Communal entrance doors

Communal entrance doors are rated doorsets for the shared entrances of blocks of flats. They combine an LPS 1175 forced entry rating with access control and hardware built for constant daily use. ArxBridge supplies and installs them for residential blocks across the UK. They are the residential-block offering in the security range.

• LPS 1175Forced entry rated doorsets
• SR2 and SR3Common choices for blocks
• Access control readyIntegration with entry systems
• High-traffic hardwareBuilt for constant daily use

What communal entrance doors are

A communal entrance is the most used door in a residential block and the most attacked. It must admit residents and their visitors, work with the entry phone or fob system, survive constant cycling, and still resist forced entry when tested. These doorsets are engineered for all four at once.

The doorset is tested to LPS 1175 as a complete assembly: leaf, frame, locks, hinges and the access control furniture that forms part of it. The rating most often specified is SR2, with SR3 for blocks with a higher risk profile. The LPS 1175 guide explains what each rating resists.

Access control is part of the doorset. Readers, strikes and release buttons fitted after installation can break the rating. Specify the entry system with the door, not after it.

Choosing the right rating for communal entrance doors

SR2 covers the common threat: an intruder with hand tools working on the entrance while residents come and go. SR3 suits blocks with a history of targeted attack or with high-value common areas. The access control design matters as much as the rating: a propped-open SR3 door protects nothing.

How communal doorsets are built

The leaf is a steel doorset, often with a glazed vision panel so residents can see who is outside. Frames are deep steel sections anchored into the entrance structure. Because the door cycles hundreds of times a day, hinges, closers and pivots are heavy-duty and rated for the traffic as well as the test.

Locking combines a high-security cylinder with electric release for the entry system. The keep, strike and release are all inside the tested assembly. Anti-tamper features cover the common bypasses: protected cylinders, reinforced letterboxes where fitted, and no external handle that can be gripped and forced. Finishes are chosen for a residential setting, with powder coating in colours that suit the block.

Communal entrance doors with combined ratings

Fire ratings are frequent on communal entrances: the doorset is tested to EN 1634-1 and LPS 1175 as one assembly where the entrance sits on a compartment line (see fire rated steel doors). Where the block entrance opens onto a street with a vehicle threat, the door works behind rated gates or barriers at the boundary (see security gates).

Each combination needs its own test evidence. Name the fire rating and the security rating together at quote stage.

Where communal entrance doors are used

Housing blocks of every size use rated communal entrances: mansion blocks, tower blocks, mansion conversions and new-build apartment schemes (see residential and housing). Mixed-use developments rate the residential entrance separately from the commercial frontage. Estate refurbishment programmes replace failed timber or aluminium entrances with rated steel doorsets that carry the entry system with them. See also public spaces for entrance design in the surrounding realm.

What sets the cost and lead time for communal entrance doors

The entry system is the biggest variable: a simple fob reader costs and programmes differently from a video entry phone with concierge integration. The rating sets the steel content; SR3 costs more than SR2. Glazing for visibility adds attack-rated glass and its retention system.

Size and configuration follow: double leaf entrances for wide openings, single leaf for standard. Finish colour, marine-grade coating for coastal blocks, and the condition of the existing structural opening all play a part. Installation in an occupied block needs phasing and resident communication, which extends the programme. No prices are published; the quote follows the survey.

How to specify communal entrance doors

1. Name the rating. SR2 (B3) or SR3 (C5) to LPS 1175 for the entrance doorset.
2. Define the entry system. Fob, video, concierge: specified with the door, not after it.
3. Fix the configuration. Single or double leaf, glazed vision panels, opening sizes.
4. Set the fire need. State any E or EI minutes if the entrance is on a compartment line.
5. Survey the block. Structural opening, existing wiring routes and resident access during works.