted by another firm. The main goals of these renovations are to bring each restroom up to ADA code and update the interior finishes.  

In 2014, MHAworks was hired to convert 5 rooms at the Brewster building into educational spaces to support ECU’s Global Affairs program. The global classrooms at ECU are used by the Global Affairs program to connect ECU students and faculty with international partner institutions to have discussions about a variety of educational topics ranging from business to history to psychology.

Renovations included creating two small classrooms supporting up to 20 individuals, a larger classroom supporting up to 30 individuals, support office space, and a new conference room. Lighting and technology design are critical components of distance learning, and MHAworks worked with our various consultants and ECU to select quality fixtures, window treatments, and technology that adhered to the project budget.

In 2018, MHAworks was asked to improve the existing walking routes on the east and west sides of the building.  The walking routes on the east and west sides of the Brewster Building are highly trafficked routes used by commuting students, faculty, and staff each day due to the adjacent bus stop. Our designers resloped the sidewalks for the west side and renovated the stairs to meet ADA requirements. On the east side, our team renovated the existing sidewalk areas to create compliant areas between two points leading into the courtyard and egress routes from the adjacent Fletcher Music Hall.  

In 2022, ECU hired MHAworks to transform a former testing and conference room in wing D into a new, larger classroom and office space. These new spaces were designed to fit ECU’s current and future needs for the space and are compliant with ADA standards.  

Wright Auditorium

MHAworks prepared a study in 2018 that assessed the accessibility of Wright Auditorium. As the building can be entered via routes that meet accessibility requirements, the focus of the study was the lack of accessibility within the building.  

Impediments to accessibility were identified and solutions were proposed. Preferred solutions were developed to facilitate proper budgeting to fund construction. Three areas of improvement that MHAworks has either completed or is currently working on include modernizing the elevators, adding a platform lift, and renovating the existing restrooms for ADA compliance. 

The first project our team worked on in Wright Hall was the ADA restroom renovations. This project involved renovating the existing men’s restroom to meet ADA compliance and so that the interior finishes in the men’s restroom matched the finishes found in the women’s restroom. An existing lounge space was repurposed to be an additional family restroom. Additionally, the drinking fountains outside of the restrooms were updated.  

The second project our team embarked on in Wright Hall was adding a platform lift to ensure interior travel routes were ADA-compliant. For this project, our team plans to open the wall next to the lobby level and extend the current floor into the platform lift vestibule. New walls and ceiling will finish out the vestibule space to create a place for the lift. While the proposed work will not eliminate all impediments to accessibility in the building, the planned alterations are part of a bigger vision for making the building fully accessible. 

Lastly, our team is modernizing Wright Hall’s elevator and renovating an existing storage room nearby into a corridor/vestibule leading to the new elevator stop. This option would allow the elevator to open on the restroom level adjacent to the newly renovated accessible women’s and men’s restrooms. The elevator will change from a one-stop to a two-stop elevator and will be modernized to meet today’s code requirements. 

Due to budgeting, it is not always possible for the team to fix all accessibility violations in one sweep, but each alteration helps take the building one step closer to being a fully accessible space. Having a long-term vision for the building in mind, which can be established through an ADA study and transition plan, can help entities reach full compliance in a budget-friendly way.  

Greene Residence Hall

Originally built in 1969, Greene Residence Hall has served as a home away from home for ECU students throughout the academic year. ECU contracted MHAworks to perform full renovations to the exterior, interior, and life safety of the 10-story residence hall.  

The exterior of Greene Residence Hall was recladded to include a weather barrier system and to address exterior aesthetics. Work on the exterior envelope also included the replacement of all windows and individual HVAC window units.  

To better accommodate ECU’s current standards for campus living, the interior finishes of Greene Residence Hall were updated, and the restrooms were reconfigured to meet ADA requirements. Greene Residence Hall’s life safety upgrades included new fireproofing of the primary structural frame, the installation of new elevator shaft pressurization fans, and working to extend and improve the existing fire sprinkler system.

Together, We Create Accessible College Campuses

When performing an assessment, architects can do more than note ADA violations; they can also provide solutions that responsibly incorporate ADA guidelines into the design of the entire space. Selecting a knowledgeable architectural firm to assess the campus, develop a transition plan, and successfully execute projects is one of the best ways for academic institutions to create a learning environment that is welcoming and accessible to all.