General accessibility provides a better quality of life, as well as greater comfort and safety for all, but as is well known, there are the elderly, the disabled, young children among us. People who are temporarily infirm, tired, women pushing strollers with children, that is, in general, the majority of the population. These people should be able to get to their apartments, they should be able to shop or get to the doctor. They need to be helped to do so.
GEZE Slimdrive SL NT-FR
© GEZE
This group has fortunately been noticed. A number of regulations have emerged forcing the introduction of transportation facilities in residential buildings, commercial buildings, healthcare facilities or public transportation. These regulations have also been noticed by building designers and by equipment manufacturers, who market devices that make life easier for users, but also preserve comfort and achieve energy savings.
A potential obstacle that makes life more difficult is, of course, in addition to stairs, all kinds of passageways equipped with doors. The user usually wants the door to be closed and keep out the weather conditions outside, provide privacy or cut off fire zones.
Doors in public places are equipped with door closers. For example, these can be more compact door closer designs with a sliding rail, such as the GEZE TS 5000 or GEZE TS 3000, or they can also be door closers with a scissor arm, such as the GEZE TS 4000 or GEZE TS 2000 NV. However, in some applications, such as kindergartens or nursing homes, the force of a standard door closer may be too much for those passing through. Special solutions are proposed for this. The GEZE TS 5000 ECline, for example, supports the initial movement of the leaf during opening, significantly reducing the force required to initiate this movement. However, there is often a conflict between the requirements of operational forces (low opening force) and the requirements of fire protection regulations (high closing force).
GEZE MBZ 300
© GEZE
In many cases, the solution can be a door closer with an electro-hydraulic valve, GEZE TS 5000 EFS with the so-called free lever. In this solution, as long as current is applied to the door closer, the door closer does not manifest its presence - the door opens and closes as if it were not there. When the power is cut off, for example, by an interruption button or a signal from the fire panel, the self-closing function returns. In a slightly different version (for example, the GEZE TS 5000 E or TS 4000E), the door can be held open all the time and is held by an electromechanical or electro-hydraulic interlock. If the power is cut off, the door closes.
Another step in making life easier for the user can be the replacement of door closers with electric drives. Heavy door leaves, weighing up to several hundred kilograms, can be operated by GEZE POWERTURN or POWERTURN-F drives, GEZE Slimdrive EMD or Slimdrive EMD-F drives are suitable for slightly lighter door leaves, while the small GEZE ECturn drive, which is also available for integration into the door leaf or frame, is suitable for quite light internal leaves. The POWERTURN and Slimdrive EMD-F drives turn into regular door closers after power is cut off, so that in the event of a fire alarm they effectively close the door separating fire zones, while at the same time not impeding evacuation.
GEZE TS 2000NV
© GEZE
While swing doors prevail on passageways in buildings with less traffic, sliding doors are more common in buildings with more passing bystanders. Such doors provide a more comfortable passage and do not force anyone to retreat abruptly before the opening leaf.
In addition to the communication function provided by standard solutions such as GEZE ECdrive T2, GEZE Slimdrive NT or GEZE Powerdrive, special evacuation solutions such as GEZE ECdrive T2-FR, GEZE Slimdrive NT-FR or GEZE Powerdrive FR solve the problems of getting large numbers of people out of facilities if necessary.
GEZE Powerturn
© GEZE
It is worth mentioning at the same time that automatic doors are machines whose moving parts are in public spaces and, in accordance with the relevant standards, must be properly secured so that they do not harm anyone. To this end, a number of solutions are used, both in design, through the proper shaping of the entrance area, and in hardware, for example, through the widespread installation of security sensors.
A separate group of solutions that increase comfort and security are window systems that can provide automation of window opening and closing. These devices can combine the function of comfort ventilation of a building, where high windows are not accessible even from high ladders, with the function of effective smoke and heat removal in the event of a fire.
GEZE THZ Comfort N4
© GEZE
Window systems designed for fire protection purposes consist of smoke extraction units, such as the GEZE THZ Comfort or GEZE MBZ 300, and spindle actuators such as the GEZE 250, chain actuators such as the GEZE Slimchain or GEZE Powerchain. The smoke removal function must, of course, be supported by the supply of fresh air, provided by means of aeration windows, but also by means of doors, armed, for example, with GEZE K600 T arm actuators.
For more information, visit the company's {tag:Manufacturer} page on the A&B portal.
