Specifying Accessible, Certified Doorsets For Retirement Living
The UK needs approximately 50,000 new senior housing units annually to meet growing demand. Designing these spaces requires door and ironmongery solutions that prioritise safety, accessibility, and aesthetics.
Doors must be simple to operate, comply with all relevant fire and building standards, and support residents in maintaining independence regardless of mobility or cognitive ability. As well as this, high acoustic performance, intuitive design, and durable, long-lasting finishes contribute to creating welcoming environments that promote wellbeing and preserve dignity.
Accessibility: Meeting the Needs of Residents
Retired living accommodations must accommodate for residents with a range of mobility needs, visual impairments or cognitive impairments. Therefore, it is important to consider inclusive design principles.
For example, wider door leaf sizes to allow easy access for those in wheelchairs. Anti ligature ironmongery to provide an extra layer of safety for vulnerable residents, especially those who may be living with dementia, depression, or other health challenges as well as door closers to make the door close slowly to allow people more time to pass through safely.
Regulatory Compliance: What Specifiers Need to Know
When designing retirement living accommodation, it’s essential to meet a range of key standards that ensure safety, comfort, and accessibility for residents.
Approved Document M of the Building Regulations sets the framework for inclusive access, covering door widths, circulation space, and ease of use for those with mobility challenges. Complementing this, BS 8300 provides detailed guidance on creating environments that promote independence and dignity, with features tailored to the needs of older and disabled people. Fire safety is also a priority, with Approved Document B and EN fire door requirements ensuring that doors and escape routes provide robust protection while remaining usable for residents.
Alongside this, acoustic standards help to minimise noise transfer and create a calm atmosphere, while security performance requirements, such as PAS 24 and Secured By Design, protect residents without compromising accessibility.
Dorplan’s PuraDor range offers a balance of aesthetics as well as compliance for any retired living projects.
Fire Door Compliance
Fire doors in retirement villages act as passive fire protection. This is a 24/7 safety system which operates continuously in the background without the need for human intervention. This is particularly important for retirement villages as fire doors protect life by compartmentalising fire and smoke and providing safe escape routes, particularly for those vulnerable residents who require additional evacuation time.
Fire Door performance is defined by fire resistant ratings such as FD30, FD60 and must be tested in accordance with BS 476-22 or BS EN 1634-1. Compliance not only depends on the door but also being installed correctly and ongoingly maintained. Crucially, third-party certification schemes such as BM TRADA Q-Mark and Certifire provide independent verification of performance, full traceability, and assurance that the doorset and its installation meet the required standards throughout its service life.
Dorplan have a expert team who have vast experience in retired living projects who would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively, you can book a meeting with a member of our team here!
We have a range of Retired Living Case Studies on our website – click here to read
