Fire door closers are essential for the safety of high rise buildings. A fully operational, closed fire door prevents, or slows down, the spread of smoke and fire from a high rise apartment to communal areas and other properties in the same block.
Fire door closers for high rise buildings
Samuel Heath has been designing and supplying concealed fire door closers for high rise buildings for several decades. High rise buildings are those with at least 7 storeys or are at least 18 metres high. Our concealed fire door closers offer a safer alternative to traditional overhead fire door closers in high rise buildings such as apartment blocks, offices and hotels. Because they are concealed between the door and the door frame, they don’t present a ligature risk and are far less likely to be deliberately damaged.
Benefits of specifying fire door closers
If you are an architect or property developer of high rise buildings, there are several benefits of specifying fire door closers.
- Compliance with building regulations
- The fire door closer automatically closes the door behind the occupant which enhances the security of the building
- Fire door closers contain fires without manual intervention
- Although overhead fire door closers have been identified as presenting a ligature risk or the potential for vandalism, concealed fire door closers overcome these issues
- While overhead fire door closers are associated with institutional environments, concealed fire door closers create a homely environment because they are out of sight.
Fire and safety
Approved Document B Volume 2, which provides statutory guidance on fire safety and meeting building regulations, states: “All fire doorsets, including to flat entrances and between a dwellinghouse and an integral garage, should be fitted with a self-closing device”. Some common corridors should also be subdivided by a self-closing fire door.
As such, fire door closers in high rise buildings are now integral to fire safety policy. If, however, a fire door closer becomes damaged, the integrity of the fire door is compromised, and the entire door will need to be replaced to be operational and compliant. It is for this reason that specifiers are now insisting on concealed fire door closers in place of overhead fire door closers.
Performance and quality
Concealed fire door closers from Samuel Heath have a worldwide reputation for performance and quality. Our Powermatic R100 and Powermatic Axis R108 concealed fire door closers have been rigorously tested for performance and quality. They are CE marked and UKCA marked, and endurance tested to 500,000 cycles. Such is our confidence in their performance and quality that we provide a 10 year guarantee with each purchase.
Fire door closer project
Samuel Heath was appointed to install over 400 Powermatic concealed fire door closers in the Hilton Hotel on Deansgate in Manchester. The architects wanted a door closer that would meet all the necessary fire performance requirements, yet complement the contemporary design of the hotel.
You can read more about this project and what our clients had to say about our installation here.
If you need fire door closers for a high rise project, get in touch with Samuel Heath on 0121 766 4200, or at doorclosers@samuel-heath.com.