“Developers would rather have the extra space in living rooms and bedrooms instead of bathrooms,” he said. “But we take it in stride.”

The Nordic, like other AKI rentals in Astoria, also uses pocket doors, which don’t get in the way when they open and close, and therefore meet wheelchair users’ needs.

Thresholds between doors have also gotten lower and smoother over the years, which is important to wheelchair users, as even an inch of wood could feel like a brick wall for a wheel trying to move across an apartment.

Eliminating thresholds might seem like an easy solution, but offering level floors throughout an apartment could be considered a luxury finish, because thresholds are often used to conceal ungainly seams.

The overlap between what is required for a tiny audience and what might appeal to a large one also plays out at Level BK, a gleaming rental on the East River in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The 41-story tower has taken a methodical approach as far as accessibility and adaptability goes, according to Douglaston Development.

Renters might notice, and perhaps wonder, why bathtub knobs aren’t centered over drains but are closer to one side. The positioning, required by a city disability law, is designed to allow people in wheelchairs to easily reach them, said Josh Young, a company director.

Stall showers, which are far easier to enter and exit, with no tub wall to get in the way, are not required under fair housing laws. But as it turns out, putting in hardware that allows a walk-in spritz might be good business. Stall showers are a regular feature in luxury buildings, often standing apart from the tub.