Why do the entry doors to most homes open inward, while in most public buildings, the entry doors open outward?

Home Entry Door That is Opened Inward
A Home Entry Door That is Opened Inward ColorBlind / Getty Images
Key Takeaways
  • The entry doors to most homes open inward for security reasons. This way the hinge mechanism, which intruders could disassemble, remains inside the house.
  • In contrast, public buildings' doors open outward to facilitate quick and safe evacuation during emergencies, such as fires, by moving with the force of a crowd pushing against them.
  • Public exits feature concealed or protected hinges for added security, making these doors more costly to install and repair.

The basic doorway in your home has a very simple structure: A large board is attached to a frame using a few "pin" hinges. This design has a number of advantages -- it is easy to build, easy to install and easy to repair. Of course, it is also very easy to disassemble -- removing the hinge pins completely detaches the door from the frame.

While this might help you out a good deal as a homeowner -- you can remove the door in order to squeeze in an over-sized couch, for example -- it's not something you want to make accessible to intruders. For this reason, the hinge mechanism needs to be positioned inside the house. With a standard hinge design, this means the door will open inward.

Advertisement

Public buildings have the same security concerns, of course, but they also have to consider other safety factors. Unlike a private home, a public building is likely to have large numbers of people in it. In case of fire or other emergency, these people need to be evacuated as quickly and easily as possible.

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. This is also why a lot of emergency exits are built with wide "panic bars" instead of ordinary door knobs. The basic idea is to build the exit so even the most out-of-control mob will be able to escape.

To maintain perimeter security, public exits are typically built with concealed or protected hinges, which are much harder to detach than simple pin-hinges. These doors are more expensive to install and repair, making them impractical for residential use. And as long as you don't have an unruly mob living with you, these outward-opening doors don't offer any real advantage in your home.

Here are some interesting links:

Advertisement

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is it impractical to have an outward-opening door for residential use?
Designed for security in public buildings, outward-opening doors in homes are impractical due to the higher installation and repair costs associated with their specialized hinges,
How do inward-opening home doors contribute to household security?
Inward-opening doors prevent easy access to hinge mechanisms by potential intruders, making it harder for them to forcibly enter the home by removing the door.

Advertisement

Loading...