Door Selection: The Ins and Outs, Part One

A door is just a door... unless you're an Architect!

An architect doesn't just draw a door on a plan. There are numerous considerations and decisions to be made:

1. Door locations. Some locations are obvious and relate directly to the Owner's needs. Locations of exit and egress doors are driven by Building and Fire Codes. The process of locating these doors is a complicated one and requires detailed study of the Codes, Amendments, building and site conditions and a lot of hair pulling. Should I ever run out of topics to discuss (Heaven forbid), I'll address these details later.
2. Door width. Doors must meet certain ADA (and state) accessibility standards.
3. Distance to adjoining wall or fixture, from strike side of the door. Again, doors must meet certain accessibility standards, depending on the approach, front or to either side.
4. Swing direction. Building and Fire Codes most often determine the direction of swing.
5. Door height. Consideration must be given to aligning horizontal elements on the buildings interior and exterior.
6. Door function. In addition to the swing door that we all think of, there are also sectional overhead, coiling, bi-fold and sliding doors.
7. Door finish. In a commercial building, swing doors are typically either aluminum and glass or solid core wood doors with a plastic laminate finish. Other door types might be hollow steel or aluminum. Occasionally, you will see a solid wood door with a natural (or stained) finish. Door finish usually depends on budget and durability.
8. Features. Certain doors require vision panels. Others might need louvers. The sizes and locations of these features depend on Building, Fire and Mechanical Codes, the ADA and aesthetics. Sometimes a hollow metal door will be required to be insulated. Glazing (glass) is required to be tempered in all doors, but insulated or tinted glass might be required by the Energy Code.
9. Fire Labels. Doors in fire walls must meet certain tests and standards. The manufacturer is required to emboss a label to these doors, to certify that the requirements have been met. Examples are A: 3 to 4 hour rated. B: 2 hour rated.
10. Frames: Door frames are typically either aluminum or hollow metal. Occasionally, a wood frame will be used with a (true) wood door. Different wall construction types influence frame types and sizes. Budget and durability, again however, play the major role in determining frame type, however (fire) labelled doors require labelled frames.
11. Hardware: Now this is where it really gets complicated. Hardware decisions include: Hinges (durability and frequency of use determine grade; height and weight determine quantity; door function determines offset; and non-removable pins are required at exterior or security doors). Closers (surface mounted or concealed, pounds of pressure required to open, plus hold-open time). Locksets and levers (function, style and accessibility). Panic Devices (concealed or flush). Flush Bolts (top and/or bottom, for pairs of doors) Push/Pull Plates. Kick Plates. Locks. Stops (wall or floor mounted). Wether stripping or sweeps. Sills. Silencers. Electric Openers. Style (there are thousands of styles out there!). And finish (brass, stainless steel, chrome, nickel, polished, satin... you get the picture).

To convey this information to the Owner, the Building Permit authorities and the General Contractor (bidders and sub-contractors), the Architect generates the following:

1. Dimensioned floor plan, locating doors and strike side requirements, with keyed numbers for following each door through the set of construction documents.
2. Elevations, interior and exterior, relating the door (type and swing) and frame to its surroundings.
3. Section details, head jamb and sill, that show how the door and frame fit into and over the specific wall and floor construction.
4. Door types, which are essentially elevations of the door and frame alone, with descriptions that include features, labelling, undercutting, louvers, R or U values and shading coefficients (for glazing).
5. Hardware sets, which are numbered and provide a description and list required for a single door or group of doors.
6. Door schedule, a table that lists each door by number, and references specifics related to each category I've listed here.
7. Door, frame and hardware specifications sections are printed within a book of specifications that pertain to the entire project. It is in these specifications, that the Architect verbally describes all that is reasonably expected. Typically, accepted manufacturers and model numbers are listed, as are the finish and durability requirements.

This concludes Part One of the Architect's Experience with Doors. The project is just now ready to go out for bids and to be submitted for permitting with the local (sweet, kind and altruistic) building officials.

Please stay tuned to later editions, as we discover what happens to our doors during approvals, permitting, bidding, construction and inspection!