A decision guide for atriums, retail fronts, shafts and corridors - based on opening size and architectural intent.
Doors excel at personnel openings
Corridors, plant rooms and shaft lobbies are natural fire door applications. They provide latching, insulation options and familiar hardware.
Curtains excel at long openings
When openings exceed practical door widths - atriums, exhibition fronts, retail malls - automatic fire curtains deliver integrity while staying concealed until alarm.
Hybrid strategies
Most large projects use both: doors on cores, curtains on architectural openings. The fire strategy should define interfaces with smoke control and detection.
Written by BÖLDT Technical Team
