ARCHITECTURAL FOCUS
BS 476 TO EN 1634-1
WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR DOOR HARDWARE ?
Daniel May of Consort Architectural Hardware discusses the proposed standard change from BS 476 to EN 1634-1 and the impact it may have on door hardware and the built environment should it pass .
Building regulations are designed to govern the methods and materials used throughout construction projects . For decades , modern regulations have developed to form a minimum standard and without them , many structures would be considered dangerous and risking the safety of their occupants .
Where fire safety is concerned , legislation plays a vital role in ensuring a building and its design elements will behave appropriately in a fire situation . For fire doors and their hardware specifically , the UK has been following a dual approach to performance classification until now , with the British Standard 476 :
22 ( BS 476 ) running concurrently with EN 1634-1 . Each assessment method is designed to grade doorsets between FD30 and FD240 depending on how long they can resist fire .
However , in December 2022 , the UK government proposed to remove national classifications from building regulations . In doing so , BS 476 would be removed from the updated Approved Document B in favour of its European equivalent , which is considered a more rigorous testing method . Although , with the change yet to come into force , many questions continue to surround the proposal . So , what are the implications of a move to EN 1634-1 and what does it all mean for fire door hardware ?
Daniel May of Consort Architectural Hardware explains :
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