Clearly naming the opening direction of doors
When planning the doors in a house or an apartment, clearly naming the opening direction is of decisive importance. The German Industrial Standard (DIN) 107 exists for this purpose. Using the designations DIN right and DIN left, it precisely governs how the opening direction can be clearly described and passed on between the various parties involved in planning and construction. The provisions of DIN 107 apply with identical content to Austria and Switzerland as well. In Austria the standard designation is ÖNORM B 5328, which does not differ in content from the DIN. In Switzerland the DIN is used.
It all comes down to your standpoint
In order to assign right and left clearly, the viewing position must first be clearly established. In this case, this is the side of a door from which the hinges can be seen when the door is closed. If the hinges are concealed – for example as burglary protection on outward-opening external doors – one can also define it as follows: the observation position is the side of the door from which I open it by pulling. Once the observation position has been clarified, the door can now be examined. If I see the hinges on the left-hand side, then it is a DIN left door. If they are fitted on the right, then it is a DIN right door. If the hinges are concealed, the pivot point around which the door turns must be used instead. This does not change the designation. If the pivot point is on the left, the door is DIN left; if it is on the right, the door is DIN right.
Different terms for the concept of "opening direction"
The term opening direction is rather confusing for laypeople, because if you stand on the "correct" defined side, a DIN left door opens to the right, since that is where the door handle and door lock are fitted. It is similar with the term swing direction. The term hinging direction is actually better, because there the nomenclature and the DIN agree. The door is fixed to the door frame by the hinges, that is, it is "hung", and if these hinges are on the left, it is a DIN left door. If they are on the right, it is a DIN right door. So take care: all three terms – opening direction, hinging direction and swing direction – are used interchangeably, even though they imply different things.
Additional information: opening outward or inward
In addition to the opening direction, for doors it must also be specified whether they open into a room or out of it. Normally, doors open from a circulation area such as a hallway into the living rooms. In very small rooms such as toilets, small bathrooms or storage rooms this is sometimes not possible, in which case they open outward, and this must then also be clearly documented. External doors normally open into the house, although this is sometimes not feasible for reasons of space. In public buildings, opening outward is even mandatory in order to provide escape routes with as few barriers as possible. This too must be clearly documented during planning.
