Ash Pearson, sales manager at Jack Aluminium Systems, reflects on the conversations at Secured by Design’s Atlas26 event, and why aluminium is increasingly winning ground where security and accessibility intersect.

If you’d asked most of the industry a few years ago what delayed a commercial doorset specification, usually the sticking point would have been security. At Atlas 26, the conversations suggested something different.
Security is still fundamental. PAS 24 is now baseline. Higher levels such as STS202 BR2 are increasingly referenced, particularly across regeneration and public sector schemes.

Significantly, BR2 aligns closely with the performance expectations traditionally associated with LPS 1175 SR2 steel solutions, territory aluminium would not historically have occupied. In other words, security is no longer the differentiator.
What repeatedly came up on our stand was something else entirely. Accessibility.

Threshold heights. Handle positions. Operating forces. Council interpretation of DDA requirements.
More than one Designing Out Crime Officer described the same pattern: a doorset satisfies security, fire and thermal requirements, only to stall because accessibility evidence is not clearly set out.

In most cases, the door is capable of complying. The delay happens because the detail is not documented properly.

The regeneration effect
The shift makes sense when you look at where the market is active. Regeneration schemes, mixed-use developments and social housing frameworks continue to drive commercial door demand. Ground-floor retail under residential blocks, community spaces, libraries, healthcare hubs, estate redevelopments and distribution depots all require secure, durable entrances.

These projects are heavily scrutinised. Accessibility officers, housing associations and borough consultants are closely involved. Increasingly, councils are aligning their social housing standards, meaning documentation gaps quickly become programme delays.
For fabricators, delay means margin pressure. Going back to confirm threshold dimensions or operating forces after submission is not just frustrating. It costs time, programme certainty and credibility.

The aluminium advantage
Security no longer belongs exclusively to steel.
With systems achieving STS202 BR2, aligned with LPS 1175 SR2 expectations, aluminium can now compete confidently at higher security levels. That shift changes the material debate.

Once aluminium meets the same security benchmarks, the wider performance picture comes into focus. Weight is a practical example.
Steel doorsets are undeniably strong, but heavier leaves often require more aggressive closers or powered assistance to satisfy accessibility requirements.

Over time, that can increase maintenance exposure. Estate managers understand the cost of closers that drift out of adjustment, require frequent servicing or fail prematurely.

Aluminium offers a more balanced solution. A lighter doorset can achieve compliant opening forces without defaulting to mechanical intervention. That supports inclusive design while reducing long-term maintenance risk. For housing providers and managing agents, that is not a minor detail. It is a cost consideration.

Add shorter lead times, fabrication flexibility and competitive pricing, and aluminium moves from alternative option to practical choice.
Take our TD68 thermal commercial door system as an example. Achieving STS202 BR2, it’s tested configurations include single and double doors, sidelights, fanlights and large door leaves suited to high-footfall environments. It supports a wide range of hardware options, including manual locking, panic exit and electronic access control.

TD68 also offers flexibility in infill choices, with compatibility across a broad range of glazing specifications, solid panel options and the ability to incorporate louvred sections where ventilation is required.

That combination of security, usability and adaptability is increasingly what differentiates systems in a crowded market.

Accessibility may be the current flashpoint, but the wider battleground is where security, usability and lifecycle performance converge.

Aluminium is increasingly well positioned in that space and for fabricators working across regeneration and commercial projects, partnering with a systems house that understands those overlaps can make the difference between a smooth approval process and a drawn-out one.

Because when higher security standards such as STS202 BR2 can sit alongside manageable door weights, thermally broken construction and design flexibility,
the material conversation changes.

Security might open the door. Accessibility and long-term practicality increasingly determines whether it stays open.