Ministry of Crap Design

[tolman]

One problem with outward opening doors is the possibility or them being opened into unsuspecting passing people.
That's obviously a risk well worth taking with fire escape routes.

For a shop, an outward-opening front door may be more likely where there's a recessed entrance, rather than an opening level with the shop-front, since someone in the recessed entrance is more likely to be aware of the door and ready to deal with it opening than someone innocently walking by. Shop doors are likely to have a useful amount of glass in, in any case.

For domestic houses, front doors typically open inwards, but domestic houses often don't have recessed entrances, even if they may have a porch.
Inward opening doors are also less at the mercy of being grabbed by passing winds, possibly more of an issue for domestic doors, since they're less likely to be movement-damped than commercial doors.
Also, domestic front doors often have no glass, or maybe a little patterned glass, and unlike shop doors, are frequently opened by someone inside to admit visitors, rather than being open access. If opening a door for someone on the other side, it's probably best if that door opens towards the opener.

Inside a house, unless there's a decent space to open the door out into, a similar idea can apply - if there's a narrow corridor, an outward opening door could be pretty dangerous - it could hit someone walking (or even running) past, whereas an inward opening door doesn't have that risk, unless someone is doing laps of a room.

Likewise in hotel corridors, etc - the everyday reason for inward opening doors seems likely to be that outward opening would result in all kinds of door-related injuries.
That would be reason enough for having inward opening doors even in the absence of any blocking-related safety case.

[skbuncks]

To carry on with the subject of doors I would like to raise the issue of rotating doors. Particularly the ones employed at branches of Morrisons. For those unfamiliar with the design they are basically a single, large door which rotates around a central axis. A curved arc then extends inwards from the right and outwards from the left hand side of the door, each arc describes a length approximately to a quadrant of the circle described by the end of the doors. The door is in constant slow motion rotation, the idea being you enter the enclosed area of the arc and follow the rotation of the door and thus gain enter to the shop without any outside drafts or unclemant weather following you in.
The reality is that:

1) The doors move annoyingly slowly, such that it brings on the desire to murder someone.
2) Someone will always try to push in front of you like their being in a rush is going to somehow make the doors move faster. This brings on the desire to kill and maim.
3) Someone will always get in the way of the doors, which as a safety feature will stop upon contact with anything solid, be it the rollicking offspring of an unwashed scally or the trolley of a bewildered octogenarian. This also brings on the desire to kill, maim and scream wildly.
4) Upon finally entering the store you wish you had just gone to Tescos

skb

[polomint38]

To carry on with the subject of doors I would like to raise the issue of rotating doors. Particularly the ones employed at branches of Morrisons. For those unfamiliar with the design they are basically a single, large door which rotates around a central axis. A curved arc then extends inwards from the right and outwards from the left hand side of the door, each arc describes a length approximately to a quadrant of the circle described by the end of the doors. The door is in constant slow motion rotation, the idea being you enter the enclosed area of the arc and follow the rotation of the door and thus gain enter to the shop without any outside drafts or unclemant weather following you in.
The reality is that:

1) The doors move annoyingly slowly, such that it brings on the desire to murder someone.
2) Someone will always try to push in front of you like their being in a rush is going to somehow make the doors move faster. This brings on the desire to kill and maim.
3) Someone will always get in the way of the doors, which as a safety feature will stop upon contact with anything solid, be it the rollicking offspring of an unwashed scally or the trolley of a bewildered octogenarian. This also brings on the desire to kill, maim and scream wildly.
4) Upon finally entering the store you wish you had just gone to Tescos

skb

SKB, take in a deep breath and count to 10, and breath out.

See much better now.

[chaggle]

Suffering from mild claustrophobia, I would be a little wary of being in a small room where the door opened outwards.

Here in Spain in most bar loo's the light switch is on the outside. It makes it somewhat difficult to get the paperwork done if someone's turned the light off by mistake (or deliberately)

Just realised that in our favourite bar, the loo has lights operated by a motion sensor.....

[polomint38]

Just realised that in our favourite bar, the loo has lights operated by a motion sensor.....

I had someone complain to me (I work on reception desk) that when she was sitting on the loo that had motion sensors that the lights went out. It took all my concentration not to laugh

If this happens to anyone just wave your hands madly in front of you as there are probably multiple sensors covering different parts of the toilet (or the lights would not switch on when you entered.)

[invisibules]

[QUOTE=brianp;83226]...in the ensuing panic nine children and a doorman were crushed to death against inward facing doors at the bottom of a staircase.

Hmmm. So perhaps fire doors need to be ambivalent. No, I mean, swing both ways. No, hang on...

And the handle on the "push" side of a door? Well, that's for closing the door!

[Marmite_Man]

Those packets of rice that 9 times out of 10 will split down to the middle when you use the "tear here" bit and you end up with rice everywhere.

[tolman]

Those packets of rice that 9 times out of 10 will split down to the middle when you use the "tear here" bit and you end up with rice everywhere.

But at least they have a sense of irony, since they typically also make a point out of how resealable they are, and have the sticky tab which might work at least a time or two if the bag didn't fall apart.

[Marmite_Man]

But at least they have a sense of irony, since they typically also make a point out of how resealable they are, and have the sticky tab which might work at least a time or two if the bag didn't fall apart.

Should add those reasable things too to the crap design list. All my rice is kept in storage jars because the packets are useless once opened and the sticky reseal thing never works.