Sometimes, however, it is not enough just to create a secure barrier in the event of danger; the opposite also counts strongly: providing access. Think of environments where many people come together, such as museums, hospitals, office environments and shopping centres.
Specialist in fire safety
The architect and building owner have important choices to make, especially in the early stages of building design. These initial choices determine the scope for fire safety. They affect such matters as whether or not to install sprinklers and divide the building into compartments. The choice of the various building materials also influences the overall fire resistance.
Unfortunately, the overcrowded curricula of architecture courses often pay less attention to fire safety than is desirable and necessary. Nevertheless, the architect and contractor are responsible for an important task that requires a lot of skills and knowledge. They need to know about the products and their properties in order to make the right choices. Fortunately, the knowledge and experience of a specialist such as Hoefnagels Fire Safety can more than compensate for any shortcomings. We focus on fire safety in its entire scope. This is a process that, as far as we are concerned, starts with advice on user functions and preconditions defined in the project. Only then do product-related goods and services come into play.
Fire-resistant and translucent
Nevertheless, it is useful to explore the field of what is possible and what is allowed in the field of fire safety beforehand. At present, fire-resistant products still have to be incorporated in the design after the dimensions have been determined. The earlier fire safety is on the agenda and the more realistic the assumptions for fire safety are, the smaller is the chance that the design will have to go back to the drawing board.
If the design calls for products or applications that are both fire-resistant and translucent, our elegant automatic sliding doors create the right separation between spaces. With automatic sliding doors (single-wing, double-wing or telescopic), we contribute to an accessible, pleasant and safe entrance for people.
Distinguishing features
The maximum sizes of the various Fireglide doors are hardly a limitation. Applications up to a clearance height of 3000 mm and a clearance width of 2400 mm for a double sliding door leave plenty of room for creativity. With these generous dimensions, the total facade width is 5400 mm. With a maximum clear width and clear height of 1800 mm and 2750 mm respectively, the automatic telescopic sliding door is amply dimensioned for the relocation of hospital beds, for example. At their maximum sizes, the doors are 30 or 60 minutes certified fire resistant and suitable for high-frequency use.
The profiles have an elegant width of 50 mm. We produce them in one of the many standard RAL colours or, if desired, in an NCS colour. If privacy is a requirement, we can also equip the fire-resistant glazing with fire-resistant frosted glass. To prevent the connection profile of the wings from being visible, we fit them with a so-called Omega profile. This gives the thoroughfare an even more open character.
Escape doors
As of 1 November 2019, only fire-resistant industrial doors with a CE marking may be used. This does not yet apply to internal pedestrian doors. According to the Building Decree, a fire resistant product located in an escape route must be fitted with an escape door. The Fireglide automatic sliding doors may however be placed in an escape route.
Three quality partners
For our fire-resistant doors we use elements that originate from strategic partners who, just like Hoefnagels Fire Safety, are specialists in their field. The aforementioned profiles come from Forster, and the automatic sliding door controller was developed by Record Automatische Deuren, part of the FAAC Group since 2020. We also set very high quality standards for the glass. Pyroguard meets these requirements and has proven to be a reliable partner with short lead times for the manufacture and fulfilment of customised fire-resistant glass.
Intensive cooperation with these three partners, among others, enables us to meet all the needs of architects, specifiers, contractors and building professionals.
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