A new guide on architectural ironmongery and security has been launched for architects and specifiers. The Specifier’s Guide to Ironmongery and Security is one of five guides created by the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers (GAI) for anyone involved in the specification of architectural ironmongery, best practice advice. All of the guides you can download free from the GAI website.
Douglas Masterson, technical manager at the GAI, said: “We have produced these guides to ensure that all construction industry professionals have access to comprehensive guidelines and best practice covering all aspects of architectural ironmongery. We recognise that specifying architectural ironmongery can be complex, so we’ve pulled together all of the information a specifier will need to ensure the hardware is not only compliant but also performs as expected and suits the environment it is being used in.”
The Specifier’s Guide is for specifiers to navigate security issues relating to doors. It covers mortice locks, including a breakdown of the main types of mortice locks and where they can be used. It also includes the shapes of cylinders and how they work within a master key system, and electronic locks that can be used as part of an access control system. It looks at PAS 24, Approved Document Q, relevant British and European Standards, and industry certification schemes. The guide has been endorsed by Secured by Design, the official UK police security initiative.
Kenny McHugh, Secured by Design Senior Development Officer, said: “The GAI Specifier’s Guide to Ironmongery and Security is an excellent document and will be an invaluable ‘go-to guide’ for Police Crime Prevention and Designing out Crime officers. These officers play a crucial role, working with architects, developers and contractors to ensure that appropriate guidance is given around how the correct specification of door and window ironmongery hardware can help in respect of security issues in a building.”
Also, The Specifier’s Guide to Access Control offers an overview of the role of access control, covering how to specify access products and systems. It contains the questions that need to be asked when specifying an access system, and the order that access control product should be specified in a building. A checklist is for reviewing the system that is being specified.
The other guides cover fire and escape doors, accessibility and specialist applications.
