Using sliding doors to achieve flexible design

by arslan_ahmed | May 26, 2023 11:00 am

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By Tysen Gannon

Flexible design is a building trend that is here for the long-term. In general, buildings that can adapt to changes in users’ needs, whether sudden or foreseen, or can be repurposed often enjoy a longer lifespan than more stagnant architecture because they can shift in response to occupant need. While these modifications can happen years after a project is completed, they can also happen during the planning or construction stages. Further, adaptable buildings can support more sustainable construction practices by providing built environments that can be reimagined through the years. This reduces the ecological impact associated with demolition and a subsequent construction since the building can be modified easily to fit a new purpose.

Although flexible design can provide long-lasting solutions for most architectural projects, it provides several unique benefits for a health care facility. As the past few years have shown, a health care centre’s ability to quickly respond to shifts in patient and staff needs can have a substantial impact on patient outcomes as well as the general public’s health and well-being. In addition, as advances in technology change what type of health care is possible and where that health care can occur throughout a facility, flexible design can support the integration of said advances without having to drastically renovate an entire wing, floor, or building.

Given the number of codes and guidelines governing specifications within health care settings, it can be difficult to know how to mesh flexible design goals with code compliance. Though difficult, designing flexible health care facilities is possible—especially when architects look to specific elements that can support these goals, such as doors. Since doors occur repeatedly throughout a built environment and set a limit on what can be feasibly moved into or out of a room, they can be integral to flexible design in the health care sector and others.

How doors contribute to flexible design goals

One of the most common hindrances to flexible design in health care facilities is the width of their doors. How wide a door opens sets the parameters on what equipment (and which patients) can be moved into or out of a room. For instance, the minimum clear opening width for door openings in a Treatment Occupancy (Group B, Division 2) is 850 mm (33.5 in.) (NBC 3.3.3.4); for doors that must allow the passage of patient beds, the minimal width is 1,050 mm (41.3 in.). The discrepancy between these dimensions can limit how a room can be used in the future, since rooms with doors that are below the latter threshold cannot be repurposed for inpatient care.

Further, these minimum widths could also entirely prohibit the use of some mobile computerized tomography (CT) scanners or provide such a small tolerance that wheeling this medical equipment through the door opening would risk unintentional damage. In an ideal situation, door opening widths could be enlarged to accommodate a plethora of uses without consequence. However, spatial constraints and the efficient use thereof can directly impact the size of an opening. For example, large openings that use swing doors will need more generous clearance to account for swing arc trajectories. Not only might this be unfeasible in dense areas, but it might also make operation difficult for those mobility assistive devices.

All these considerations complicate specifying doors that can accommodate larger equipment and patient beds. In these instances, doors that support wider openings without sacrificing useable space to swing arc trajectories create a flexible space and ensure those rooms can be used for multiple purposes throughout the facility’s lifetime. This is especially true when the doors repeat throughout a building.

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The particular room use can also change the requirements a door must fulfil. Isolation rooms not only need to be sealed to reduce the spread of infectious diseases, but it is also recommended the doors and their operation work with air change systems for a more hygienic space. This includes gasketing that satisfies pressure tests and operation that reduces air turbulence into or out of a space. Likewise, it is important for inpatient room design to support rest and recuperation, including limiting the transfer of noise from common areas. Doors that satisfy both requirements can help health care facilities adapt to meet their patients’ ever-changing health needs.

These are just a few ways doors contribute to flexible design. More generally, doors that support the efficient use of space by eliminating or significantly reducing swing arc trajectories can help a project more readily accommodate flexible design principles while also increasing the useable space within it. Sliding doors can save up to 9 m²
(97 sf) per application and can be specified to fit the requirements of several different room uses. As such, they can be integral when planning a flexible health care facility.

Sliding doors can help maximize usable space for present and future needs

Sliding doors meet code requirements for doors that are not directly connected to paths of egress. They can also support flexibly designed buildings by avoiding swing arc trajectories. In doing so, this type of door assembly allows a far greater range of opening widths without having to sacrifice space to swing arc trajectories.

On the one hand, this helps current health care facilities by maximizing the amount of useable space. More usable space translates to effectively larger, more accommodating exam rooms. It can also allow more storage for necessary medical equipment. Both benefits improve patient experiences.

On the other hand, sliding doors can allow health care facilities to meet potential future needs by not limiting a room’s specific use. For example, because a door width can exceed the minimal requirements without impeding patient accessibility or an exam room’s ability to store necessary medical equipment, it could also allow the movement of larger equipment, expanding what care is possible within the space.

Likewise, because these doors can be retrofitted with gaskets and drop-down perimeter seals, should the need arise, they can meet pressurization requirements of isolation rooms, making it easier to create more of these areas should the need arise. These gaskets and seals also contribute to a sliding door system’s ability to provide premium acoustic performance—receiving a noise isolation class (NIC) rating of 39 and sound transmission class (STC) rating of 34. Whether stopping unwanted noise from entering a room or preventing it from escaping for higher levels of doctor-patient confidentiality, sliding doors can meet a range of requirements for greater flexibility of room-use. These doors can also be retrofitted with lead-linings, should the need arise, further increasing their ability to fit multiple applications. When rooms have the potential to be used for a variety of purposes, the overall flexibility of a building improves.

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In addition to standard sliding doors, customizations can also support flexible design within a health care facility. For instance, patient ability can vary greatly. One patient may be able to access a toilet room on their own while another may need staff assistance or assistive devices. When specified within a patient room, sliding door assemblies that can accommodate bed lifts—the mechanisms assistive, immobile, or partially mobile patients use to move through a room—remove barriers to accessibility for all patients, and allow greater flexibility in patient accommodation. When a patient room can meet the needs of many types of patients, it reduces pressure on medical staff to find appropriately designed rooms, which can lead to a quicker response time if there is a surge in inpatient care needs.

Codes to know

While it may be tempting to specify sliding doors throughout a building, it is important for architects and designers to know the relevant codes for their project—whether it is a health care facility or not. Like international codes and codes for other nations, Canada’s National Building Code (NBC) is a model building code. Every provincial or territory government reviews the code (and new editions) to decide how to adopt or modify it to best fit their jurisdictions. For this reason, design professionals are encouraged to speak with a local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) to clarify any uncertainties about what codes should be followed for a particular project.

According to the NBC, doors that open into a corridor that provides access to paths of egress are required to either swing on a vertical access or be designed to swing when pressure is applied. The latter are often called break-out doors. Doors that can only slide do not meet these requirements and, therefore, cannot be used in applications connected to exit corridors—other than storage suites in warehouse buildings that are no more than 28 m² (301.3 sf).

Although this limits some places where sliding doors can be used, it does not preclude their use entirely. Further, there are other door types that meet exit path requirements without completely sacrificing the benefits of sliding doors, such as swing doors with unequal leaves.

Using unequal swing doors to ensure corridor access

In areas that prohibit the use of slide-only doors, architects still have door options that meet code and contribute to flexible design. Although some sliding doors offer break-out features, architects can also look to swing doors with unequal leaves to ensure openings wide enough to accommodate the movement of larger equipment and patient beds without having to dedicate space for an above-average swing arc clearance during everyday use.

Unequal swing doors often have a leaf that satisfies, or exceeds, minimum opening requirements to allow everyday operation without excessively large swing arcs and approach clearances. In this way, they operate like a normal swing door—allowing the same degree of accessibility that another swing door option may have. However, when medical staff need to increase the opening width, they can engage the smaller secondary leaf. This leaf can increase the opening size by up to 914 mm (36 in.). With both leaves open, health care providers can more easily adapt a space to changing patient needs and the latest technological advancements in medicine.

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Since these doors can satisfy exit pathway door requirements as listed in the NBC while still allowing the spaces on either side to maintain a level of adaptability, they can be a worthwhile solution where opening width flexibility is desirable, but slide-only doors are prohibited due to code requirements.

Sidelining installation and maintenance issues while maintaining flexibility

Different code requirements by space and room use may increase the likelihood that a variety of door systems will be specified throughout a health care facility. While this, in and of itself, may not cause a building planner a large degree of trouble, it may cause complications for installation and maintenance crews.

Door and door hardware, as well as lead times, can vary depending on door type and manufacturer. Learning the intricacies of multiple door installation protocols as well knowing when to order various door systems can slow down construction timelines and delay openings. Additionally, manufacturers may supply their own field technicians to supervise subcontractors. Having multiple technicians could also lead to confusion and scheduling issues.

After a facility has opened, having doors from several manufacturers may complicate routine maintenance and replacement. Not only do the variances between hardware and other components steepen the learning curve on door maintenance, but they can also lead to costly mistakes. Door durability is often tested in cycles, (i.e. a door can be said to perform as intended up to a certain number of open-and-close cycles.) This number can range from 25,000 to well over one million cycles. Since these tests can involve parts that are difficult to observe, it may not be obvious which doors need repair or replacing and which are still viable. An inaccurate assessment of one door system for another could result in unnecessary maintenance.

For these reasons and more, it is important for building designers to consider how door systems from multiple manufacturers may affect the construction and end-use of a project—especially when flexibility is central to the design. Architects and designers who work with a manufacturer on a variety of door systems can satisfy critical fire- and life-safety requirements without overcomplicating installation and maintenance protocols. When these doors also contribute to flexible design, they can fulfil a project’s present needs without limiting its potential to adapt in the future.

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Tysen Gannon, LEED AP, with AD Systems has more than 15 years of experience in the architectural products industry, including roles in sales, product management, research, and marketing, with a focus on glass and glazing, fenestration, and facade systems.

Source URL: https://www.constructioncanada.net/using-sliding-doors-to-achieve-flexible-design/

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