Doors and the way they open

[David G.]

Whether or not the door opens in or out does not matter to me. It's the revolving doors that really get to me.

 

[Counterfit]

Your nickname is now Dr. Frankenstein.
(That's Frahnken-steen)


But yeah, an outside door opening outwards would leave bolts and hinges exposed to whoever wanted entry. Not good for homes. An outside door opening inwards is awkward in emergencies. Not good for public spaces.

 

[bartelby]

I was trying to figure out why this thread has been resurrected. Then I saw the other threads and the resurrecter's sig...

 

[R94N]

Yay for resurrected threads! I had completely missed this one before, possibly because I wasn't even registered here then

 

[Gregg2]

But yeah, an outside door opening outwards would leave bolts and hinges exposed to whoever wanted entry. Not good for homes. An outside door opening inwards is awkward in emergencies. Not good for public spaces.

There is hardware for doors opening out so that removal of the hinges will not allow removal of the door(s). It involves sturdy "studs" attached to the hinged edge of the door which fit into recessed holes in the door jamb, and other things for double doors.

While I didn't read page 2, on page 1 a few people brought up the problem of outswinging doors hitting unsuspecting visitors or passers by. Well, the simple solution for that is to set the doors back into an alcove. This is how virtually all school classroom doors are installed in the US.

But yeah, in public buildings doors to the exterior and doors serving large gathering spaces swing out. (such as a classroom - I think the limit is 50 people, but I'd have to look it up) In a stairway with no direct exit to the outside, the exit level door swings out into the hallway or lobby. All other stairway doors on the levels above and below the exit level swing into the stair, as that is the direction of exiting.

 

[Gdon]

When we were building our house we had some brochures from a number of timber frame companies and I noticed that the Scandinavian ones typically had exterior doors that opened outwards which, they said, was in response to the climate.

But, as you say, Evangelion, it would have a security advantage too though probably not the reason for it in Scandinavian countries. Don't think the crime rate there is that high. [Wonder if that's because it's hardly ever dark in the summer and in the winter it's too flipping cold!]

[doublepost=1480979946][/doublepost]It has a safety aspect: Outer doors open outward because it makes vacating easier in case of fires. Bathroom doors in Norway open inward to make it easier to enter them in case somebody gets locked in.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

[doublepost=1480979946][/doublepost]It has a safety aspect: Outer doors open outward because it makes vacating easier in case of fires. Bathroom doors in Norway open inward to make it easier to enter them in case somebody gets locked in.

That makes a lot of sense, but I suspect that the original intention behind the design - that of private rooms opening inwards, and - perhaps - some with a more public purpose to the design (prison doors fro example) opening outwards, has also influenced this.

Then, there are those (in hospitals, for example) that may open both ways.

 

[twietee]

Yes, in Germany (and I guess a couple of other countries too) there is a codex applicable for how doors have to work in buildings. Not only public ones too. Rule of thumb: every door has to open into the direction people are supposed to flee in cases of emergency (not only the outdoor doors but every single one in that sequence). There are exceptions to this of course.

Bathroom doors for older/handicapped people (in general those that are designed to be used with a wheelchair) should open outwards since it could be difficult to open the door in a case of emergency with an unconscious person lying in front of the door. The same goes for entries to e.g. tech-rooms because of the same reasoning.

edit: I always wonder how those extremely old threads get ressurected (even twice in this case )..

 

[LizKat]

Bathroom doors in Norway open inward to make it easier to enter them in case somebody gets locked in.

I once spent almost an hour cursing the fact that my bathroom door opens inward.

On that occasion I discovered that my folding clothes rack, carelessly left set on end on the floor and leaning against the vanity, would almost exactly take up the space between the vanity and the closed bathroom door if the rack happened to fall forward towards that door as one was leaving that bathroom. And, that's what happened. I tossed a towel onto the curtain rod of the shower but it missed and fell onto onto the clothes rack, which then fell towards the door just after I pulled it open and was leaving. I was startled to hear the door shut behind me. And I was really pissed off when I realized what had happened because I could visualize where that rack had ended up...

So trying to get back in there seemed hopeless. I could get the door back open only a tad more than an inch. The only reason I didn't have to get that door kicked down in the end was because there's a 1.5" space under the door, big enough to get a long kitchen spatula under it.

It took a hour experimenting with different ways of manipulating the rack to get it up off the floor and nudged sideways until I could just pinch a corner of it though that crack in the door and finally lift it up enough to flip it backwards towards the vanity again. You can bet I never took that clothes rack in there again, even though it had been convenient to set it in the tub and dry laundry on it in the winter. Every time I'm tempted, I imagine having to trudge out behind the woodshed to use "the natural facilities" while waiting for a neighbor to come kick that door down for me..

 

[Gregg2]

[doublepost=1480979946][/doublepost] Bathroom doors in Norway open inward to make it easier to enter them in case somebody gets locked in.

If the door opens out into the hallway, the hinge pins are on the outside. Get a hammer and Phillips screwdriver and pound 'em out. Doesn't matter now if the door is locked.

 

[Tech198]

Why do doors in different countries open in different directions? At least in USA doors open towards the inside, whereas in Finland they open to the outside?

Common sense suggests that doors that open outside are a lot harder to kick open, since it would be the frame of the door that absorbs the hit, in addition to any locks and bolts that might be present. Whereas door that open to the inside would have to rely on the bolts alone. Now, that may or may not be relevant to everyday-situations but still.

Is there any reason, historical or otherwise why doors open the way they do?

Perhaps it's due to which side of the door your looking at..

Here in Australia our doors open inwards if we are standing on the inside.