Sistema Educativo

Other remarkable elements of this project are the elaborate technical features of the individual fire resistant and smokeproof doors. In the entrance lobby and extensive connecting routes, more than 200 single and double T30 / T90 fire resistant doors from the Novoferm fuego light range and around 90 single and double smokeproof doors from the presto range reliably protect the university from the risks of fire.

In light of the extensive traffic, all doors are fitted with electromechanical or magnetic hold open systems. They keep the doors open at all times – so no dangerous barriers in everyday university life – but close them immediately and automatically in an emergency when triggered by the smoke detection systems. Intelligent security systems that only act in an emergency.

One detail in particular really emphasizes the quality: the colour coating of all of the steel tubular frame doors is absolutely identical to the colour of the façade. This raises the degree of recognition and emphasizes the uniform appearance of the university. A perfect example of professional corporate design.

Where great value is placed on transparency and aesthetics, the sophisticated design requirements extend to include even functional security systems. Novoferm steel tubular frame doors with glazing were chosen as the numerous fire resistant and smokeproof doors for this major project.

They really demonstrate their exceptional quality and strength in heavily frequented areas – such as these public spaces with frequently changing traffic – even when exposed to permanent extreme stress or frequent incorrect operation.

Added to which, surface damages are quick and easy to repair to a limited extent. Notwithstanding its exceptional robustness, the strength of steel allows structural designs of unparalleled delicacy with slimline profiles and strikingly narrow visible widths.

Which in turn makes it possible to install particularly large glazing panels to create the transparent structures required by the property owner in the interior of the building. They also add a very special touch to contemporary architecture.

Some 300 fire resistant and smokeproof doors from Novoferm’s fuego light and presto systems were installed in Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences. They were joined by further exterior fire seals and customized designs.

The interior design of the university features some open spaces that span multiple floors. To prevent fires and smoke spreading from one floor to the next yet still maintaining the openness of the building design, F30 glazing spanning three or four floors was installed.

The individual units are supported by the ceilings between the floors which were covered with panels at the front to create the impression of continuous glass façades that span multiple floors and provide maximum transparency.

And are building code tested and approved as a customized fire resistant solution.

That the architectural design of a school can have a positive impact on the learning achievements of its students is undisputed. There are numerous attractive examples that prove this claim. To an extent, however, the imagination of architects is constrained by legal specifications – such as fire protection regulations.

The high quality fire resistant and smokeproof seals in the new vocational training centre are proof that this does not have to be the case. They impressively unite reliable functional performance with an attractive design.

NovoFire aluminium systems for doors and walls were installed. These high quality glass frame structures designed by Novoferm are the perfect solution for modern property construction. With its slimline visible widths, elegant surface finishes and numerous variants, the system offers huge scope for very individual yet consistent design.

Both T30 / T90 fire resistant doors and smokeproof doors were installed to seal off the defined sections in the extension, which measures about 11,000 sqm. They not only ensured the requisite function but also blended perfectly into the architectural surroundings.

The staircases in the extension were located on the outer edges of the building and clad with a glass façade to maximize light incidence. The planners wanted to use clever light control to effectively channel daylight from the outside far into the adjoining corridors. Special solutions were needed.

The clients opted for slimline single and double NovoFire T30 doors with aluminium-glass frame structures, with glazing panels joining the sides to the walls, and fanlights. The unusually large dimensions of the door leaves and side panels are particularly striking and enable the use of very large glass surfaces – while still guaranteeing full security performance – to allow bright and friendly daylight to flood unhindered from the staircase into the adjoining corridors.

Other remarkable elements of this project are the elaborate technical features of the individual fire resistant and smokeproof doors. All of them are fitted with electromechanical hold open systems that are connected to the smoke detection and alarm system. Thus the doors can remain permanently open until a signal from the smoke detectors activates the overhead door closers in an emergency.

Monumental school buildings with classrooms leading off to the left and right of dark, grey felt carpeted corridors running through the interior are a thing of the past. Schools are increasingly becoming places to live and learn.

Modern education centres feature open designs nowadays, with flexible and bright rooms to help students learn. This reflects the shift in learning styles – away from the teacher standing at the front of the classroom and towards working in small groups or individual learning, more time spent at school by students and teachers, and the increasingly fading lines between teaching and recuperation phases.

Accordingly, Education Senator Ties Rabe praised the new vocational training centre as a “future-oriented, exceptionally well-equipped school with a room concept that supports modern and new learning methods.”

To assure the security of the pupils, the entire building was overhauled and fitted with an extended fire protection concept involving the design of new fire sections in keeping with the changed utilization. At the property owner’s request, the practice rooms were designed to be spacious, bright, friendly, and exceptionally inviting.

Equally, the corridors and hallways – that also serve as the escape routes – were to be bright and transparent. The biggest challenge lay in satisfying the requirement for a visually uniform interior design. The appearance of both the doors already in place and the new fire resistance doors was to be as identical as possible.

The client opted for T30 aluminium tubular frame doors from Novoferm’s NovoFire® system. With their large transparent surfaces, they not only reflect the current zeitgeist – the elegantly slim visible widths allow for large glazing surfaces to bring lots of light and visibility to the corridors – but also match the appearance of the doors already in place.

The tangibly good quality combined with the elegant aluminium surfaces – in this example in light grey with subtly toning glass strips – are a particularly good match for the historical brick ambiance and overall impression.

Modifying existing buildings is increasingly becoming a core requirement in modern construction culture. Combining existing historical characteristics with modern and transparent fire protection solutions made by Novoferm produces a particularly attractive result. In keeping with the new fire sections, all school corridors were fitted with double NovoFire® T30 aluminium door units with matching fanlights and side panels.

These doors are particularly stable thanks to the profile wall thickness of 4 mm, and extremely compact with just one single fire resistant core anchored in the centre. Added to which, the visible width is the same on all models. The former arches in the corridors were filled with plasterboard.