Barrier freedom and fire safety in optima forma

New range of door closers and door operators is the key to accessible and safe buildings

In the year 2020, barrier-free construction in accordance with DIN 18040 is no longer indispensable in Dutch new construction and renovation projects. This applies not only to nursing homes and hospitals, but also, for example, to nurseries and public buildings. In addition, an International Accessibility Symbol (ITS) has recently been linked to public buildings; an initiative of the Chronisch zieken en Gehandicapten Raad Nederland with the aim of making public buildings also reachable, accessible and usable for people with disabilities. A product version of the ITS label has been developed for building elements such as exterior and interior doors: the 3B certificate.

"Within the building systems for door, window and security technology, ITS certification particularly affects the maximum force with which a door must be able to be opened," says Martijn van Dort, Sales Manager at GEZE Benelux BV.

"Whereas on exterior doors a maximum compression/opening force of 40 Newtons is prescribed, for interior doors a maximum force of 30 Newtons applies. Public and government buildings in particular are increasingly being tendered on the basis of this standard. Quite a challenge, as more and more architects include hefty sized windows and doors in their designs."

Contradiction between opening and closing force

A second challenge concerns the combination of ITS/3B with already existing standards. For example in the field of fire doors, says Van Dort. "After all, with fire doors one does not speak of opening force, but of closing force. After all, these doors must not only be self-closing in case of fire, but also close reliably in accordance with NEN-EN 1154. The contradiction between this opening and closing force regularly causes confusion, for example for window and door manufacturers, architects, (developing) contractors and consulting parties. GEZE has addressed this issue and has developed a complete and fully certified range of door closers and door operators. Both for internal and external doors and fully compliant with the ITS/3B and NEN-EN 1154 standards."

The door closers from the GEZE range consist of 1 unit and can be used in almost all door situations due to their slim design.

Complete assortment for interior and exterior doors

For easy opening of single doors with a maximum width of up to 1,250 mm, GEZE supplies the TS 5000 ECline door closer, which complies with the limited opening force and NEN-EN 1154 closing force.

"For larger interior doors, we supply a Powerturn swing door operator with which - thanks to an opening support - even the largest doors can be easily opened manually," said Van Dort.

"In addition, this swing door closer can easily be designed to be self-closing, in accordance with the closing force requirements for fire doors. Between the TS 5000 ECline door closer and Powerturn swing door operator, there is an extensive range of flush, surface-mounted and freestanding door closers."

Recent uses of these products include the new construction of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in Amsterdam, Danone's headquarters in Hoofddorp and the Atlas Building at TU Eindhoven.

Comprehensive (project) guidance and support

The sales and account managers of GEZE Benelux BV like to be involved in new construction and renovation projects at an early stage, so that they can recommend the most suitable door technology for each door and each place in the building.

"We like to walk through the building together with the customer. Both physically and virtually," Van Dort emphasizes. "Because which doors are there? Of what materials and dimensions? And what do the doors have to comply with? Do they also have a fire-resistant function? And are they part of the escape route and/or the ITS plan?"

The GEZE Academy training room in Eindhoven regularly provides training courses on barrier-free construction and the ITS/3B and NEN-EN 1154 standards.

"Architects, consultants, purchasers, mechanics and commercial staff can all participate in the training sessions, which are always tailored to the training group," Van Dort says.

Customers interested in this can sign up at the email address: geze.nl@geze.com.    ′