The UK is experiencing increasingly frequent periods of extreme summer heat, with temperatures this week expected to approach 40°C in some areas. Employers, facilities managers and homeowners are all looking for practical ways to improve comfort, wellbeing and productivity indoors.

While there is no legal maximum workplace temperature in the UK, employers have a duty to ensure workplace temperatures remain reasonable and to assess risks associated with excessive heat. Guidance recommends providing drinking water, improving ventilation, allowing additional breaks and implementing measures to reduce heat stress.

One often overlooked solution is the flexibility of internal space planning.

Pocket doors allow spaces to be opened up to encourage airflow during cooler periods and closed to create comfortable cooling zones when temperatures peak. This flexibility can be beneficial across homes, workplaces, retail environments and public buildings.

Practical Heatwave Tips for Every Building

Homes

When temperatures rise:

Keep curtains and blinds closed on sun-facing windows.
Open windows early in the morning and later in the evening.
Create cooler zones by closing off rooms that receive direct sunlight.
Use pocket doors to separate cooler living areas from warmer sections of the home.

For open-plan living spaces, pocket doors provide the option to adapt layouts throughout the day rather than permanently committing to either open or enclosed rooms.

*Creating a better flow between areas as seen by this example of a double pocket can help improve air flow. They can also save space an add privacy when closed.*

Offices and Workplaces

The Health and Safety Executive advises employers to assess temperature-related risks and take practical steps to improve comfort, including ventilation, flexible working arrangements and cooling measures.

Consider:

Creating dedicated cool working areas.
Closing off unused meeting rooms.
Allowing better airflow through open internal layouts.
Using flexible room divisions to support hybrid working and wellbeing.

Pocket doors can help organisations create adaptable workspaces without sacrificing floor space.

Retail Environments

Customer comfort can directly influence dwell time and shopping experience.

Retailers can:

Create cooler consultation areas.
Separate stock rooms from customer-facing spaces.
Improve airflow between departments.
Adapt layouts during peak temperatures.

Pocket doors provide flexibility without introducing obstacles into busy walkways.

Public Sector Buildings

Schools, healthcare facilities, libraries and community centres often see increased demand during heatwaves.

Facilities teams can use flexible room layouts to:

Create temporary cooling areas.
Separate occupied and unoccupied zones.
Improve ventilation routes.
Adapt spaces for vulnerable visitors.

As extreme weather becomes more common, flexibility is becoming a key part of building design and management.

Why Pocket Doors Are Well Suited to Heatwaves

Unlike traditional hinged doors, pocket doors allow spaces to be completely opened when airflow is needed and quickly enclosed when cooler conditions need to be maintained.

Benefits include:

✓ Better control of airflow

✓ Flexible zoning of large spaces

✓ No loss of floor space

✓ Improved adaptability throughout the day

✓ Suitable for residential, commercial and public sector applications

Looking Ahead

Heatwaves are no longer unusual events in the UK. Building owners, employers and facilities managers are increasingly looking for practical, low-disruption ways to improve comfort and wellbeing during periods of extreme heat. Pocket doors offer a simple yet effective solution, helping spaces adapt to changing conditions while maintaining the flexibility modern buildings demand.

View Rocket’s range of pocket door sizes and additional features such as FD30 fire-rated options.

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