I’m still working on the IBC version of yesterday’s Quizlet study materials…hopefully it will be ready to post for Thursday.  Meanwhile…

I read a really interesting article the other day, about an architectural firm’s redesign of an apartment in London.  What I found interesting is the use of fire doors to isolate the egress route for the bedrooms from the living room and kitchen.  I have not seen this requirement in US codes – generally, the corridor is separated from the apartment by a 1-hour wall and 20-minute doors, but there isn’t usually any fire-rated construction within the apartment.

In the redesigned flat, there are two fire door assemblies which are held open using electromagnetic holders – one between the entry and kitchen, and the other between the living room and the desk area.  The doors are barely noticeable when they’re held open, but they close automatically upon fire alarm and compartmentalize the space.  They can also be used manually for sound control and privacy.

Looking at the photos that accompany the article, the closing device is mounted in the door edge (like this one).  Has anyone used this type of product?

You can read the entire article and see the rest of the images at the Architects’ Journal website.  If you access the link multiple times it may ask you to create a free account in order to read the article, but you should not have to do that the first time.

Image:  Architects’ Journal, Laura Mark

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