Door Industry Journal - Summer 2016

Also online at: www.dijonline.co.uk 102 THE door industry journal summer 2016 building hardware feature DAD has the Answers to Approved Document Q The new Approved Document Q, which took effect in October 2015, requires that, in new build residential developments in England and Wales, reasonable provision is made to resist unauthorised access to new dwellings. This clearly has implications for door and window design – and the hardware that is fitted on them, specifically with regards to letter plates. Mailbox specialist DAD describes what Approved Document Q (ADQ) means for mail delivery. ADQ sets out very clearly how doors and windows should be designed to resist physical attack by a casual or opportunist burglar by being sufficiently robust and fitted with appropriate hardware. The new document stipulates that doors should be “doorsets” – that is, assembled on site or delivered as a complete assembly, consisting of the door frame, door leaf or leaves, essential hardware and any integral side panel or fanlight. It also gives guidance on the design of letter plates, door viewers and door frames and the fitting of multipoint locking systems. Windows should be secure and frames should be mechanically fixed to the structure of the building. In short, all new doors and windows should be made to a design that has been shown, by test, to meet the security requirements of PAS24:2012, or other standards that exceed or meet this standard.