“Safe, Secure and Accessible” - New Guides for Fire Door Ironmongery
The Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) has released updated guidance aimed at property owners, managers, and occupants, to help them ensure the safe, efficient, and effective functioning of their building hardware.
The GAI has made available free downloadable guides for end users, which provide maintenance recommendations and care instructions for relevant materials. Additionally, the guides offer checklists to assist end users in managing safety-critical products like fire doors, escape doors, and automatic doors. The initial two guides pertain to commercial properties and residential properties, while future guides will focus on the specific requirements of the education and healthcare sectors.
Simon Forrester, the CEO of GAI, emphasised the significance of architectural ironmongery in building maintenance costs, stating that although it typically constitutes less than 2% of the total cost of a new building, it can account for as much as 20% of the budget in certain sectors. Apart from contributing to a building's design aesthetics, properly functioning hardware is crucial for ongoing safety, security, and accessibility. Forrester emphasized that proper maintenance and management of building hardware are as important as the correct specification and installation.
The newly released end-user guides align with the government's proposed Responsible Actors Scheme (RAS), which is expected to become law in the summer of 2023. The RAS outlines increased responsibilities for residential developers concerning building safety. The Department of Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities has outlined the scheme's objectives, which include identifying residential buildings constructed or renovated over the past 30 years and addressing any known life-critical fire safety defects in these buildings. The scheme also involves reimbursing government schemes for taxpayer-funded remediation work, assisting the government in implementing remediation programs to ensure building safety.
In addition to property owners and managers, the GAI recommends that specifiers, installers, and all participants in the architectural ironmongery supply chain make the guides available to end users as part of their customer service processes.
Forrester further emphasised the importance of architectural ironmongery in the building lifecycle. He noted that it is essential to involve a Registered Architectural Ironmonger (RegAI) during the design stage to ensure the correct hardware is specified in compliance with the latest standards, regulations, legislation, and best practices. During construction, the hardware should be properly installed according to the manufacturer's instructions. With the release of these new guides, the GAI aims to provide post-handover individuals with the information and tools they need to fulfil their ongoing care and maintenance responsibilities.
Apart from the end user guides, the GAI also offers additional resources, including a glossary of architectural hardware terms, a door closer safety checklist, and market research on door hardware expenditure and maintenance costs.