WHAT IS A DOOR

A door is defined as a movable barrier , secured in an opening , known as a

door way through a building wall or partition for the purpose of providing
an access to the inside of a building or rooms of a building.
A door is held in position by a door frame , the members of which are
located at the sides and top of the opening or door way.
 HISTORY OF DOORS
The earliest in records are those represented in the paintings of
the Egyptian tombs, in which they are shown as single or double doors, each in
a single piece of wood. In Egypt, where the climate is intensely dry, there would
be no fear of their warping, but in other countries it would be necessary to
frame them, which according to Vitruvius (iv. 6.) was done with stiles (sea/si)
and rails (see: Frame and panel): the spaces enclosed being filled with panels
(tympana) let into grooves made in the stiles and rails. The stiles were the
vertical boards, one of which, tenoned or hinged, is known as the hanging stile,
the other as the middle or meeting stile. The horizontal cross pieces are the top
rail, bottom rail, and middle or intermediate rails. The most ancient doors were
in timber, those made for King Solomon's temple being in olive wood (I Kings vi.
31-35), which were carved and overlaid with gold. The doors dwelt upon
in Homer would appear to have been cased in silver or brass. Besides Olive
wood, elm, cedar, oak and cypress were used. A 5,000-year-old door has been
found by archaeologists in Switzerland.[2]

SOME TYPES OF ANCIENT DOORS

 LOCATION OF DOORS
• The designer or the planner should observe the folowing rules while deciding the location of
door

• The number of doors should be minimum for a room for better movement and for no
obstruction in the room
• From view point of utility of the accommodation and privacy of the occupants , doors ,
should preferably be located near the corner of a room
• The location , number and size of the windows are decided considering various factors
• From view point of good ventilation and free air circulation inside the room , the doors ,
should be located opposite walls facing each other
Plan of room with 3 doors Plan of room with 1 door

The above plans explain us how much its important to have

proper location of doors while constructing a house.
SIZES OF DOORS
Chart showing location and sizes of doors
DOORS IN PLAN
 DESIGN AND STYLE
• Many kinds of doors have specific names, depending on their purpose. The most common variety of door is
the single-leaf door which consists of a single rigid panel that fills the doorway. Many variations on this basic
design are possible, such as the double-leaf door ordouble doors and French windows that have two adjacent
independent panels hinged on each side of the doorway.
• A half door or Dutch door[7] or stable door is divided in half horizontally. Traditionally the top half can be opened
to allow a horse or other animal to be fed, while the bottom half remained closed to keep the animal inside. This
style of door has been adapted for homes.Saloon doors are a pair of lightweight swing doors often found
in public bars, and especially associated with the American west. Saloon doors, also known as cafe doors, often
use bidirectional hinges which close the door regardless of which direction it is opened by incorporating springs.
Saloon doors that only extend from knee-level to chest-level are known as batwing doors.
• A blind door, Gibb door, or jib door is a door with no visible trim or operable components. It is designed to blend
with the adjacent wall in all finishes, and visually to be a part of the wall, a disguised door.[8]
• A barn door is a door characteristic of a barn. They are often/always found on barns, and because of a barn's
immense size (often) doors are subsequently big for utility.
• A French door is a door style consisting of a frame around one or more transparent or translucent panels (called
lights or lites) that may be installed singly, in matching pairs, or even as series. A matching pair of these doors is
called a French window as it resembles a door-height casement window. When a pair of French doors is used as a
French window, the application does not generally include a central mullion (as do some casement window pairs),
thus allowing a wider unobstructed opening. The frame typically requires a weather strip at floor level and where
the doors meet to prevent water ingress. An espagnolette bolt may allow the head and foot of each door to be
secured in one movement. The slender window joinery maximizes light into the room and minimizes the visual
impact of the doorway joinery when considered externally. Often, the doors of a French
• A louvred door has fixed or movable wooden fins (often called slats or louvers) which permit open ventilation while
preserving privacy and preventing the passage of light to the interior. Being relatively weak structures, they are most
commonly used forwardrobes and drying rooms, where security is of less importance than good ventilation, although a very
similar structure is commonly used to form window shutters. Double louvred doors were introduced into Seagate, built in
Florida in 1929 by Gwendolyn and Powel Crosley, that provided the desired circulation of air with an added degree of privacy
in that it is impossible to see through the fins in any direction.
• A composite door is a single leaf door that can be solid or with glass, and is usually filled with high density foam. In the
United Kingdom, it is common for composite doors to be certified to BS PAS 23/24[9] and be compliant with Secured by
Design.
• A flush door is a completely smooth door, having plywood or MDF fixed over a light timber frame, the hollow parts of which
are often filled with a cardboard core material. Skins can also be made out of hardboards, the first of which was invented by
William H Mason in 1924. Called Masonite, its construction involved pressing and steaming wood chips into boards. Flush
doors are most commonly employed in the interior of a dwelling, although slightly more substantial versions are
occasionally used as exterior doors, especially within hotels and other buildings containing many independent dwellings.
• A moulded door has the same structure as that of flush door. The only difference is that the surface material is a moulded
skin made of MDF. Skins can also be made out of hardboards.
• A ledge and brace door is a door made from multiple vertical planks fixed together by two horizontal planks (the ledges) and
kept square by a diagonal plank (the brace).
• A wicket door is a pedestrian door built into a much larger door allowing access without requiring the opening of the larger
door. Examples might be found on the ceremonial door of a cathedral or in a large vehicle door in a garage or hangar.
• A bifold door is a door unit that has several sections, folding in pairs. Wood is the most common material, and doors may
also be metal or glass. Bifolds are most commonly made for closets, but may also be used as units between rooms.
• A sliding glass door, sometimes called an Arcadia door or a Patio door, is a door made of glass that slides open and
sometimes has a screen (a removable metal mesh that covers the door).
• Australian doors are a pair of plywood swinging doors often found in Australian public houses. These doors are generally red
or brown in color and bear a resemblance to the more formal doors found in other British Colonies' public houses.
• A false door is a wall decoration that looks like a door. In ancient Egyptian architecture, this was a common element in a
tomb, the false door representing a gate to the afterlife. They can also be found in the funerary architecture of the desert
tribes (e.g., Libyan Ghirza).
 A DECORATED DOOR IN SOUTH INDIA
A DOOR IN SOUTH INDIA

A DOOR IN RURAL PUNJAB FRENCH WINDOW DOOR U.K

TYPES OF MECHANISM
TECHNICAL TERMS IN DOOR
• TECHNICAL TERMS

• FRAME
• This consists of an assembly of horizontal and vertical members which are
placed among the top , sides and the bottom of an opening so as to form an
enclosure and act as a support for a door

• HEAD
• This is the top horizontal member of the frame.

• HORNS
• These are the horizontal projections of the top and bottom members of the
frame which are embedded into side walls

• SILLS
• This are horizontal bottom member of the frame which may or may not be
provided . The sill is generally not provided in door frame.
• HOLDFASTS
• These are mild steel flat bars of section 30mm x 6mm and length of 20cm ,
which are used to hold the frame in position

• JAMB
• This is vertical cross wall face of a door or window opening which supports
the frame and against which the shutters rest when they approach.

• REVEAL
• This is external jamb of a door openings which is at right angles to the face
of the wall.

• REBATE
• This is a cut or recess made inside a frame all round on one side into which
the door shutters are received by means of hinges.

• STILES OR STYLES
• These are vertical outside members of a shutter or framework.
• SHUTTTER
• A movable barrier consisting of a panelled assembly or otherwise which fits
into the frame is termed as a shutter.

• TOP RAIL
• This is the top most horizontal member of the shutter or frame work.

• LOCK RAIL
• This is the intermediate horizontal member of the shutter where locking
arrangement is provided.

• BOTTOM RAIL
• This is the lower most horizontal member of the shutter or frame work.

• PANEL
• This is the area which is enclosed between the rails.
RESIDENTIAL DOORS
VARIOUS TYPES OF
RESIDENTIAL DOORS
COMMERCIAL DOORS
VARIOUS TYPES OF COMMERCIAL DOORS
 DIFFERENT TYPES OF DOORS
BATTENED AND LEDGED DOOR
This is the simplest form of door which is frequently used for
narrow openings . The use of this type of door is prefered where
cost is main factor rather then the strength and material.
A detailed explanation of battened and ledged door with labelling of parts
BATTENED , LEDGED AND BRACED DOORS

This door is modification of battened door and ledged doors in which additional
diagonal members called braces are provided to increase its strength.

BATTENED,LEDGED,FRAMED AND BRACED DOORS

The door is the modification over the battened , ledged , and framed type in which
additional members known as braces have been added this type of doors are largely
used for external work.
Different type of battened, ledged, braced and framed doors
Plan , elevation and section of framed ledged braced and battened door
 FRAMED AND PANELLED DOORS

Frame-and-panel doors nearly always look pretty good. The reason is that
harmony automatically results from the construction: as you can see in the
drawings, all the lines follow the architecture of the frame. Nevertheless, if
you build without paying attention to proportions and details, while the door
might not run all the way to ugly, it probably won’t look its best. There are
many small decisions to be made, and getting them right is what makes a door
really pleasing to the eye.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF PANELLED DOORS
 FLUSH DOORS

A flush door is a completely smooth door,

having plywood or MDF fixed over a light timber
frame, the hollow parts of which are often filled with
a cardboard core material. Skins can also be made
out of hardboards, the first of which was invented by
William H Mason in 1924. Called Masonite, its
construction involved pressing and steaming wood
chips into boards. Flush doors are most commonly
employed in the interior of a dwelling, although
slightly more substantial versions are occasionally
used as exterior doors, especially within hotels and
other buildings containing many independent
dwellings
DETAILS OF GLAZED AND FLUSH DOOR
DIFFERENT TYPES OF GLAZED AND FLUSH DOOR
 GLAZED AND SASH DOORS

Sometimes the doors either fully glazed or partly glazed and

partly panelled are used to supplement the natural lighting
provided by windows or doors to make the interior visible
during day time this types of doors are known as glazed or
sash doors
 LOUVERED DOORS AND VENETIANED
DOORS

A louvred door has fixed or movable wooden fins (often

called slats or louvers) which permit open ventilation while
preserving privacy and preventing the passage of light to
the interior. Being relatively weak structures, they are most
commonly used forwardrobes and drying rooms, where
security is of less importance than good ventilation,
although a very similar structure is commonly used to
form window shutters. Double louvred doors were
introduced into Seagate, built in Florida in 1929 by
Gwendolyn and Powel Crosley, that provided the desired
circulation of air with an added degree of privacy in that it
is impossible to see through the fins in any direction.
Louvered doors
Different types of louvered doors
 WIRE GAUZED DOORS
These doors are used where it is desired to allow the free air into the
room but to avoid the nuisance of flies insects etc.. Such doors are
provided with a wire gauze therefore these types of doors are known
as wire gauzed doors
Wire gauzed doors
 COLLAPSIBLE STEEL DOORS

These door neither require hinges for opening or closing the

shutters nor any frame for hanging them these doors are
extensively used for main enterence of shops, garages,etc….
Collapsible steel doors
ROLLING STEEL SHUTTER DOORS

These doors are capable of being rolled up at the top easily

and cause no obstruction either in the openings or in the
floor space .
Details of rolling steel shutter
 REVOLVING DOORS
A revolving door has several wings or leaves,
generally four, radiating from a central shaft,
forming compartments that rotate about a
vertical axis. A revolving door allows people to
pass in both directions without colliding, and
forms an airlock maintaining a seal between
inside and out.
A pivot door, instead of hinges, is supported on
a bearing some distance away from the edge, so
that there is more or less of a gap on the pivot
side as well as the opening side. In some cases
the pivot is central, creating two equal
openings.
DETAILS OF REVOLVING DOORS
REVOLVING DOOR
 SWING DOORS
Most doors are hinged along one side to allow the door to
pivot away from the doorway in one direction but not in
the other. The axis of rotation is usually vertical. In some
cases, such as hinged garage doors, the axis may be
horizontal, above the door opening.
Doors can be hinged so that the axis of rotation is not in
the plane of the door to reduce the space required on the
side to which the door opens. This requires a mechanism
so that the axis of rotation is on the side other than that in
which the door opens. This is sometimes the case in trains
or airplanes, such as for the door to the toilet, which
opens inward.
A swing doors has special double-action hinges that allow
it to open either outwards or inwards, and is usually
sprung to keep it closed.
WORKING OF A SWING DOOR
 APPLICATIONS OF DOORS
Architectural doors have numerous general and specialized uses. Doors are
generally used to separate interior spaces (rooms, closets, etc.)
for privacy, convenience, security, and safety reasons. Doors are also used to
secure passages into a building from the exterior for reasons of safety
and climate control.
Doors also are applied in more specialized cases:
A trapdoor is a door that is oriented horizontally in a floor or ceiling, often
accessed via a ladder.
Blast-proof doors are constructed to allow access to a structure but also to
provide protection from the force of explosions.
A garden door is any door that opens to a garden or backyard. This term is
often used specifically for French windows, double French doors (with lites
instead of panels), in place of a sliding glass door. The term also may refer to
what is known as patio doors.
A jib door is a concealed door, whose surface reflects the moldings and
finishes of the wall. These were used in historic English houses, mainly as
servants' doors.
 BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
SHEETS DONE ON DOORS

TYPES OF DOORS AND MOULDING - SHEET 1

TYPES OF DOORS AND PANEL MOULDING - SHEET 2
BATTENED AND LEDGED DOORS - SHEET 3
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DOORS - SHEET 4
DIFFERENT TYPES OF DOORS – SHEET 5

THE END