Australian housing design is constantly evolving. Our homes are more energy efficient, safer and offer more flexible living options than ever before. There is an exciting convergence between our lifestyle and the homes we live in.
The evolution of flush threshold door design to facilitate easier building ingress and egress is highly representative of these new practical and stylish design trends. Vantage® Windows and Doors is excited to offer a suite of flush threshold solutions for both residential and commercial applications.
A flush door threshold means there is zero variation in the floor level between the interior and exterior of the building. There is nothing to step over; there is no step up or step down.
Removing the need to step up, down or over a door threshold has a number of important advantages, including:
- Reducing slips, trips and falls
- Improving the home’s design towards indoor-outdoor living, and
- Improving accessibility for everyone, including people with walking aids or wheelchairs.
Having an accessible entrance is not just a requirement for people with limited mobility, it allows occupants the flexibility to age in their home with confidence. Older people (aged 65 or over) make up 71% of all slips, trips and falls that occur at home (Ozanne-Smith, 2008, p. 107).
The evolution of aesthetically appealing design now means flush thresholds are not just about looking good, but also offering genuine benefit to occupants, and form just one part of future-proofing your home’s design for current occupants or broadening your market appeal to potential tenants if you’re looking to invest.
So why don’t all doors have flush thresholds?
Traditionally, protection from wet weather has been realised by steps at door thresholds. The simple design of including a step prevents water ingress. Making the threshold level with the floor and removing this step, entails an alternative solution including, but not limited to, the introduction of drainage to provide weather protection.
The National Construction Code, governing building approvals and certification, requires that doors and drains do not allow stormwater to enter buildings in accordance with performance requirements particular to the building’s class. These performance requirements are satisfied for doors if they are designed and constructed to AS 2047 (NCC Vol 2 Part 3.6.0).
Recessing aluminium sliding door frames into a building’s concrete slab is the gold standard for attaining a weatherproof and flush solution.
Vantage Windows and Doors offer the perfect solution to this and it can be used with confidence as it is also fully tested and compliant with AS 2047. The AWS FlowTHRU™ drain, integrated with our sliding or bi-fold doors, could be the answer you’re looking for.
The advantages of using the AWS FlowTHRU™ drain with Vantage sliding or bi-fold doors include:
- Confidence in using the only fully tested threshold drain and door system in Australia
- Protection of flooring from water ingress across a flush door threshold
- Compliance with Australian and international standards for pedestrian, wheelchair, bicycle and walking aid use
- Stiletto heel safety – the slots are less than 6mm
- A high level of slip resistance.
