"sliding doors"

The 110m, 29-storey curved on plan Westmark Tower is the tallest residential tower to have been completed in central London in 2021. Part of Berkeley Homes Central London’s prestigious West End Gate development in Marylebone, it features more than 14,000m2 of unitised curtain wall designed and supplied by aluminium fenestration specialists AluK and installed by envelope contractors Martifer. What makes this project really stand out is the collaborative approach that was demonstrated by AluK and the other consultants involved from the outset. With Berkeley at the centre of the process, the technical and commercial elements of the façade were successfully de-risked at pre-tender stage because AluK were able to work directly with lead architect Squire & Partners, delivery architect Design Delivery Unit (DDU), façade consultants Cladtech Associates and structural engineers WSP on a RIBA 4 system design for the unitised envelope. The challenge for AluK was to work with DDU to deliver a design that was true to the architect’s original intent whilst addressing the technical issues of a curved on plan façade from the second to 29th floor. All the unitised cells needed to be dead loaded back to a post tensioned concrete frame with a 3-dimensional floor bracket, whilst catering for the varying facets of the façade.The final unitised solution features more than 2200 unitised cells of three principal configurations. Each floor comprises: a vision cell, typically housing AluK’s concealed vent and full height glass panes, a panel cell, specifically designed to house specialist internal framework to carry articulated GRC (Glass Reinforced Concrete) feature piers and spandrels, and a recessed balcony cell with an integrated floating glass balustrade.With 36 different angles to overcome in a faceted design ranging from 0° to 15°, AluK developed a series of common aluminium extrusions to close the joints and reduce the number of profiles required. The horizontal stack joint uses an aluminium profile to carry the gasket and avoid the incidence of crimping as the cells are stacked around the building structure. What is also significant is that every cell connection provides four lines of system seal to ensure that the façade meets the stringent Cladtech performance specification and the CWCT Sequence B test.AluK’s system, extruded from 6063 T6 alloy, extracted benefits from both a mitred corner and a square cut system by creating a hybrid to suit both the client’s aesthetic desire for a mitred joint to the corners and Martifer’s manufacturing requirements of a square cut for economy.AluK also extruded tailored aluminium bracketry from a structural 6082 T6 alloy which was capable of supporting the system weight and allowing for 3-dimensional adjustment for precise installation.From the onset of the project, the Berkeley director team set out a time and design model of early engagement, specialist designers and fabricators all within a clear programme. This also included a series of productive workshops sharing client expectations and considerations. AluK not only facilitated these meetings but also bought into the collaborative ethos and contributed to a highly successful project for Berkeley.AluK’s designers are all from a fabrication/installation background and, as such, they design a value engineered solution from the outset. Part of this was using 14,000m2 of AluK’s AW86 unitised curtain walling system with minimal bespoke profiles and gaskets, yet it meets every challenge the project presented whilst offering a significant cost reduction in metal and accessories compared to the original specification in a competitor’s system. As part of the project team, AluK worked collaboratively alongside consultants Squire & Partners (concept architect), Buro Happold (thermal and acoustics), WSP (structures), Design Delivery Unit (delivery architect) and Cladtech (façade consultant). The façade design meets the thermal efficiency requirements of the building at 0.95W/m2K, as a weighted average. Using a 43dB Rw(+Ctr) acoustic glass, it also meets the sound reduction targets. Because AluK was involved at such an early stage in the project, the complete RIBA Stage 4 system design enabled façade contractors Martifer to realise significant cost savings for their tender and several months of time saving against their usual post-tender design and iteration phase. This also offered cost certainty for Berkeley and significantly de-risked the post tender delivery of the façade.Alongside the unitised curtain walling, the finished Westmark Tower will feature 241 AluK SC156 lift and slide doors, 750 concealed vents and 58 swing doors.West End Gate is Berkeley Homes’ latest luxury development being built on a 2.66-acre site. Described as a modern interpretation of classic London, it will feature a series of contemporary mansion blocks alongside the 29-storey curved stone tower. Work began on the first phase of West End Gate in the Spring of 2018 and was completed in Spring 2021, with internal fit out nearing the end.

When Financial IT Consultancy firm PHI Partners took possession of two run-down offices in Barnet, Hertfordshire, they tasked Interior Property Solutions (IPS) with combining the units to create a luxurious, bright and inviting executive workspace and 'Engine Room’ sales office fit for a cutting edge business.IPS wanted to create a bold impact with their door designs and choose floor to ceiling wood veneer doors, door frames and timber-framed partitions from Forza Doors.To create a unified consent look throughout the suites crown cut Black American Walnut veneer was selected for its close match to the grain of the table and AV unit in the executive meeting room. To ensure the veneers matched, Forza was sent a sample of the desk veneer and personally selected the veneer to match. We also used the same veneer on the doorframes and the Forza Imola partitions for continuity of colour and grain.

We were approached to design & manufacture a range of steel fire-resistant riser doors and personnel doors for Europe's most advanced data centre, located in Canary Wharf, London.This 8-storey building offers 73,400 sqm of space - they needed simple yet secure riser doors to provide fire protection to the internal ducts, containing all the cabling and plumbing required in a sleek, discreet solution that provided maximum access, performance and safety.Alongside the riser doors, Eurobond designed & manufactured personnel doors that could be electronically controlled to control the access and provide an audit trail of personnel movement.The 2 key elements of this project were the riser doors - and the sheer volume required to cover the 8 levels and the access control requirements that had to be well planned and coordinated by Eurobond, the security contractor, end-user and architect.

The Trumpington Residents’ Association and Cambridge City Council wanted to update a 60-year-old pavilion at the heart of the village in a £600,000 community project.Cambridge architects 5th Studio designed a striking colourful exterior cladding. They turned to an artist specialising in the treatment and perimeter fencing manufacturer Zaun to create the multi-coloured stripe effect with a specialist bright green protective steel mesh ‘cage’.The SolutionTrumpington Pavilion employs an unusual multi-coloured exterior treatment. An artist specialing in the technique has dribbled green, blue, red and yellow randomly onto a corrugated plastic sandwich sheet, which is then covered with Zaun’s Duo8 mesh in bright green, fixed to coloured timber battens.The pavilion includes a main building with a hall, youth room, kitchen, toilets, office and inter-connected changing rooms for two teams plus an officials’ room.The doors to the changing rooms are in boldly contrasting colours. At the same time, an eight-metre green mesh electric sliding gate protects the building but opens to provide unrestricted access to the patio and the King George V Playing Fields beyond.Zaun installed the Diamond cantilever sliding gate with Duo8 mesh in-fill, KeyFob and internally mounted switchto ensure both the safety of all users of the pavilion when the gates are operated especially children, and the security of the contents when the pavilion is not in use.The original pavilion, built in the early 1950s, was about half the size of the new main building, including a small hall and changing rooms.

This is the new bespoke cycle hub Falco recently designed, manufactured, supplied and installed this spring for Kenley Station in south Croydon. Making use of the flagship FalcoHub design, the new cycle hub has been fitted with the tried and tested FalcoLevel-Eco two-tier cycle rack, providing commuters with up to 16 secure cycle parking spaces.The bespoke 6.5m x 4.2m cycle hub has been fitted with an electric sliding door, a secure access system, LED lighting, a FalcoFix 2.0 cycle repair station, bespoke branding graphics and a cladding combination of sustainable hardwood slats coupled with powder coated galvanised steel in a ‘Moss Green’ RAL colour.The cycle hub also provides secure accommodation for up to four cargo bikes, e-cargo bikes, adaptive bikes, recumbent bikes, tandems, tricycles, oversized and upright cycles or bike trailers.In addition to the cycle hub, Falco also provided a bespoke solution to store the clients refuse units.Rail passengers using pedal power can apply at the ticket office for a free security fob to gain entrance to the facility now.The images attached show the new cycle hub addition, installed next to platform 2, off Station Road.The whole shelter is a bespoke contemporary design of the classic Falco Cycle Hub shelter, which features clean lines through the glass cladding and supported by stainless steel glass clamps. The steelwork is hot dip galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461 and also meets UK structural design laws with EN 1090 accreditation. Rainwater is collected via innovative integral gutters as part of the roof system and a bespoke bund ensure that the cycle hub is weather proof.For more information regarding the cycle hub scheme at Kenley Station or any other product from our cycle parking and shelter portfolio, please contact our helpful sales team on 01538 380080.

A stunning design by architects Townscape, Peter O’Sullevan House is located at the front entrance of the British Racing School in Newmarket. It provides the horse racing community in East Anglia with a local specialist facility for treatment and training. The facility incorporates a hydrotherapy pool, gymnasium, treatment rooms, changing rooms, conference room, offices and meeting rooms. Forza Doors supplied high dB acoustic American White Oak veneer fire doors and solid American White Oak frames as well as Class 0 spread of flame fire-rated wall cladding panels. All the veneers were laid horizontally to match perfectly down the length of the corridors and open spaces. The feature grooves embedded into the doors provide a smart contemporary look and align with the adjacent panels.  As this innovative building needed a high level of internal finishes and fittings throughout, the contractor RG Carter chose Forza Doors. Just one of several jockey rehab centres we have had the privilege to supply in recent times. Consisting of open plan areas, treatment rooms and hydrotherapy zones, the finished project looks stunning.  

This 7-storey, grade two listed building has every reason to become London’s most sought-after residence, in more ways than one.Aside from the internal luxuries with multiple gyms, a 16-seat cinema, hotel pool, multiple lounges, 9 restaurants, a spa, etc etc, it’s perhaps more famous for serving one of our most legendary prime ministers. Sir Winston Churchill.As a place where the Second World War was overseen, walking through the theatrical marble entrance is like stepping back into history. The restored mosaic floors and the old messenger rooms repurposed as a design feature are just two things that add to this architectural wonder, with Churchill’s old room itself being available for private dinners.And you know Ian Fleming? Author of the James Bond series? Well, it’s thought that he came up with the idea for Bond during his time at the office working as a British Naval Intelligence Officer. To keep the 007 idea authentic, three of the films were filmed at this very location, meaning it stars in more James Bond films than any other building. Talking of filming locations, it’s also starred in one of the most popular TV series currently, The Crown, which is rather apt given it’s located (approximately) 1.3km from Buckingham Palace.We supplied a range of Selo products throughout the OWO renovation including sliding pocket doors, riser doors, clad riser doors, automatic opening vents,

Marble Arch is a fascinating structure with an intriguing history. Not to mention its unique location and the fact that it is surrounded by some of the most sought-after and expensive properties in London.Originally designed in the 1820s by John Nash the arch was planned to be used as an entrance to Buckingham Palace. It served this purpose for seventeen years before being removed and rebuilt stone by stone in 1851. It then stood as an entrance to Hyde Park for fifty years before it was completely cut off due to a new road scheme.Not far from this historic monument stands two mixed-use buildings that make up Marble Arch Place. A seventeen-storey high-end residential building, The Bryanston and a seven-storey office building adjacent. Designed by Rafeal Vinoly Architects and constructed by Multiplex, this development cost £261 million and is certainly a sight to behold where Mayfair meets Hyde Park.We worked with the architect to fulfil their design aspirations and supplied them our concealed riser doors throughout the 83,000sq ft office building. They provide a sleek, flush finish in the main office spaces whilst next door, Enigma sliding pocket doors were supplied to the residential building.The 54 apartments have a modern interior with floor-to-ceiling windows to maximise the stunning panoramic views across Hyde Park, Oxford Street and beyond. The vision behind the redevelopment as stated by Almacantar ‘was to transform it into a place that not only re-establishes the majesty of its location – but makes a lasting contribution of its own.’

Premier Security & Fire Consultants Ltd designed, fabricated and installed these security products for instructing clients, the Wates Group.The project in Tower Hamlets, East London included LPS1175 SR2 Secured by Design security installations including: Fully glazed entrance doors with side screen and control panel; bin store doors, vehicle and pedestrian gates, louvred doors and dry-riser box doors.For more information about Premier, go to our website premier-ssl.com or call us on 0208 559 8295. 

Jewers Doors has for many years supplied contour doors which are specially shaped to encompass the fuselage of an aircraft in order to provide an environmental seal. These doors allow part of an aircraft (e.g. the nose or tail) to be within the controlled environment of a hangar for maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations. With part (often the major part) of an aircraft remaining outside the hangar, space within the hangar is available for other aircraft to be worked upon – thus increasing productivity. Such an arrangement also means that MRO operations can be undertaken on larger Code E and F aircraft in hangars that would otherwise be too small.

Ahmarra manufactured fire doors for Brunel University London, on behalf of the main contractor.Manufactured from sustainably timber, these doors are faced with Formica’s stylish Terril (F2297) dark grey high pressure laminate.As with all of our Education Range, these pre-hung doorsets were supplied with factory-fitted stainless steel ironmongery, ensuring full compliance.

ModernGlide were over the moon too be involved with this project with a top London Interior Company at St Katharine Docks London. Installation of over 66 meters of sliding movable wall panels to help create a sleek and flexible studying environment. Featured in the video is the MG600 flush glazed movable wall that when closed creates a central room with the panels meeting at right angles and the addition of 2 access door panels. Particularly desirable for office spaces, our MG600 glazed office partitions and glass movable walls offer multiple benefits to your workspace and for your employees. The benefits of having glazed acoustic walls include allowing a superior light flow around the office, cost-effective installation, flexibility in the work environment as well as the simple fact that they look elegant and classy. Not only these, but they also offer exceptional sound reduction allowing for privacy to be had amongst clients or for important internal meetings.

The new building and the renovation project impress with generous outdoor spaces and appealing architecture. The Lindner Group played a major role in the interior fit-out.For a modern look, a combination of glass and wood was chosen – the Lindner Life Stereo 125 Glass Partitiontherefore meets wooden doors and wooden partitions.These were complemented by wall claddings and partitions made of metal: Thanks to their magnetic properties, these can be easily used to organise documents and design elements, what makes them highly functional.Furthermore, Lindner installed a custom-made counter cladding as a special solution for the sliding window as well as a raised floor for the technical rooms in the basement.Completed WorksPartitionsPartition Systems GlassLindner Life Stereo 125Partition Systems Full PanelLindner Logic 100 TimberLindner Logic 100 MetalWall and ceiling panelsLindner Free MetalFloorsChipboard panels LIGNA

Split over basement, ground and three upper floors, the Charles Doll Building on Grape Street, London, offers a contemporary and functional specification in this stunning office refurbishment. The development mixes industrial elements with a crisp modern aesthetic by carefully combining characterful architectural features, including vaulted ceilings with exposed brick and steelwork.Named after its architect Charles Fitzroy Doll, the building is clad in decorative thé-au-lait (“tea with milk”) terracotta – Doll's use of grand façades is understood to have resulted in the expression, ‘all dolled up’. The first floor has been fitted out to a high standard with office furniture from Vitra, providing the perfect space for those who want to move in and get straight to work.The lobby mixes vibrate contemporary wall art with industrial light fittings and brickwork. Forza’s in-house CAD team planned the bespoke black oak Firescreen partition wall to match the architect's design. As a market leading passive fire product, this Firescreen provides both integrity from Smoke and Fire and insulation from heat. This is important because in a fire emergency heat has been shown to ignite secondary fires to items, such as curtains or carpets, that are near the other side of non-insulated partitions.Via the Thinking Space Design & Build, Forza Doors supplied twenty FD30 Fire Doors with stained frames and skirting boards to match throughout the five floors of The Charles Doll Building. Chosen to match the steelwork throughout the development, the dark satin finish of the doors was selected from Forza’s Creato range of dyed veneers. This ‘Illunis’ finish is one of twelve fashionable choices in the range. Dyed veneers are an increasingly popular choice with designers as they offer cost savings over stained veneers without compromising quality.The Doors with glass vision panels, required to allow light through to the stairwells, feature our flush and quirk bead. A minimalist design option where one side of the doors is completely flush right up to the glass vision panel and the other side has a very simple elegant bead detailing.

Dual finish wooden windows and doors were used in the renovation of this delightful 1900’s Arts and Crafts style property. The family chose from the Lomax + Wood made-to-order range of timber flush casements and doors. 42 Double glazed fully weather-stripped flush casement windows, French doors and entrance doors. Dual colour factory finished paint colour. White internally and Squirrel grey externally. Engineered timber for stability and durability. Espagnolette locking for security. Faceted bay windows. Polished chrome ironmongery.

This is the new FalcoScandic cycle hub Falco designed, manufactured, supplied and installed at West Midlands Railway’s Wolverhampton Interchange Station, forming part of a city award winning £150million Interchange development, delivering improvements to bus, tram, train and cycle connectivity.The new state-of-the-art cycle hub design, featuring no internal support posts to maximise the yield of cycle parking spaces, provides secure, dedicated, spaces for up to 100 bikes using the FalcoLevel-Premium+ two-tier cycle parking system.Installed this winter, the new 14m x 6m cycle hub includes the following features and benefits:Supportless internal structureAutomatic sliding doorInternal cycle parking for 92 bikes using the FalcoLevel-Premium+ two-tier systemInternal cycle parking for up to five non standard / cargo bikesExternal glass roof cycle canopyEight external FalcoCam cycle stands to accommodate 16 bikesFob Reader access control systemEnergy efficient LED lightingBespoke branding vinyl graphicsFalcoFix cycle repair stationCCTV securityPowder coated steelworkSpeaking of the new cycle hub addition, City of Wolverhampton Council Cabinet Member for City Economy, councillor Stephen Simkins, said: “The Interchange is a jewel in the crown of our city and part of the multi billion pound regeneration that is taking place.“The new cycle hub will give people more options and encourages this healthy, clean and green form of transport.“As a city we are committed to improving our infrastructure for more sustainable transport and this scheme complements our ongoing work to improve and grow our cycling network and support our climate change agenda.“The completed Interchange will connect train, tram, bus and cycles in one place and will provide a gateway to our city that we can all enjoy using - and be proud of.”The images attached show the new cycle hub installation, conveniently located next to the station entrance, near the pedestrian footbridge to the city centre.

Ahmarra's Residential Door Range includes secure internal apartment entrance doorsets that offer dual security and fire certification - providing peace of mind that the people, property and assets within the building are protected from opportunist thieves, vandalism and attack, as well as fire. This high security fire door was designed and manufactured for a sheltered housing complex.Certified under the Q-Mark Enhanced Security scheme, the doorset is Secured By Design (SBD) approved and meets PAS 24: 2016 standards. Also certified under the Q-Mark Fire Door Manufacture scheme, it is FD30 fire rated to BS 476 Pt. 22.

Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH) operates services in 200 locations across Rotherham, Doncaster and North Lincolnshire. It provides a range of inpatient and community mental health , learning disability and addiction services for adult, young people and children. The solution offered by Intastop was to ensure the door had full anti-ligature protection with the Door Top Alarm and fully clad the door in high quality anti-bacterial impact protection sheet which prevents water absorption and protects from damage.

Timber patio doors. Door replacement and window replacement

Handley Street is a small, residential development located within the central conservation area in the Lincolnshire market town of Sleaford.Originally an old, derelict office block, the site now provides six new, much-needed starter homes for the town. Each of the high-specification homes offers two bedrooms, underfloor heating, bi-fold doors to a private garden, and off-road parking, all within a few short steps to the town’s high street.Planning restrictions associated with the conservation area required the use of traditional materials, including timber, sliding sash windows, slate roofs, chimney stacks and brickwork that would match Handley Street’s older buildings, which are built in a vibrant orange brick featuring textural deviation and which was excavated locally.For the new properties, Forterra’s Butterley Breckland Multi Reserve was selected as a good match to the older brick. Varying bonds, that show stretchers as well as headers, have been introduced in the main facing brickwork, complementing the older properties nearby.

Mustard Tree, one of Greater Manchester’s most loved and respected charities for the homeless and disadvantaged operates from a large warehouse in the city which was in a dilapidated state. £1.6 million was raised to refurbish it and OMI Architects were appointed to design the upgrade which included replacing the external folding doors which were manufactured by Bolton Gate Company and despite being over sixty years old, were still operable and providing security. OMI specified new doors of the same type and Bolton Gate were chosen to install three new doors to the main entrance which were powder coated yellow.

The Sash Window Workshop to replace several traditional timber windows and a back door in a property in Buckinghamshire.The enquiry was assigned to our sales surveyor who arranged a visit to assess the windows and door, answered any questions and provided them with a quotation for the work.A couple of meetings were held with the customer to discuss and review the details of the quotation and an order was placed for a timber back door and 21 replacement casement windows, comprising of a mixture of single, double and bay windows.The door and windows were manufactured in Accoya, which comes with a 50 year anti-rot guarantee alongside The Sash Window Workshop’s 20 year joinery guarantee.Internally the windows and door were painted in a standard white, with a bespoke green paint applied externally.The installation was carried out by The Sash Window Workshop over 2 weeks, with our site manager visiting the property to check that the installation was progressing smoothly.After the work was completed, the couple commented that they were very happy with their new windows and door.

About the project:Dublin Doors are a distributor of door leafs to door manufacturers throughout Ireland. Since Brexit, the market in Ireland requires the EN 1634-1 fire testing standard, as opposed to the previously accepted the British Standard BS 476. A customer of Dublin Doors wanted an overhead concealed door closer combined with 44mm thick doors, and it had to pass the EN fire testing standard.The specification of the doors was: (A) 44mm PB hardwood lipped all round door (B) 38mm PB core faced with 3mm mdf, routed with 2mm decorative groove in the faceDublin Doors were very aware that EN testing is widely considered to be more onerous than BS testing. The inclusion of a drop seal was also a point of concern - many companies have found that using drop seals to control smoke can appear to make the fire test harder to pass, with some experiencing prolonged flaming at the threshold. Rutland was able to help by providing its concealed closer ITS.11204, which can be used in 44mm fire doors – one of only a handful of concealed closers on the market that can do this. Rutland was also able to tap into its network of experts and consultants to discuss possible options, to help Dublin Doors to arrive at a combination that met the specification, and was most likely to succeed in the test. Dublin Doors were also required to write a Pre-Test Verification (PTV) before the test – a requirement at many test labs now. Rutland used its expertise in compliance to help complete this specification.The outcome:The results were excellent, with both doors lasting 49 and 51 minutes respectively in the fire test, for what was a 30-minute FD30 doorset, the more onerous European standard EN 1634-1 to achieve – E30. In our experience of fire testing, this is an excellent result for a 44mm solid timber door, and the Rutland team were just as pleased as Dublin Doors that the door, along with its concealed closer, passed with flying colours.

From a design concept to delivering a compliant secure solution, Eurobond worked with a leading Worldwide tech giant to provide steel door sets to meet their function and performance.

“Good morning, I have two of your doors in a boatshed at South Georgia Island. They were installed 22 years ago and are in need of a set of bottom door seals” The correspondence originates from Paul Cousens, the facility engineer stationed at the British Antarctic Survey Station situated in King Edward Point, South Georgia Island – renowned as the smallest capital in the world. Positioned in the remote expanse of the South Atlantic Ocean, South Georgia lies at the equivalent latitude as the southern tip of South America, Cape Horn, approximately 1350km east of the Falkland Islands.The station's main edifice features two bi-folding industrial Q doors, serving as vital shields against hurricane-force winds and corrosive saltwater. Throughout the frigid winters, a team of twelve individuals resides and operates within this isolated outpost. However, during the summer months, the population surges to around twenty inhabitants. These Q Doors offer exceptional thermal insulation capabilities, resulting in long-term cost savings while simultaneously enhancing security and the architectural appeal of any structure. Serving as a versatile bi-folding solution, Q Doors can be seamlessly installed externally to address spatial limitations, thereby optimising space within equipment bays. With a variety of customization options available, you can tailor your Q Door to meet specific requirements, such as incorporating insulated double-glazed windows, choosing from a range of colours, and selecting between manual or electric operation. Paul Cousens remarks, "We contend with ferocious wind gusts reaching approximately 65 knots, where anything not securely fastened is swept away. Traditional rolling shutter doors are no match, folding Q doors have proven resilient against the elements. While we anticipate replacing the drive units in a few years, our current focus is on acquiring new seals to mitigate wind and water ingress." The enduring durability of these doors in such formidable conditions is truly remarkable and serves as a testament to the exceptional quality and resilience of the HAG Ltd. Q Door system. To be still fundamentally sound after over 20 years and just in need of replacement door seals was fantastic news to receive all the way from Antarctica!

The Sash Window Workshop were contacted by a couple who were looking to undertake a large project to transform a property in Gloucestershire into an elegant family home.The new wooden windows and doors had to deliver elegance and the traditional look and appearance that the customer wanted from both the inside and outside. They also needed to meet modern window performance standards, with double glazed windows and doors.They arranged to visit the workshop to have a look at how the windows and doors are manufactured and were delighted with the quality, thought and workmanship that goes into all the windows and doors they manufacture. The customer therefore decided to place an order for all the new timber windows and doors.After the work was completed, they commented that they are so pleased and happy with the end result. The customer also noted that the sash windows and doors were instrumental in the transformation of the building into a beautiful family home.

Premier Security & Fire Consultants Ltd are the UK’s leading provider of Secured by Design security door sets and we were proud to be engaged by experienced contractors Durkan to supply and install our products at this excellent assisted residential care centre and day centre for the elderly.The Premier team supplied and installed the 28 internal doors as well as the LPS1175 SR2 security entrance door with associated Secured by Design post boX installation. The internal doors were all fitted with power-assisted closers.

Imago Interiors, an award-winning design and build company, was tasked with creating an environment that merges design, technology and wellness to provide X+Why, a co-working real estate provider, a perfect home from which to grow at Whitechapel Road, London. "Forza Doors were selected as we have established a trusted relationship with them on our previous projects, based on their customer service and exceptional quality." Paul McArdle, Construction Director & Co-Founder “X+Why want to change the way the world works by uniting purpose-driven businesses in tech forward, wellness focused, and thought provoking environments. It was essential for us to fulfil every aspect of the brief to deliver their vision. We couldn’t be more proud of the end result, and to work with a fantastic forward thinking client.”

Since the Grenfell tragedy in 2016, there has been an increased focus on fire-safety compliance in all communal buildings. This focus sharpened even more when, early in 2018, the media unearthed evidence of some non-compliant products having been installed there, including internal fire doors that had been fitted without smoke seals. As a result, there has been heightened attention on every aspect of safety, not least on fire doors. Fire officers and building management personnel understandably want to ensure they have covered every possible safety angle.To this end, they are now often insisting on going beyond the specifications required by regulations.However, in trying to ensure doors provide the maximum protection against fire and smoke, another potential problem can arise that, if not addressed, can undermine those good intentions.The problem:One of our customers, a door manufacturer and installer, had recently supplied doors but then been informed by their customer that they were not successfully self-closing as they were meant to. The assumption was that the door closer was not performing correctly, so the ‘fault’ was relayed to Rutland with a request for a resolution. We agreed to visit the site swiftly to assess the situation. Our inspection found that the door closer was correctly specified for the width and weight of the door, but that the smallest possible door gaps had been specified. These, coupled with substantial smoke seals around the doors, were causing significant resistance to the doors closing. Although the resistance was due in part to the physical aspects of the small gaps and the seals, the main problem was actually the build-up of differential air pressures on either side of the doors.Given the increased focus on maximum fire defence at doorways on all new-builds and building refurbishments, this problem is arising ever more frequently. Tighter door seals have the effect of creating separate, near air-tight pockets within a building, each holding air at slightly different pressures. The bigger the building, the more such pockets and the greater the pressure differentials that can potentially build up.These pressure differentials can have a significant additional effect on the amount of force needed to close each door and must be taken into account when choosing and setting closers.The Rutland response:Rutland’s technical team attended the site as required to support the customer in achieving a solution, first to identify the issues with air pressures and then recommend and implement a solution to the problem.Initially, we made hinge and latch adjustments to the door sets to overcome some of the resistance. This proved to be insufficient to ensure all the doors correctly closed first time, so we advised upgrading to stronger door closers. This recommendation was supported by supplying the door manufacturer with relevant data from previous tests on an equivalent door set to verify the product’s suitability.The new closers were delivered to the site and our technical team remained on hand to provide extensive assistance with the installation. Rutland created a bespoke jig to aid the door manufacturer’s installers in fitting the replacement door closers, significantly cutting down the time it took to rectify the problem.Outcome and key learning points:The project was successfully brought back on track, to the full satisfaction of the property owner and the door set manufacturer. All doors now function as they should and are delivering the intended fire safety for all building occupants.This case highlights that, due to heightened protective sealing around doors, there is an increasing likelihood of air locks forming in buildings, which means that specifying of door closers cannot be based simply on weight and width of doors, as has traditionally been the case. The pressure differentials that result vary building by building, based on each one’s layout, so it necessitates careful assessment to ensure that appropriate closers are specified.