IL: Measure to Backs of Chairs?

[Kacy]

I'm having trouble knowing whether to measure my 3' pathways to the backs of chairs or to the furniture blocked with them, i.e. conference tables or desks. I've seen people's practice vignettes doing both methods. It seems almost impossible to get the layout such that there is a 3' pathway around all chair backs. What is the recommended way to measure?

[Kacy]

Sorry for my premature question; I found some answers in previous posts:

FAQ from ARE forum:

For furniture with chairs attached, do I measure 3' from the desk/table or the back of the chair?
A. Depends on the layout. You can measure from the desk/table if there is nothing behind/beyond that must be reached. Otherwise, measure from the back of the chair in order to get past it.

sbyrktct's ARE help:

Min. clearance needed for exec desk:
- 36" from edge of desk to wall
- provide 36" from back of chair if there is furniture directly behind and facing the chair or if there is furniture beyond the desk that requires access past the chair

Min. clearance needed for conf table:
- Long sides: 36" from back of middle chair to wall (or furniture)
- One short side: 36" from back of chair to wall (or furniture)
- Opposite short side: 36" from table to wall (or 36" from back of chair to furniture)

[mwelch]

So conf rooms should always have 36" from the back of the chair, even if there's no furniture behind it?

[Kacy]

I interpret sbyrktct's post to mean that the conference table may be measured from the table to wall on one of the short sides, but 3 of 4 sides must be measured from the backs of chairs.

[Coach]

It's really simple. Provide an accessible path to everything.