Balcony Accessibility Case Study: Mary Helen Rogers Senior Community, San Francisco
At the Mary Helen Rogers Senior Community in San Francisco, raised balcony door thresholds posed an accessibility challenge. The project team also needed to preserve the existing door drainage system, which relied on weep holes to carry water away from the building.
Working with HKIT Architects and Cahill Construction, SafePath Products® developed a custom EntryLevel™ Landing solution made from 100% recycled tire rubber. The landing was designed to improve access at the balcony entrances while keeping the original drainage pathways functional.
Project at a Glance
- Project: Mary Helen Rogers Senior Community
- Location: San Francisco, California
- Challenge: Raised balcony door thresholds and drainage requirements at out-swinging doors
- Solution: Custom recycled-rubber EntryLevel™ Landings with drainage channels aligned to existing weep holes
- Project collaborators: HKIT Architects, Cahill Construction and SafePath Products®
The Challenge: Accessible Balcony Entrances Without Blocking Drainage
Balcony door assemblies in multifamily and high-rise buildings often incorporate raised sills and weep holes to direct water away from interior spaces. These features serve an important water-management function, but the resulting change in level at a doorway can create an accessibility barrier.
At Mary Helen Rogers Senior Community, the out-swinging balcony doors had threshold rises that the project team identified as exceeding applicable accessibility requirements. Any landing solution had to address those level changes without covering the drainage outlets or interrupting the flow of water toward the balcony exterior.
The challenge was therefore more specific than simply adding a ramp: the team needed a landing surface designed around the existing door system.
The Solution: A Custom EntryLevel™ Landing Designed Around Weep Holes
SafePath Products® collaborated with HKIT Architects and Cahill Construction to develop a secondary landing surface made from 100% recycled tire rubber. The custom EntryLevel™ Landing provided a more usable transition at the balcony doorway while accommodating the drainage system beneath the surface.
The critical design detail was the placement of drainage channels. Weep-hole locations along the door and window system were verified in the field, then used to position channels within the landing. This allowed water to pass beneath the recycled-rubber surface and continue toward the front of the balcony, following the drainage path intended by the original door assembly.
The landing was finished with a proprietary quartz-coated, slip-resistant surface with the appearance of gray granite. The design combined a practical walking surface with an appearance suited to the building.
Project Benefits: Accessibility, Drainage and a Better Balcony Surface
- Improved balcony access. The landing addressed the raised threshold condition and provided a more accessible transition for residents, including those using mobility aids.
- Drainage preserved. Custom channels aligned with the door system’s weep holes so that the existing water-drainage function could continue.
- Slip-resistant finish. A quartz-coated surface provided traction while maintaining a granite-like appearance.
- Recycled material. The landing substrate was made from 100% recycled tire rubber, putting recovered material to use in a building application.
- Added comfort. The original project account also described sound-reduction benefits associated with the rubber substrate.
Rather than treating drainage and accessibility as competing priorities, the project demonstrated how a site-specific landing design could address both.
What Architects and Multifamily Housing Teams Can Learn From This Project
Balcony and patio thresholds need to be evaluated as part of the entire door assembly—not as an isolated change in floor height. For projects with raised thresholds and built-in drainage, important design considerations include:
- Existing doorway conditions: Record threshold heights, door swing and available maneuvering space.
- Water-management details: Identify and verify weep-hole locations and the intended drainage path before selecting a landing layout.
- Landing configuration: Coordinate the surface and drainage-channel locations with the actual dimensions and constraints of the site.
- Applicable requirements: Review the accessibility and building standards that govern the particular property, occupancy and scope of work.
The Mary Helen Rogers project shows the value of collaboration among architects, contractors and accessibility-product specialists when standard threshold solutions are not sufficient.
Documented in Doors & Hardware Magazine
The project was featured in “Solving Threshold Height Problems,” a case study by Tim Vander Heiden published in the April 2013 issue of Doors & Hardware. The article documented the balcony threshold challenge, the field-coordinated drainage solution and the recycled-rubber landing design.
Frequently Asked Questions
A project-specific landing can be designed with channels aligned to the existing door weep holes. At Mary Helen Rogers Senior Community, the locations of those drainage openings were verified in the field so water could continue to move beneath the new landing surface.
The project used a custom EntryLevel™ Landing made from 100% recycled tire rubber. Its layout incorporated drainage channels, and its surface featured a quartz-coated, slip-resistant gray-granite appearance.
No. Accessibility compliance depends on the specific entrance, including threshold geometry, maneuvering clearances, door operation, the accessible route and the codes that apply to the project. Landing dimensions and configurations should be evaluated against those site-specific requirements.
SafePath Products® offers EntryLevel™ Landing configurations and supports project-specific accessibility needs. The Mary Helen Rogers case study illustrates how coordination with an architectural and construction team can help address challenging doorway conditions.
Discuss a Custom Balcony or Patio Accessibility Solution
If your project includes raised balcony thresholds, limited landing space or door drainage that must remain functional, SafePath Products® can help you explore suitable landing options. Share your door conditions and project requirements with our team to discuss the next steps.
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