On the heart surgery ward, single and double leaf NovoFire® fire resistant doors with T30 classification and smokeproof doors were tailored to requirements and connected to the walls as needed with F30 side panels. The two fire seals at the entrance and exit to the ward, especially, proved to be quite challenging. To enable staff to manoeuvre the cumbersome beds easily, the doors need to open particularly wide. At the same time, the fire resistant doors need to open and close automatically. This required, for example, automatic swing door operators, sensor strips, electric openers, and magnetic hold open systems. What was particularly challenging was that it took the intelligent combination of the technology required to assure functional performance and individual programming of each door to produce door control solutions that exactly matched the hospital’s requirements. A keypad to manually trigger the command to open the door was a conscious choice to avoid unnecessary opening signals on the heavily frequented corridors.
People or objects – such as beds – passing through the door are registered by sensors and the doors are held open conveniently for as long it takes for them to pass completely through. The doors then close on their own. Fire safety is restored. Open communication was also the primary factor dictating the design of the fire resistant door to the nurses’ room.
Here again, the solution with generous glazing was a conscious choice. An interior design featuring such a high degree of light permeability not only enhances the work atmosphere; it also improves the exchange of information between staff and patients.
