Whether you are specifying doors for a hospital, school, public building, commercial building, or residential development, of course they must perform to the necessary standard, but they don’t have to look plain and ordinary.
In this series of emails, we will explore the design options that are available to you when specifying your doors. We encourage you to think of your doors as a blank canvas, letting your creativity come to the fore. With a little imagination and some help from our experts, you can turn your performance doors into a unique design statement; doors that are striking and individual, whilst working in harmony with the rest of the building.
Function first
Before you can start on the design, it’s important to give some thought to the location of the door and the performance that is required. Here are some important questions you might need to consider:
- Do you need a vision panel?
- If so, does it need to be DDA compliant?
- Does the door need to be fire-rated?
- If so, does it need to be certified to 30, 60, 90 or 120-minutes?
- Does the door need to be frequently cleaned?
- Does the door need an antimicrobial finish?
- Does the door need to be water resistant?
The answers to these questions will help make sure the door is fit for purpose, but whatever the functional requirements might be, you can rest assured that there is always room for creativity in designing the finished door’s appearance, and our experienced team are always on hand to offer expert advice.
Vision panels
Vision panels are the windows that designed into the door leaf. They may be required as a safety feature, allowing people to see whether there is person or obstruction on the other side of the door before opening it. They can also be helpful in allowing natural light into a room. But function aside, vision panels can be used simply as a design statement too.
At Performance Doors, we have a standard range of six vision panels that satisfy the requirements of the mass market. But as all our doors and doorsets are bespoke and made to measure, our experienced team can work with you to design vision panels of different shapes and sizes that enhance the character of the door, whilst still meeting the necessary performance and certification requirements.
With a comprehensive range of glass options available including fire glass, acoustic glass, obscure glass, laminated glass, wired glass and even x-ray glass… and a range of integral blinds too, it is possible to specify vision panels without having to compromise on privacy, security or performance.
Next week we will continue this theme, taking a look at some of the different finishes that are available, and how with a little creativity your doors can become a unique design statement to be proud of.
Call the experienced team at Performance Doors for expert advice. We are fully operational after the pandemic lockdown, and welcome enquiries for fire doors, acoustic doors, hygiene doors, security doors, x-ray doors and more. Visit our website for more detail or contact us on 01244 551360 or enquiries@performancedoors.co.uk
01244 551360
performancedoors.co.uk
