When a mob of people rushes an exit, it's very hard for somebody to open the door inward -- everyone pushes up against the door, and there is no room for it to open. For this reason, an effective emergency exit needs to open outward, moving with the force of the mob.
Safety Reasons
Many believe that doors which open outwards are safer as it allows for easier escape access.
Outward-Opening Doors Offer Advantages
Security is enhanced. A very high percentage of home invasions and burglaries begin with the intruder simply kicking in a door. That's virtually impossible when the door swings outward.
Florida has one of the most stringent building codes in the United States, as all exterior doors must open outward if you live in South Florida. Outward opening doors provide you with an added layer of protection, as an inward swinging door only has a latch and a deadbolt to prevent it from blowing into your home.
One of the reasons given for this is modesty, as it is easier to cover up before someone comes around an opening door. Another argument for inward-facing interior doors is safety. If your bedroom door opens onto a passageway with high traffic, you may knock someone over as they walk past.
The front door usually opens outward, which is opposite of in Western houses. This is because Japanese people do not wear shoes in the house, they take off and line up their shoes at the entrance. If the door opens inward, the shoes will be in the way and could cause you to be not able to open the door.
In older style doors, having the door open outwards would mean that the hinges would be on the outside. This would mean that the door could easily be unattached and opened by a burglar with the right tools. Whilst there are hinges that can be hidden in the door, it's become the norm to have them inward opening.
Two doors indicated that the house probably had more than one room, which was a real symbol of prosperity for the American pioneer class. This reason makes sense when you consider that many midcentury homes (and even today's houses) make a show of the number of garage doors attached to the dwelling.
If more than 25% of the windows and/or doors in a pre-Florida Building Code home are being replaced and the windows/doors are NOT impact glass, the windows/doors are required to have opening protection (such as shutters).
Exterior doors tend to open inwards for security reasons. For the door to open outwards, the hinge mechanism would be located on the outside of the home. However, any hinges located outside pose a big risk to your home's security.
A direct line of sight from the front to the back of a home is considered poor feng shui because with nothing to slow or redirect it, chi will rush straight from the front door out the back. This allows the energy, which might bring luck or money, to leave your home without circulating and bestowing its benefits.
Security – Reason #1:
However, it is now possible to purchase and have installed outward-opening doors that come with protected hinges. There is an increasing amount of different hinge types being introduced that are both secure and allow for the door to be opened outward.
Inward opening doors are generally regarded as safer because the hinges are on the inside, so no one can tamper with them.
Doors in all commercial establishments always open outward, per both commercial building and fire codes. This insures that means of egress will not become choke points in the event of fire, natural disaster, or general panic. Why don't all front doors open inward?
Security – inward-opening doors keep the door's hinges safely inside the house, which prevents any potential tampering, and can also be more easily fitted with extra security features such as latches and chains.
For safety in case of fire. It would be much easier to leave house or apartment.
Methods Of Egress
If a bedroom does not contain a door that opens to outside the house, it must contain a window that is at least 24 inches tall and 20 inches wide and has a minimum opening area of 5.7 square feet.
Florida Building Code Standards
Not more than 25 percent of the total roof area or roof section of any existing building or structure shall be repaired, replaced, or recovered in any 12-month period unless the entire roofing system or roof section is replaced to conform to requirements of this code.
Tint darkness for sedans:
Windshield: Non-reflective tint is allowed above the manufacturer's AS-1 line. Front Side windows: Must allow more than 28% of light in. Back Side windows: Must allow more than 15% of light in. Rear Window: Must allow more than 15% of light in.
A variety of reasons are offered for the “fashion” of having two front doors, and it is not only the Amish that did that. An entrance and an exit, to make it harder for “evil spirits” to get in.
A vestibule is a small, enclosed entry chamber that traditionally has served as a buffer in winter between indoors and outdoors, to trap air and minimize heat loss. Vestibules today also help keep air-conditioned air inside and hot air outside in summer.
Two Doors Were Better Than One
Neighborhood feuds go way back. If your 18th-century neighbor had one front door, why shouldn't you have two? According to The Spruce, double front doors were a sign that a home had multiple rooms, which was a sign of wealth.
No One Uses Their Front Door (But Everyone Has One)
“Front door” is a misnomer. They're just decorations to confuse out-of-state guests. No one uses them. You might be bewildered to see planters, barrels and all manner of seasonal landscaping placed squarely in the way of front doors.
Well, to put it simply, despite not appearing in any building regulations, all bathroom doors should swing inwards. And there are a number of very good reasons for this, which we'll get on to shortly. As you go about your daily life, you shouldn't ever encounter outward-swinging toilet doors.
According to The Irish Times, "A traditional half-door is really a door and a half – a full door that opens inwards and a half door set to the front of the frame that opens outwards." They were designed to keep poultry and pigs from entering the house, as well as allowing air and sunlight into the usually dark and ...