When designing a commercial building, planners, engineers, and contractors have to put a plethora of factors into consideration. They’ll usually factor in elements like the building’s proximity to other structures, ease of access by customers and employees/owners, fire emergencies, utilities, and pretty much more. Sticking with the ease of access, the doors will be somewhere at the top of priorities.
So, whether you’re renovating a commercial building or having a new one constructed for your business, you have a good reason to keep reading.
Here are five important design considerations for the doors in a business building.
1) Safety and Security
Safety and security are among the most important factors to consider when choosing or designing commercial buildings’ doors. Of course – as we’ve seen with many banks, the right entrance door for your business can be made from a material like glass and still be extremely difficult for bandits, burglars, and even bullets to penetrate; all while still being ADA-compliant.
But can the same material be used for the bank safe? The answer is a BIG NO! Security and safety are among the most crucial design elements to consider for commercial building doors.
Some security enhancement features used in modern-day commercial doors include:
- Passcodes and Pin Combinations
- Biometric Scanners
- Smart Locks and High-Security Locks
- Traditional Grilles
2) Ease of Installation and Operation
As much as business owners will need a secure and convenient, easy-to-operate door, they might as well shy away from renting or buying a business premise whose doors require hiring an expert from abroad just to install or replace one or two doors within the facility.
After all, the business world is more about keeping a keen eye on what’s affecting your bottom line!
This is one of the various reasons why commercial building planners, designers, and contractors, as well as door manufacturers, consider the ease of door installation from the word Go.
3) Ease of Operation
Of course, one of the key factors to consider when choosing a door is its ease of operation. A well-designed and properly fitting door should be easy to operate, whether it opens sideways, inward, outward, or upward. When designing doors and doorways for commercial buildings, the ease of operation has to be put into consideration regardless of the main purpose of the door or where it is installed.
No one wants to spend more than a few seconds, minutes, or tons of energy trying to gain access to an office or close down their business at the end of the day – it’s not convenient! This is not to mention that a stuck door could cause finger injuries and other forms of bodily harm.
By keeping this in mind, designers and builders can ensure doorway and door design allows for easy operation, to make the lives of the business owner, their employees, and customers easy.
4) Door Shape and Size
Doors are not just designed anyhow, manufactured, and sold. Shape and size considerations are crucial. While it’s possible for a landlord or business owner to make custom orders when choosing commercial doors, some shape and size standards exist for commercial premise doors. Most of them are rectangular, often measuring 36-in by 80-in – Width X Height for main entrances and exits.
5) How Will Heavy Doors Be Opened?
A business building may have several doors, which may open either inward or outward for the various rooms of the building. In most cases, the front doors and exits will open outward, whereas the doors to individual offices or rooms will open inwards.
On the other hand, garage doors will often open upwards if not sideways, and in this case, remote-controlled or automatic garage door openers are highly beneficial.
For business buildings with a significant amount of traffic in and out of the garage, installing commercial door operators can help save time and energy while improving convenience, safety, and security for the business and those accessing the facility.
The above is just a small fraction of the different design factors and considerations considered as far as commercial building doors are concerned. Having them in mind can go a long way in ensuring your business or your client's commercial building offers convenience, safety, and savings, among other benefits.
