From the series "Modern office buildings - trends 2023"
While the first office building is said to have been in the form of a simple bench, set in the corner of an ancient temple, each new generation of such buildings has already been a bit more complicated and a bit more perfect than the previous generation. The increasingly better materials and equipment used created new possibilities. This is called technical progress, which changes simple solutions into more finesse and user-friendly ones.
Currently, the main directions of this development are safety, energy saving and user comfort. The whole art is to ensure that these directions do not interfere with each other. Comfort, energy saving and safety can be reconciled with each other, to a large extent with the help of appropriate selection of building equipment.
Many companies have specialized in their chosen subject. There are suppliers of elevator systems, lighting, air conditioning or wiring systems on the market. One manufacturer of building equipment is GEZE, which offers solutions for doors, windows, passageways, or systems for securing escape routes.
The simplest and at the same time oldest element of building equipment, manufactured by GEZE, are door closers. Installed on the entrance door, they protect the interior from the effects of cold winter weather or summer heat, saving energy and the health of the people inside. On the other hand, door closers installed on interior doors, help fight drafts in the building, closing rooms that should be closed. One of the most important applications of door closers is, of course, fire doors, which should cut off individual fire zones at the right moment, limiting the speed of the spread of smoke and fire, while allowing the safe evacuation of people. The role of GEZE door closers in access control systems cannot be overlooked here, of course, where they effectively close the door, blocking the passage for outsiders. It can be added here that in effectively closing doors, door closers work together with locks, also supplied by GEZE.
TS 5000
© GEZE
In recent years, however, door closers in office buildings have had to move around a bit to make room for door automation systems. And here GEZE can show off its products. for example, there will be automatic sliding doors, which, on the one hand, provide comfortable passage, on the other hand, can assist in the evacuation of people from the building. Automatic sliding doors, especially curved sliding doors, also increase the prestige of the entire building, if they are properly integrated into the front entrance area.
This prestige can be further enhanced if revolving doors, of course also manufactured by GEZE, are used in the building entrance. Revolving doors additionally create a permanent airlock, which significantly reduces the exchange of air through the entrance area, i.e. has a positive effect on energy savings.
Automatic swing doors are also frequently used. They are invaluable as essential side passages for the disabled, placed next to revolving doors for evacuating people if necessary. GEZE drives for swing doors also enable convenient communication inside the building through fire and smoke doors. Mention can also be made of the possibility to equip already existing doors, for example, antique or very heavy doors, with powerful automatic drives that make it much easier, not only for people with disabilities, to pass through difficult passages.
Slimdrive SL
© GEZE
GEZE also offers its customers solutions for windows. Electric window systems that can work with the building's control system make it possible to ventilate the building precisely, while adapting the ventilation function to the current weather. GEZE window actuators, installed on high or tall windows, as well as manual window opening and closing systems mean that a person who wants to open a window to let in a bit of fresh air no longer has to look for a ladder or build a complicated structure of chairs.
MBZ 300
© GEZE
A more ambitious category of window solutions provided by GEZE are systems for smoke extraction and aeration of buildings in the event of a fire. These systems meet all European requirements and have the necessary certificates and approvals, so they can be safely installed in buildings, providing both effective smoke extraction and a supply of fresh air to replace the toxic smoke that lingers in the escape routes. An additional benefit of using smoke extraction systems is that they can also be used for ordinary interior ventilation.
F 1200+
© GEZE
It should be noted here that there are frequent situations in which the escape route may conflict with the requirements of the access control system. This contradiction can be eliminated by using another GEZE solution, invented specifically for automating escape routes. Passageways, which in normal use require the appropriate gadgets to allow passage, such as access cards, appropriate fingerprints, or knowledge of digital codes, can be released in the event of an evacuation, allowing people to leave the building freely. It's a well-known fact that safety is paramount...
THZ Comfort N4
© GEZE
Filled with light coming in through large glass surfaces, the interiors of modern offices often require appropriate arrangement. Therefore, wall systems are necessary, preferably also glazed, which will allow the rapid conversion of a large room into several smaller ones or vice versa. Sliding wall systems, also available from GEZE, serve this purpose. Large, glazed segments, guided in tracks suspended from the ceiling, make it possible to reconfigure a room in a matter of minutes.
The solutions described above can very easily become part of an intelligent building. It is possible to integrate individual components and elements into the control network or into the fire alarm system, for example, automatic doors or fire doors, ventilation and smoke ventilation windows and gain control over them, for example, to save energy or safely carry out evacuation and firefighting actions.
For more information, visit the company's GEZE Polska Sp. z o.o. page on the PdA portal.
