Applications
Fire-rated doors for hospitals and schools
Trolleys, beds and cleaning carts hit corridor doors from both sides, and the leaf still has to close on its own. Hospitals and schools add a second demand on top of the traffic: the doors on an escape route and on some ward and classroom openings have to hold a rating. Sector rules set where a rated door is required; the ratings most commonly called for are 20, 45, 60 and 90 minutes.
Corridors that have to stay open and stay closed
An institutional corridor is used as a route, a waiting space and a service lane at the same time. The doors on it are propped open all day and then required to close as soon as an alarm sounds, which puts the load on the closer, the hinge set and the latch rather than on the frame. Where the opening also carries a rating, the leaf, frame and ironmongery have to work as one tested assembly.
That is the constraint a hospital or school specification is written around, and it is why the documentation matters as much as the section.
Four fire-rated lines for institutional openings
Adam Alux builds four fire-rated door lines: hotel, apartment, institutional and steel-faced. The institutional line is drawn as a single leaf and as an unequal double leaf, with a vision panel on part of the range for classroom and ward sightlines, and is aimed at classrooms, wards, treatment rooms and escape corridors. The apartment line covers flat and guest-room entries in the same rating band.
Leaves run over a B1 flame-retardant board with a honeycomb core, on a frame quoted to order. The rating band is labelled at 20, 45, 60 and 90 minutes. The build, the ironmongery and the certification documentation that applies to your assembly are confirmed against your project at quotation.
What corridor traffic does to a leaf
Sustained trolley and bed traffic wears out three things first: the closer, the latch and the leading edge. Concealed closers and fire-certified viewers and locks are drawn across the range, and the leaf core is a B1 flame-retardant board over a honeycomb core, which keeps the leaf light enough for a single-hand push without losing the build.
The automatic door bottom and the intumescent strip are specified together, because the strip only does its job if the leaf actually reaches the floor. Send the floor finish and the threshold detail and both are set in the quotation.
Closing, vision panels and ironmongery
Hardware on this work is not a finish decision. The schedule lists a concealed closer, a fire-certified viewer, a fire-certified electronic lock, a latch and a lever, and each item has to be the version that belongs to the rated build. Vision panels are drawn on part of the range and are placed to keep the sightline at a standing or seated eye height, which is what classroom and ward openings usually need.
Where a corridor needs an unequal double leaf, the two leaves are quoted as one set so the closing sequence is fixed before the frames arrive on site.
What ships with the quotation
The quotation carries the dimensional pack, PDF as standard with CAD on request, plus the ironmongery schedule for each door type and the frame detail for the wall construction you are building to. Leaf sizes, the leaf type and the rating band are listed per opening.
Sample profiles and a finished test door are available on request, which is the practical way to check a leaf weight, a vision panel position and a handle height against the people who use the corridor.
What to send to start
Send the door schedule with opening sizes, the wall type at each opening, the ratings those openings are held to, and the leaf finish direction. Add the corridor widths if the doors are double leaf, and the sightline requirement for classroom and ward openings.
For a phased project, price the escape cores first. They set the frame detail, and the room doors follow on the same schedule.
FAQ
Frequently asked
Which fire-rated line suits a hospital corridor?
The institutional line, drawn as a single leaf and as an unequal double leaf with a vision panel on part of the range, and aimed at classrooms, wards, treatment rooms and escape corridors. The apartment line covers flat and guest-room entries in the same rating band.
What ratings does the range cover?
The range is labelled at 20, 45, 60 and 90 minute bandings. Which band applies to an opening is fixed by the sector rules for that building, and the assembly documentation that supports it is confirmed against your project at quotation.
Can we see a leaf before ordering a floor?
Yes. Sample profiles and one finished test door are available on request. On institutional work the test leaf is normally used to check the closer strength, the vision panel position and the handle height against the trolley and bed traffic the corridor actually carries.
What ironmongery comes with an institutional leaf?
A concealed closer, a fire-certified viewer, a fire-certified electronic lock, a latch and a lever are drawn across the range, alongside an intumescent strip and an automatic door bottom. Items outside that list are quoted on request against the schedule.
Do you supply frames as well as leaves?
Yes, frames are quoted to order with the leaf sizes and the wall type at each opening. Send the wall construction detail with the schedule and the frame section is matched to it, so the door set arrives as one item rather than two.
Keep going
Related in the range
Send your opening schedule
Series, glazing and finish come back as one quotation, with the full dimensional pack on PDF and CAD on request.