Access control and emergency exits: how to make them compatible in Spain

The principle: life safety before property security

In Spain, evacuation requirements for buildings are set by the fire safety section (DB-SI) of the Technical Building Code, section SI 3. Access control sits on top of that design and must not make it worse. If the door you want to control is signed as an exit or lies on an escape route, the question is not "how do I lock it" but "how do I guarantee it opens".

If you are used to UK practice, the logic is familiar, but the applicable code and who signs it off are Spanish.

Doors: three situations

1. Not an escape door. You are free to choose the lock; even so, people must be able to leave from the inside.
2. An escape door where controlling entry is enough. The usual answer: a reader outside and free mechanical egress inside (lever handle or panic bar). The electric lock never holds back someone leaving.
3. An escape door where exit must also be controlled (to prevent walk-outs, theft or unrecorded exits). This is the delicate case: electrically controlled exit systems exist and have their own European standard (EN 13637), but their use must be planned and justified in the building's fire strategy.

Mechanical exit devices are standardised too: EN 179 (lever or push pad, for occupants familiar with the building) and EN 1125 (horizontal panic bar, for places open to the public).

Maglocks on escape routes

Where they are used, the normal requirement is all of the following:

• automatic release on the fire panel signal;
• release on power loss (inherent to a maglock);
• an emergency release button by the door that cuts power directly, bypassing the controller.

Turnstiles and speed gates

• They cannot count as an exit if they narrow the width or need an action. The design normally provides drop arms or panels that open by themselves on alarm and power loss, or an adjacent emergency door.
• EN 17352 explicitly covers the use of this equipment on escape routes.
• The accessible lane must be maintained: see turnstiles and accessibility.

Common mistakes

• Adding a bolt or maglock to an emergency exit "because people sneak in".
• Relying on the controller or software to open doors in a fire: release must be direct.
• Not testing the release periodically together with the alarm.

Who decides

The specific solution is validated by the engineer or architect responsible for the building's fire safety, not by the access control installer alone. We propose compatible options and coordinate them with that person as part of our access control service.