Doors and Windows for Pre-Engineered Buildings

Every building needs openings for people, vehicles, goods and daylight. In a pre-engineered building these openings are designed into the structure from the start. Framed openings with jambs, headers and sills are positioned between girts and columns, and the loads from doors and wind are carried back into the frame.

Roll-up doors are common for loading docks, workshops and warehouses. They coil above the opening and save space inside. Sliding doors suit large openings in hangars, agricultural buildings and industrial halls, running on top tracks with bottom guides. Sectional doors, often insulated, are used where thermal performance and sealing matter. Personnel doors provide everyday access and emergency exits, and are supplied with frames, hardware and, where required, panic devices.

Windows bring light and views into offices, showrooms and work areas. They are fixed into framed openings with trims and flashings that keep water out, and can be selected for glazing type and thermal performance.

Door sizes, operation and wind loads must be confirmed at the design stage. Large doors affect the internal pressure in the building when open, and the structure around them must meet the deflection tolerance of the door system. The door supplier and project engineer coordinate these points.

World Steel supplies doors and windows as part of the building package, or provides framed openings for doors supplied by others. Sizes, operation, hardware and finishes are chosen for each project and the code that applies.

In a request for quotation, list each opening with its size, location, door or window type, operation, insulation needs, hardware and any fire rating. Openings to be supplied by others should be marked so that only the framing is included in the steel package.