Safety in use, originally part of accessibility, provides more convenience and comfort for everyone. Automatic drives open sliding and rotating doors as if by magic as soon as you approach them. Thanks to sophisticated door seals, problematic thresholds can be dispensed with. This is something that not only people with limited mobility will appreciate, but also parents with prams or small children, people carrying heavy shopping or those with travel luggage. And so, what was originally something only forward-thinking investors and planners would include has become a standard feature in construction.
Robust automatic doors made from steel profile systems
Contact-free passage is not only convenient, it also reduces the risk of tripping and the transmission of pathogens – which is why automatic doors are such a vital component of medical buildings. But automatic doors also increase user-friendliness in other contexts, for example in buildings with a high footfall such as shopping centres, railway stations and airports but also high-end housing. Robust automatic doors made from steel profiles with internal door drives ensure low-maintenance operation and smooth functioning over the long term.
Anti-finger-trap doors made from steel profile systems
Anti-finger-trap doors protect against accidental injury. This is a safety issue not only in kindergartens and schools but also in frequently visited, publicly accessible buildings. The safety of doors in use is governed by DIN 18650-1 and -2, and by EN 16005. EN 16005 explicitly states that “power operated doors must have protection against the risk of trapped fingers”. Anti-finger-trap doors by Jansen meet this requirement with additional accessories that reduce the size of the gap on the secondary closing edge to the eight millimetres stipulated in the standard. Additional requirements such as fire and smoke protection can also be integrated.
Barrier glazing with steel profile systems
Floor-to-ceiling windows in homes or full-glass facades in commercial buildings flood the interiors with light. But these transparent structures must also prevent falls, as required by building regulations. Although the height from which such protection must be provided varies from country to country, the goal is always the same: to prevent people from cutting themselves and falling if they accidentally collide with the glass and to protect people on lower levels from falling shards of glass.
Elegant solutions with steel profile systems
Heavy-duty steel profile systems by Jansen in combination with suitable laminated safety glass (LSG) create large-scale facades and fixed glazing capable of preventing falls. Glazing that extends to down to the floor and that can be opened must be provided with an external anti-fall device in the form of a railing or a glass parapet. Devices for securing these safety means can be integrated discretely in steel profile systems by Jansen. Unlike railings, glass parapets and the like do not compromise the transparency of the facade or the incidence of light. Their slick simplicity provides for a clean and attractive solution.
Building without barriers
Automatic doors, entrances without thresholds, daylit rooms: building for accessibility has many different aspects. They are all intended to allow people of any age group to use their apartments, houses and public spaces without outside assistance and without any form of restriction. Many people think that building for accessibility also takes account of wheelchair users, but that is generally not the case. Some of the flowery terminology used above all in commercial property listings makes things even more confusing. But the definitions given in the standard clearly distinguish between phrases like ‘accessible’ and ‘wheelchair-friendly’.
Unproblematic door thresholds
Jansen meets the requirements of DIN 18040 with door systems that dispense with the need for thresholds. Either with a drop gasket or a drop gasket with a semicircular threshold that is at most 20 millimetres high and is easy to cross even with small wheels – be it a push-car or a walking frame.
Escape routes and rescue routes
The terms ‘escape route’ and ‘rescue route’ are often used synonymously, and sometimes they are even merged as ‘escape and rescue route’. The difference lies in how they are used: A rescue route is supposed to allow rescue workers to get people out of danger. An escape route is for users to get themselves to safety. Escape and rescue routes are therefore subject to special requirements. In particular, smoke and flames should be prevented from spreading in the event of a fire. Tightly closing fire and smoke control doors constructed from steel profile systems reliably seal off flames and smoke. Glazed fire and smoke control doors also allow people to see through and thus orient themselves quickly.
Emergency exit doors and panic doors
Doors on escape routes can be designed in accordance with DIN EN 179 as emergency exit doors, or with DIN EN 1125 as panic doors. Crucial assessment criteria are the number of people in the building at the same time, the length of the rescue routes and the probability of panic breaking out among users in the event of danger.
Eligibility for approval according to EN14351-1
The EN 14351-1 product standard for windows and external doors sets out that external doors in emergency and escape routes must, among other things, be eligible for approval. We have listed information on this on the following overview page:
Fire protection doors and smoke control doors
Alongside the requirements regarding emergency exit push bars and panic bolts, doors on escape routes generally also need to meet fire and smoke protection requirements, or be secure against break-in. And despite all of this, they should be visually appealing in their design, and harmonise attractively with the overall design. Planning attractively designed, safe escape and rescue routes with steel profiles is a complex task that Jansen tackles on a daily basis. Countless tested systems are available that leave no wishes unfulfilled in terms of element size, light incidence and transparency.
Differential climate properties
Differential climate properties refer to the deformation behaviour of materials under different thermal loads. On the face of it, this does not appear to be particularly relevant to safety, but the extent to which windows and doors are distorted when subjected to heat and/or humidity has a significant impact on their functionality: If a frame and door leaf or window sash warps, this creates gaps through which cold air can be drawn in as a draught. Depending on the aspect of the building component in question, the temperature difference between the outside and inside can be considerable, which can cause susceptible materials to become warped.
