L1 Doors
L1 Doors
Arches
Doors
Windows
Door
A door is a vertical leaf placed at an opening so as to allow different degrees of keeping the opening
closed.
The performance requirement for doors are usually similar to those of walls as the door forms part of the
enclosure similar in performance to the wall;
Weather exclusion
Thermal and sound insulation
Security
Operation
Fire resistance
Durability
Privacy
Fig 1
Types of doors
There are two main types of doors.
1. Unframed doors
These are doors without any framing along the outer edges. Apart from the glass door, they are usually
Weak doors
Poor in appearance and
Used in utility areas such as stores
Principles of construction
a. Suspension points forms the turning points. Arrows show the forces acting on the door.
b. Since the suspension points are rigid, the rest of the door becomes distorted.
c. Either the points must be made sufficiently strong or braces be included to resist the distortion.
a b c
Types
a. Ledged and Battened b. Ledged, braced and battened
Fig 2 Fig 3
a. Glass pivot
2. Framed doors
These are doors with framing all round and sometimes within the door making them stronger and more
secure than the unframed doors.
The framing also gives an opportunity for different designs to be created to suite any building style.
a. The framed, ledged, braced and battened
This is a stronger version of the unframed door and is suitable for use as an external door or within
internal partitioning. Fig 4
b. Paneled door
This is a door constructed with a series of rails and then infilled with solid timber or timber board panels.
The battening of the rails can be designed and so can the finishing of the panels giving it a wide range of
design possibilities.
For this reason, panel doors are used in situation where strength and appearance are required such as front
doors, offices etc.
fig 5
Paneled doors are described by the number of panels they contain and generally range from single panel
to six panel door, although if the size of the door permitted, any no of panels could be inserted and
arranged according to the wish of the designer.
It should be noted that in all types of the door, the stiles are continuous from top to bottom and that the
top, bottom, middle and intermediate rails are jointed into the stiles. The muntils are jointed into the rails.
Panels may be finished in a variety of ways. They may have simple or elaborate moulding or may be left
plain without mouldings.
c. Glazed door
This is similar to the panel door except that it incorporates the use of glass in the panels. Similarly,
different colours of glass will give you variety in design.
The door is weakened by the use of glass unless special security glass such as wired glass, toughened
glass or bullet proof glass is used.
The door however has the advantage of enabling visual contact where this is desired.
d. Flush door
There are three types of flush door named according to the solidity of their cores.
The skeleton core flush door, will usually consist of the extreme framing i.e. the stile, the top and bottom
rail and a mid or locking rail.
The semi solid core consists of several more intermediary rails making it slightly stronger while
The solid core flush door consists of a solid inner panel such as timber battens or block board.
The flush doors are usually faced with hardboard or plywood.
Facings of metals, decorative plastics, sheets and other materials can be used to formulate special purpose
doors. For example, to reduce sound transmission from one apartment to another or to provide a fire
check.
i ii iii iv
b. Sliding doors
These are doors that employ the use of a sliding track usually with rollers to allow the opening of the
door.
Usually the opening action is in one direction parallel to the door panel.
c. Folding doors
These are doors that use either hinges or a sliding mechanism or a combination of both in order to
produce a folding action.
They are convenient for use where openings are very large and the door leafs would be too big and too
heavy for the other mechanism.
Typical application are; warehouse doors, partition doors etc.
d. Revolving doors
This use a mechanism usually hanged at the top and at the bottom so as to facilitate a rotating action. The
point of pivoting is not usually at any of the door jambs so as to allow easy movement.
This type of mechanism is especially applicable to glass doors as it avoids contact with any of the
surrounding door jambs.
This are fancy doors with a high maintenance requirements and are used mainly in office building and
shopping malls.
Door framing
There are two main types of door surrounds
1. The door frame
2. The door lining
Door linings cover the whole of the door jamb as opposed to the door frames which are usually smaller
than the size of the surrounding jamb.
They may be fixed onto the surrounding jamb by use of a metal clamp that is fixed with cement into the
wall. They may also be bolted into a previously countersunk nut in the walling.
Another aspect that may vary is the door stop. This may be provided either by use of a planted stop which
is usually nailed onto the frame or lining.
Alternatively, the stop may be in the form of a rebate in the lining or frame. Where the lining or frame is
flush to the surrounding wall there will normally result an uneven joint.
This is concealed by use of an architrave which may be moulded for decorative purposes.
Windows
The main purpose of a window is to allow natural light to enter a building yet exclude wind, rain and
snow. It also provides ventilation if the glazed area is to open.
An openable light (a single glazed unit) of a window is called a sash or a casement).