Fire Safety
External doors may be required to be fire rated if they are on an escape route or near a property boundary.
Acoustics
A door used as the entrance to a flat will need to provide suitable levels of sound attenuation.
Ventilation
External doors and/or their frames may be required to contain a background (trickle) ventilator and external doors can contribute to purge ventilation areas.
Protection from falling
When a door opens near a stair there are restrictions limiting the way a door is permitted to block the flight or landings. If a door opens on to a change of level, such as a pair of doors opening on to a Juliet balcony the resultant opening will need to be protected by suitably designed and constructed guarding.
Conservation of Energy
External doorsets form part of the external envelope or façade of a building and heat loss through the doorset will be restricted due to specified levels of thermal transmittance (U-value).
Access to and the use of buildings
External doorsets that are considered to be the principal entrance to a dwelling will need to be fitted with an accessible threshold and will be required to open to specified widths.
Safety in Use
Any glazed areas in or near to an external door will need to be fitted with glass which should be in small panes or should be robust, so as not to break, or if it breaks, it should break safely.
