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Everything you need to know
about Approved Document Q
» » DOUGLAS MASTERSON,
technical manager of the Guild of
Architectural Ironmongery (GAI),
outlines what you need to know
about the ADQ.
Approved Document Q (ADQ) is
a Government publication which
has far-reaching consequences
on the level of security applied
to new dwellings in England. It
details the requirements for secure
doors and windows by listing
acceptable standards, as well as
providing detail on the relevant
ironmongery.
TO WHAT TYPE OF BUILDING
DOES ADQ RELATE?
ADQ relates to the security
of new dwellings and these
formed by a material change of
use. It states that reasonable
provision must be made to resist
unauthorised access to any house,
including common parts of a
building, such as corridors, which
could give access to flats.
It applies to easily accessible
doors and windows that provide
access from outside into a
dwelling, into parts of a building
containing flats or into a flat itself.
Doors and windows will meet the
requirements of ADQ if they can
resist physical attack by a casual
or opportunist burglar by being
sufficiently robust or fitted with
appropriate hardware.
WHERE DOES IT APPLY?
ADQ applies to England.
Scotland already details
mandatory standards of security
for domestic buildings in Technical
Handbook 2013 standard 4.13.
WHEN DID IT TAKE EFFECT?
ADQ took effect on 1 October
2015. It does not apply to work
started before 1 October 2015 or
work subject to a building notice,
full plans application or initial
notice submitted before that date,
provided the work had started on
site before 1 October 2016.
HOW DOES IT RELATE
TO DOORS?
All doorsets, including garage
and communal entrance doorsets,
that provide access into a
domestic building should be a
secure doorset. Secure doorsets
should be manufactured to a
design that meets the security
requirements of PAS 24:2012 or:
• Certisecure STS 201 issue
5:2013
• Certisecure STS 202 Issue 3
2011 burglary rating 2
• LPCB LPS1175 Issue 7 2010
security rating 2
• LPCB LPS 2081 Issue 1 2015
security rating B
Alternatively, conformance
to ADQ can be achieved with a
door designed in accordance
with appendix B “bespoke timber
secure doorsets”.
‘Ground
floor
basement
and easily
accessible
windows
including
rooflights
should be
“secure
windows”
WHAT ABOUT WINDOWS?
Ground floor basement and
easily accessible windows
including rooflights should be
“secure windows”. These should
be manufactured to a design that
meets the security requirements of
PAS24:2012 or:
• Certisecure STS 204 issue
3:2012
• LPCB LPS1175 Issue 7 2010
security rating 1
• LPCB LPS 2081 Issue 1 2015
security rating A
WHAT IMPACT WILL ADQ
HAVE ON SECURITY?
ADQ outlines the standards for
the installation of ironmongery on
secure doorsets, both as complete
units and as bespoke timber
secure doorsets as follows:
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• Letter plates should have a
maximum aperture of 260mm
x 40mm, and be located or
designed to hinder attempts
to remove keys with sticks or
hands. In addition, meeting
the requirements of the DHF
technical specification TS
008:2012 has been shown
to protect against these
attacks.
• Entrance doors should have a
door viewer if no other means
to identify callers is available.
They should also have a door
chain or limiter. In certain
circumstances where this is not
appropriate, such as where a
warden may need emergency
access to a resident in
sheltered accommodation,
then an electronic audio-visual
entry system can be used.
• On bespoke timber secure
doorsets, in addition to the
ironmongery mentioned above,
the locks on the main entrance
door to the dwelling should be
fitted with a multipoint locking
system either to PAS 3621, PAS
8621 or PAS 10621.
• If a multipoint lock is not being
used then a mortice lock
should be fitted either to BS
3621, BS 8621 or BS 10621.
The minimum projection of the
dead bolt is, therefore, 20mm.
In addition it should have a
surface-mounted rim lock
to the same standard which
should be fitted between
400mmm to 600mm away
from the mortice lock.
• Where hinges are accessible
from outside then hinge bolts
should be fitted to the door.
Further advice is available in
Secured by Design’s New
Homes 2014.
www.gai.org.uk