5 Jun 2009

New swing door helps Europe meet accessibility goals

New European regulations providing disabled persons with access to public facilities are anticipated. The intelligent, low-energy Besam SW100 ensures compliance.

ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems, a world leading supplier of automatic doors and service, is launching its newest swing door operator in Austria, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden this year. New European regulations aiming to provide disabled persons with equal access to public facilities are anticipated in 2010, and the highly intelligent, low-energy Besam SW100 is a smart choice for insuring compliance.

The European Union is expected to join the United States and the United Kingdom next year in requiring places of public accommodation to be freely accessible to persons with physical disabilities. Places of public accommodation include a wide range of facilities such as government buildings, restaurants, hotels, theaters, hospitals, pharmacies, retail stores, museums, libraries and day care centers.

For the physically disabled, as well as an increasing aging population, it is vital that these facilities are accessible. The Besam SW100 is a natural part in these environments, as it is a reliable and safe door for users of all ages and physical abilities, opening automatically when needed and easy to push open manually as well.

The intelligent locking technology in the Besam SW100 increases security levels by insuring that the door closes fully and locks properly after each passage. The door can easily be equipped with access control, an important option for large public buildings.

“A benefit with the SW100 is that the employees working in big public buildings just swipe their cards to get in, without having manually pull the door open. The security aspect is very important in relation to this,” says Tony Pendleton at Continental Glazing, California.

Building owners can also gain cost efficiencies with the SW100 because its performance is not affected by seasonal temperature changes, so there is no need to manually adjust the operator as the seasons change. Similarly, the operator can self-adjust to overpressure produced from air-conditioning or heating systems.

“In California, we have an air conditioning problem in big buildings so the doors have to be adjusted. The SW100 closes with enough power so that the doors overcome the air conditioning. It is a slimline and it works out perfectly,” says Tony Pendleton at Continental Glazing.

Another segment for which the Besam SW100 is of great interest is construction companies, where automated doors are seen as a competitive driver.

In the Netherlands, the increasingly aging population has caused a boom in building “gated communities” where senior citizens can use facilities such as shops and hairdressers in close proximity to their homes. The Besam SW100 is a good door solution for these areas as well as in hospitals and health care facilities.

In the hospital Academisch ziekenhuis in Maastricht, the Netherlands, the Besam SW100 has been installed in order to provide a more comfortable environment for both patients and employees.

“It is very important that the doors close silently in the care units. Our old doors are very noisy and that is very disturbing for our patients, especially in the evening when they need peace and quiet,” says Bert Mommers, Technical Manager at the Academisch ziekenhuis in Maastricht.

Another benefit that is very much appreciated in hospital settings is that the speed at which the Besam SW100 opens and closes is safe for patients with mobility issues.

“It is much safer for our patients who cannot walk so fast. At some care units the SW100 can be perceived as opening little too slow, but safety is the most important factor,” says Bert Mommers.

The Besam SW100 fulfills the DIN 18650, BS 7036 and ANSI 156.19 for low energy operators.