Fire doors. A consideration based as much on design as building regulations that will be used daily during the life of a building. They are not always a hot topic of conversation, but I would really like to get your thoughts on them.

While design will of course be foremost in your mind and a fire door spends most of its life as just a door, we need to remember it is also a crucial safety device. There is often a lack of understanding of fire doors and how they work, even amongst those responsible for specifying, buying or installing them. You have the power to prevent decisions that might be based on cost, rather than safety, being taken further down the line.

It would be great to hear the architectural perspective on fire doors. How much consideration do you give them? What are your thoughts on fire door safety? How do fire regulations affect your design decisions? Do you have any particular fire door experiences, or do you not give them much thought at all?

I work with BWF-CERTIFIRE, a scheme whose aim is to increase the standards of all fire doors in the UK. Your opinion and thoughts really would be invaluable, and if you want to hear any more about the scheme, please do of course let me know.

Thanks for your time,

Stefan