Reports that the Americans with Disabilities Act is a Civil Rights law that in part defines the maximum allowable force required to open doors. This sector of the law affects HVAC design engineers, since the door-opening force relates to the pressure in the building. The force required to open non-fire-related interior doors is 5.0 lbs. Uses the retrofit of the HVAC system in a midwest office building to show how the lobby pressure was brought under control to comply with this act and what changes were made to the equipment to meet the ventilation requirements of ASHRAE Standard 62-1989.

KEYWORDS: year 1995, Buildings, doors, pressure, pressure difference, USA, legislation, standards, handicapped people, ventilation, offices, foyers