Why is it that whenever a building has two doors, side by side, one of them is always locked?
are you talking about a specific kind of building? because the one where i work at, both doors are always open. both doors at the supermarket are always open. and both doors at my college are always open.
I think I know what you mean Lask. This has bothered me too, but I think the second door is reserved for a just-in-case-there’s-something-too-big-to-fit-through-the-first-door situation.
Selective memory. On most buildings, both or all doors are open. You only remember the instances where you try to open one and got annoyed that only the other one was open.
Why one of them is locked in those few instances, I have no idea. I’ve seen it happen, but they are usually in small non-public buildings (private offices) and I just assumed that whoever locks and unlocks the doors was lazy.
The real reason is that in smaller buildings, without revolving doors which are the most efficient, one door is locked to keep in the cold/hot air. The more doors that are open, the more climate controlled air escapes and the higher the bill for the landlord.
The answer is in fact, cheap people.
I once worked at a gas station where one of our doors was broken and would not open. The owners were so cheap that they would not repair it.
Mostly ocurs in small, family owned businesses where they owner is too lazy or cheap to fix things.
“All men spoke of his prowess…except for a couple of people in his home village who though he was a liar, and quite a lot of other people who had never really heard of him.” -Terry Prachett - The Light Fantastic
Lazy people. On double doors, one door has latches at the top and bottom which lock the door to the ceiling and floor. The other door, the one with the key lock, locks to the other door. Having one door locked to the ceiling and floor prevents people from just pushing both doors, letting the lock slip out.
Opening one door is easy, you use a key. The other door has the latches on the ends of the door. These stick, and you often need a screwdriver to open them. The people opening the door don’t bother unlocking them unless they have to.
I thought the reason was just a little more practical - it is nearly impossible to to lock those double doors securely - just push in or out and they will open if locked.
Having one side of the double doors “locked” in place will prevent the doors from just bowing in or out when pushed, making the doors more secure. At least as secure as a single door.
After that it is probably just left with one door functional so the person who locks up won’t forget to set the “special” side before locking up.
They do look rather grand as front doors to ordinary homes and as openings to dining or front rooms.
Are you driving with your eyes open or are you using The Force? - A. Foley
Thanks folks, you’ve all been really helpful.
I think Jois is the closest on this. In places where exit capacity and security are both big concerns, you typically see the double doors separated by an astragal (the post in the middle) which is sometimes removable if you need to drive a car into the mall atrium, for example.
If the fire code requires a certain number of doors, all those doors are required to be easily openable from inside (and to swing to the outside) while the building is occupied. If they are lockable at all, then a sign to that effect is posted on the door to remind the security guys that they’re breaking the law.
In any pair of doors without an astragal, the latching is more complex and the door frame both less rigid and more exacting - factors which make locking/unlocking and maintenance more difficult.