Building Construction I: Doors, Windows, Arches, and Lintels

Doors and Windows

Introduction to Doors

• A door is an openable barrier secured in a wall opening, providing access, protection, safety, and privacy to a room.
• A door consists of two parts: door frame and door shutter.

Location of Doors and Windows

• The number of doors in a room should be kept minimum to avoid obstruction and reduce circulation area.
• Doors should be located near the corner of a room, about 20cm away from the corner.
• If there are two doors in a room, they should be located in opposite walls, facing each other, to provide good ventilation.
• Windows should be located in opposite walls, facing a door or another window, to provide cross ventilation.

Technical Terms

• Frame: an assembly of horizontal and vertical members, forming an enclosure, to which the shutters are fixed.
• Shutters: openable parts of a door or window.
• Head: the top or uppermost horizontal part of a frame.
• Sill: the lowermost or bottom horizontal part of a window frame.
• 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 window opening horizontally.
• Post: The vertical member of a frame which is fixed to the wall.

Size of Doors

• The size of a door should be such that it allows the movement of the largest object or tallest person likely to use the door.
• The height of a door should not be less than 1.8m (1.8-2.10m).
• The width of a door should be such that two persons can pass through it walking shoulder to shoulder.
• The common width-height relations are:
  • Width = 0.4 to 0.6 height
  • Height = (width + 1.2) meters

Types of Doors

• Classification based on material used:
  • Wooden doors (solid core, hollow core, and built-up doors)
  • Glazed doors (admit light, with single, two, or three glass panels)
  • Plywood doors (used for internal applications)
  • Metal doors (steel, aluminum, or other materials)
• Classification based on working operation:
  • Revolving doors (used in public buildings, with automatic closure)
  • Sliding doors (with runners and guide rails)
  • Swing doors (hinged at the side, with single or double swing)
  • Collapsible doors (made of light steel sections, used for workshops and public buildings)
  • Folding doors (used for garages, shops, and other commercial buildings)

Windows

• The location of a window should meet the following functional requirements:
  • Interior decoration
  • Arrangement of furniture
  • Fresh air supply
  • Distribution of daylight
• Materials used for construction of windows:
  • Wood
  • Glass
  • Plywood
  • Metals
• The number of windows is decided upon:
  • Control of ventilation
  • Architectural requirement
  • Distribution and control of daylight
  • Privacy of the occupant

Window Frames and Technical Terms

• Mullion: vertical member of a frame, which is employed to sub-divide a window or a door vertically.
• Post: The vertical member of a frame which is fixed to the wall.
• Transom: Horizontal member of a frame, which is employed to subdivide a window opening horizontally.
• Sill: the lowermost or bottom horizontal part of a window frame.
• Head: the top or uppermost horizontal part of a frame.

Types of Window Movement

• Fixed type: The shutter is fixed and cannot move.
• Casement: The shutter opens towards outside or inside of the building.
• Awning (Top hinged): The shutter is hinged at the top and can be moved outside or inside.
• Hopper (Bottom hinged): The shutter is hinged at the bottom and can be moved inside or outside.
• Sliding: The shutter can move inside the walls horizontally or vertically.
• Double hung: One shutter goes up and the other moves down.
• Louvers (jalousie): have glass or wood louvers that pivot simultaneously in a common frame.
• Pivoting: have sashes that rotate 90o or 180o about a vertical or horizontal axis at or near their centers.

Glass and Glazing

• Glass is a super-cooled liquid, physically solid but uncrystallized, with sufficient viscosity to prevent the formation of crystals.
• Basic materials used in the manufacture of glass:
  • Sand (Silica)
  • Soda (Sodium Oxide)
  • Lime (Calcium Oxide)
• Types of glass used in construction of doors and windows:
  • Plate Glass
  • Clear Window Glass
  • Obscured Glass
  • Processed Glass
  • Wired Glass
  • Prism Glass
  • Active Glass
  • Quartz Glass
  • Bullet Proof Glass
  • Tinted and Coated Glass
  • Double Glazing