CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Chapter 5.4: Doors and Windows Part 1

Door - is an openable barrier

secured in a wall opening and
is provided to give access,
protection, safety and privacy to
the inside of a room of a building. It
serves as a connecting link
between the various internal
portions of a building.

Basically a door consists of two

parts
1. Door frame
2. Door shutter

Window - is a vented barrier

secured in a wall opening.

The function of a window is to:

o Admit light and air to the

building,
o Give a view to the outside,
o Provide insulation against heat
and
o Give a measure of resistance to
fire.

A window also consists of two parts

1. Window frame secured to
the wall opening with the
help of hold fasts
2. Window shutter held in position
by the window frame.

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega

CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Location of Doors and Windows

The following points should be kept in view while locating doors and windows.
1. The number of doors in a room should be kept minimum, since larger number of
doors cause obstruction, and consume more area in circulation.
2. The location of door should meet functional requirements of a room.
o It should not be located in the center of the length of a wall.
o A door should preferably be located near the corner of a room – nearly
20cm away from the corner.
3. If there are two doors in a room, the doors should preferably be located in
opposite walls facing each other, so as to provide good ventilation.
4. The size and number of windows should be decided on the basis of distribution of
light, control of ventilation, and privacy of the occupants.
5. The location of window should also meet the functional requirements of the room,
such as interior decoration, arrangement of furniture, etc.
6. A window should be located in opposite wall, facing a door or another window
for cross ventilation.
7. From the point of view of fresh air, a window should be located in the prevalent
direction of wind.
8. The sill of window should be located about 70-80 cm about the floor level of the
room.

Definition of Technical Terms

The following are the technical terms applied to doors and windows

Frame: It is an assembly of horizontal and vertical members, forming an enclosure, to

which the shutters are fixed.
Shutters: these are openable parts of a door or window. It is an assembly of styles,
panels and rails.
Head: this is the top or uppermost horizontal part of a frame.
Sill: this is the lowermost or bottom horizontal part of a window frame.
Horn: these are the horizontal projections of the head and sill of a frame to facilitate
the fixing of the frame on wall opening.
Style: the vertical outside member of the shutter of the door or window.
Top rail: this is the top most horizontal member of a shutter
Lock rail: The middle horizontal member of a door shutter, to which locking arrangement is
fixed.
Bottom rail: the lower most horizontal member of a shutter
Intermediate or cross rails: additional horizontal rails, fixed between the top and
bottom rails of a shutter
Panel: this is the area of shutter enclosed between the adjacent rails.
Mullion: vertical member of a frame, which is employed to sub- divide a window or
a door vertically.
Transom: Horizontal member of a frame, which is employed to subdivide a widow
opening horizontally.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Hold fasts: mild steel flats generally bent into Z shape, to fix or hold the frame to
the opening.

Size of Doors

The size of the door should be such that it would allow the movement of
largest object or tallest person likely to use the door. As a rule the height of a door should
not be less than 1.8m – 2.0m. The width of the door should be such that two
persons can pass through it walking shoulder to shoulder.

The common width height relations are:

1. Width = 0.4 to 0.6 height
2. Height = (width + 1.2) meters.

The following are the generally adopted size of doors for various type of buildings
Doors of residential building
1. External door: 0.9-1.2m width and 2-2.1m height
2. Internal door: 0.8-0.9m width and 2-2.1m height
3. Bath room & WC: 0.7-0.8m width and 2-2.1m height
4. Garages for cars: 2.25-2.4m width and 2-2.25m height

Door Frame

A door frame is an assembly of horizontal and vertical members forming an

enclosure, to which door shutters are fixed. The vertical members, one at each side, are
known as posts while the horizontal top member connecting the posts is called head. The
size of the frame is determined by allowing a clearance of 5mm to both the sides and the
top of the opening. The cross-sectional area of the posts and the head is generally kept

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

the same.

Door frames are made of the following materials:

a) Timber
b) Steel section
c) Aluminum sections
d) Concrete, and
e) Stone

Timber Door Frames

Timber frames are more commonly
used because they look much
better than the other materials,
and they can be polished, if
desired.

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega

CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Steel Door Frames

Steel door frames are

made of any of the
following sections
1. Single angle iron
2. Double angle iron
3. T- sections
4. Channel sections
formed from pressing
steel plates

Types of Doors

Doors commonly used in building are classified into the following types:
Classification Classification Classification based Classification based on
based on types based on working on method or manner arrangement of
of material used operation of construction components
Wooden doors Revolving doors Framed doors Battened and ledged doors
Glazed doors Sliding doors Glazed or sash doors Battened, ledged and
Plywood doors Swing doors Flush doors braced doors
Plastic doors Folding doors Louvered doors Battened, ledged and
Metal doors Collapsible doors Wire-gauged doors frame doors
Battened, ledged, braced
and framed doors.

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega

CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Classification based on types of material used

Wooden doors
 It may be either hollow core or solid core. They can as well be built up of small
individual pieces.
1. Solid core doors are used as exterior doors, in location where extremely
heavy service is anticipated.
2. Hollow-core doors are used for only interior applications.
 Wooden doors can take a good polish and can be given different types of
moulding to produce an attractive appearance.
 Unless properly seasoned, wooden doors are easily attacked by vermin especially
when in contact with walls built of mud masonry.

Glazed doors
 Glass is used in panels of doors to admit light.
 Colored glass, frosted glass and beaded glass can be used for ornamental
appearance.
 Steel framed door with a single, two or three glass panels are mainly used in
external doors for residential buildings and could also be used as internal
doors in offices.

Plywood doors
 The various types and quality products of plywood brought the use of plywood
skins over wooden frame works to the widespread use of the flush doors.
 Such doors are mainly used for internals.

Plastic doors
 Flush doors covered in high pressure melamine laminates are manufactured to fit
in specific openings.
 The plastic laminate is applied to both faces of the door and comes in wide
variety of colors and in many wood-grain patterns.
 Plastic laminate clad doors offer good resistance to impact and abrasion and
usually do not need refinishing for the life of the building.
 The surface resists stains and can be cleaned with soap and water or other
detergents.

Metal doors
 Steel and aluminum doors are most popularly used as metal doors.
 Aluminum has a shiny color, has light weight and provides attractive
appearance and costs more than steel doors.
 Steel doors are used practically for any type of door opening.
 Steel frame are produced in various depth and width to fit most
wall conditions.
 Metal doors are of the following types:
1. Mild steel sheet doors
2. Corrugated steel sheet doors
3. Hollow metal doors

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

4. Metal covered plywood doors.

Classification based on working operation

Revolving doors
 Revolving doors are provided in public buildings such as museums, libraries,
hotels, banks, etc. where there are constant visitors.
 Such a door provides entrance to one and exit to the other person simultaneously
and closes automatically when not in use.
 The door consists of a centrally placed mullion to which four radiating shutters are
attached.

Sliding doors
 The shutter can slide upward, downward or sideways.
 The shutter slides to the sides with the help of runners and guide rails.
 The door may have one two or even three shutters, depending upon the size of
the opening and space available on sides for sliding.

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega

CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega

CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Classification Based on Working Operation

Swing doors

The most common type of door movement is the swinging door either right or left,
depending on which side is the hinge. Swinging doors may be hinged at the side to open
and shut in one direction (single swings) or they may be double acting doors, which
swing in both ways (double swinging).

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega

CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega

CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Collapsible Steel Doors

Such doors are used in workshops, sheds, public buildings, etc. or providing increased
safety and protection to property. The door neither requires hinges, for opening and
closing, nor any frame for hanging them. It acts like a steel curtain which can be opened or
closed by horizontal push. It is even used in residential buildings where opening is large but
there is no enough space to accommodate leafed shutters.

Rolling steel shutter doors

These doors are commonly used for garages, shop fronts, show windows etc., since they are
quite strong and offer proper safety to the property. The door consists of a frame, a drum
and a shutter of thin steel plates (known as laths or slates) interlocked together.

Rolling shutters are of two types:

o Pull-push type shutters
o Mechanical gear type shutters.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Classification Based o n Method or Manner of Construction

Framed and paneled doors

These types of doors are widely used in almost all types of building since they are strong
and give better appearance. This door consists of a frame work of vertical members
(called styles) and horizontal members, called rails which are grooved along the inner edges
of the frame, to receive the panels.

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega

CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Glazed Doors or Sashed Doors

 They are provided where:

a) additional light is required to be admitted to the room through the door, or
b) Where the visibility of the interior of the room is required from adjacent
room.
 They are used in residential as well as public buildings like hospitals,
schools, colleges, etc.
 The doors may be either fully glazed, or they be partly glazed and partly
paneled.

Flush Doors

These doors consist of solid or semi-solid skeleton or core covered on both sides with
plywood, face veneers, etc. Presenting flush and joint- less surface. Flush doors are
becoming increasingly popular these days because of their:
o Pleasing appearance
o Simplicity of construction
o Less cost
o Better strength and durability

They are used both for residential as well as public and commercial buildings. Flush
doors are of two types:

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

o Solid core flash door or laminated core flash door.

o Hollow and cellular core flash door.

Solid core flush door or laminated core flush door

Such a door consists of the wooden frame consisting of styles, and top and bottom rails is
used for holding the core.

Hollow Core and Cellular Core Flush Door

A hollow core flush door consists of frame made up of styles, top rail, bottom rail
and minimum two intermediate rails. The inner space of the frame is provided with
equally spaced battens each of minimum 25 mm width. The area of the void is limited to
500 cm2.

A cellular core flush door consists of a frame of styles, top rail and bottom rail, with
the void space filled with equidistant battens of wood or ply wood. The battens are so
arranged that the total area of voids does not exceed 40% of the area of the
shutter.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Louvered Doors (Venetian Doors)

 Louvered doors permit free ventilation through them, and at the same time
maintain the privacy of the room.
 These doors are generally used for latrines and bath rooms of residential
and public buildings.
 The door may either be louvered to its full height, or it may be partly
louvered and partly paneled.
 The louvers are arranged at such an inclination that the vision is
obstructed while they permit the passage of air.
 Louvers may be either fixed or movable.
 Louvers may be made of either timber or glass or ply wood.

Wire gauged doors

 These types of doors are provided to check the entry of flies, mosquitoes, insects,
etc.
 Wire mesh is provided in the panels, and therefore, they permit free passage of air.
 Such doors are commonly used for refreshment rooms, hotels, cup boards
containing food and eatables, and sweet shops.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Classification Based on Arrangement of Components

Battened and Ledged Doors

This is the simplest type of door, especially suitable for narrow openings. It is formed of
vertical bonds, known as battens which are fixed together by horizontal supports known as
ledges.

Battened, ledged and braced doors

These doors are an improved form of the previous one in which additional inclined (or
diagonal) members called braces are provided.

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CEng 3093 – Building Construction

Battened, Ledged and Framed Doors

This door is also an improved form of simple battened and ledged door, in which frame
work for the shutter is provided in the form of two verticals, known as styles.

Battened, ledged, braced and framed doors

This is a modification of the above, with the provision of additional braces, provided
diagonally b/n the ledges to increase its strength, durability and appearance.

Prepared by: Engr. Lucia V. Ortega