It was a slow day for doors...this is the only door of interest that I saw, and it was the door to Zeke's shed. It's the door equivalent of "the cobbler's children have no shoes." It looks good from the outside, but the inside could qualify for a submission to ThereIFixedIt.com. :-)
These are the photos that I referred to in my post about Imperial Foods and the locked/blocked exits there. These photos were taken last week, illustrating that there's still work to be done in awareness of egress requirements. This is a 7-story office building, and one of the two exits was closed off because of construction on the decking outside the door. The photos were sent to me by Peter Jordan of Jordan Consultants.
I need some help, and after giving the architect my suggestions I told him that I'd ask all of you for ideas.
Twenty years ago today, a fast-moving fire at the Imperial Foods chicken processing plant killed 25 and injured 54 of the 90 workers in the plant. Although I think egress conditions and awareness have improved in the last 20 years, there's definitely room for continued improvement. I frequently receive photos of appalling egress and fire door modifications, including some photos that I received this week of an office building exit that was blocked for construction, leaving only one exit for a 7-story office building. I'll post those photos here soon.
This afternoon I had an appointment for acupuncture, and as I was drifting off into a needle-induced temporary coma (if you haven't tried it, you should!) I was thinking about what I should post for Friday. Then I thought about how it seemed like such a short time between my Wordless Wednesday post and planning for Friday's post, and in a sudden epiphany I realized that I had posted the WW post today! I DO know what day it is, and I did write the WW post on Wednesday, but I must have had a senior moment. I went back and changed the date so nobody who visits that post in the future will realize that I messed up. To all of the loyal readers out there, THANK YOU for not saying, "You dummy, it's Thirsty Thursday not Wordless Wednesday!" :-)
Today's Wordless Wednesday photo was sent in by David Sochaczevski, an architect with the Soltron Group in Montreal. David saw this door near the Stitch ride in Disney's Magic Kingdom. At first glance this application clearly looks like a code problem, but I just couldn't imagine Disney purposely installing hardware that would require two motions to exit. I asked Disney about it but I was told that any information about this door was proprietary. I asked the local fire marshal and received this reply: "Thank you for bringing this safety concern to our department. The configuration in the picture you provided is not as it appears and the door does function according to code requiring only one motion to open the door."
Call me crazy, but this is one of my favorite days of the year - the first day of school. The summer is just too chaotic for me, with kids going every which way to various camps and activities - I need more structure in my life! So needless to say, I'm a happy camper today. I'm even happier because it was announced yesterday that this blog, my 4th baby, won the Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies President's Award in the Leadership category. WOOHOO! Thanks to all of you for visiting regularly and interacting with me. That's what blogging and social media are all about!
This post was printed in the September 2011 issue of Doors & Hardware
One of my favorite job-related activities is going into a facility and helping with their hardware problems. This week I was called into a police station to look at a door that had allowed several escapes, as well as the main entrance. I thought it would be fun to see what you all would recommend in these situations.
These were sent in by Mary Hinton of Mulhaupt's Inc. Can you imagine trying to exit from this "auction house" (junk shop) in an emergency? Their front door lever needs some help too. This might have been the first signal to get back in the car and keep driving!
I was recently cleaning out a drawer and found copies of a 3-part article printed in Doors & Hardware in 1986. The articles were written in 1937. I thought I should preserve this piece of our history, so here is the first installment (others to follow).
Here's the latest batch of photos sent in by blog readers. Thanks everyone!
These photos were sent in by Morriss Johnson of CMA, the architectural firm working on the renovation of the Ridglea Theater. The first two photos are nice, but I LOVE the one of the pair. And YES, it is a required egress door.
Here are some links to recent door-related social media activity. Enjoy!
A couple of weeks ago one of my coworkers, Rich Conroy, took a phone call from someone with questions about open back strikes. Rich asked me to write a post that he could refer people to, and the hold-up was that I had to find a photo. Not the photo you see in a catalog (right), which usually shows the strike alone, but a photo of an open back strike in action. Try looking for one on Google Images and you'll find a few graphics of the strike by itself, some open backed shoes, and plenty of open backed dresses, but no open back strikes in action.
I just got final confirmation that Zeke Wolfskehl and I will be teaching a code class for architects at the 36th annual DHI Conference in New York City! Prior to the adoption of the 2008 NYC Construction Code, the NYC Building Code was almost as old as me(!), so we're thinking it's a good time to make sure everyone is up to date on the current requirements related to doors and hardware. We'll talk about the 2003 edition of the International Building Code and what has changed in the more recent editions, as well as variations in the Life Safety Code and the New York City and New York State codes.
These photos were sent in by Nolan Thrope of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies. He said they had the velcro version of wander-prevention on numerous doors. What say you?
I've been thinking about this post for 2 weeks, and I'm stumped. It's my 500th post on this blog. It seems like 500 posts should warrant some sort of fanfare...maybe a cake?! (in our office we use any excuse to have cake). I've been trying to think of a tie-in to 500 somethings, a related photo I could include, but the pressure has clouded my brain.
This post was printed in the August 2011 issue of Doors & Hardware
This photo was sent in by Kathi Frelk of Anderson Lock (check out their blog!). It's perfect for Wordless Wednesday because I have no words for this application. Well, I guess I could say that two rim devices with a removable mullion would have been a much more secure application, but would anyone listen?
A couple of weeks ago I told you about the significance of August 1st - it's my birthday (big deal), and also the day that the features of the LCN 4040XP are incorporated into the standard 4040 closer (BIG DEAL!). Every 4040 closer ordered from today forward will be shipped as a 4040XP - with the larger and stronger pinion, bigger bearings, and stronger teeth geometry. If you have questions about the changes, check out this FAQ document.
I don't know about you but I'm so overwhelmed with information and data that I can't find anything. I hate spending time looking for what I need...Google has ruined me! I'm so used to being able to find an answer to any question within seconds, it drives me crazy when I can't.
As of July 1st, 2011, a revised California law (AB 211, Article 8.5) requires classrooms and rooms with an occupant load of more than 5 people to be equipped with classroom security locks.* This pertains to all new construction projects submitted to the Division of the State Architect, which oversees K-12 schools and community colleges in the state of California.
This is on the front door of the elementary school where my kids have their summer program. I guess they don't know about the Quiet Doorman.
I spent last weekend in Stowe, Vermont with one of my BFFs and we stayed at an "inn," which seems to mean bigger than a bed and breakfast but not as modern as a hotel. As my friend said, "I got the keys...they're real keys - how quaint!" I won't get into how the lock on our room had to be unlocked with the thumbturn before you could turn the knob for egress, but I will share the completely inadequate mini-closer on the exterior door adjacent to our room. The door never closed and latched, and the kitchen staff hung out on the landing smoking butts (not the hinge kind). Good thing we had the high-security privacy chain on our room door.
I've obviously been slacking because this video was posted a month ago. It's a follow-up to a report about the flawed fire safety system at the Staples Center, including problems with their fire doors. Here's a link, in case you missed it too.
Picture this. You wait by the mailbox for your brand spanking new iPad 2 to arrive. You carefully open the box and breathe in the intoxicating scent of Apple, then plug in the cable, sync your iPad with your iTunes account, and settle back to watch a movie. A few minutes into Despicable Me, the screen goes black. AAHH!!! You pack up your iPad, take it to the Apple store, and find out that it's not an Apple iPad after all - it's a KNOCKOFF!!!
Over the last year, I've really started to understand the valuable communication tool that social media has become. Every time I write a blog post, a notification of the post is immediately seen by at least 1500 people. If any of those connections comments, tweets, or "likes" the post, it is then shared with their network of connections. One of my recent tweets was retweeted to over 4,000 people - not a big deal in comparison to celebrity twitterers, but we're talking about doors here!
These photos were taken by Ted Wightman of Ingersoll Rand Security Technologies, at a fishing lodge in a remote area of Ontario, Canada. I wonder who they were trying to keep out...the bears?
Back in the early 90's when the ADA was the newest focus of the door and hardware industry, delayed action closers were often specified and installed due to the assumption that they were required by the accessibility standards. Delayed action is a feature available on many door closers, which delays the closing cycle for up to a minute (or more depending on the manufacturer) from the maximum degree of opening to approximately 70 degrees. The delay is controlled by an additional valve which slows the flow of fluid for that initial period in the closing cycle. This feature can be helpful in some applications, but it is not required by code. The other segments of the closing cycle, the main speed and the latch speed, are also controlled by valves (see diagram below).
I was at a security meeting for one of my projects recently, and I heard the security consultant refer to the "secured side of the door," meaning the inside - the area that is protected by the security system.
This is a very unusual door - stone clad and an exterior opening only about 100 feet from the ocean. The door and panic hardware were installed by Entry Systems Ltd., the stone, mag-lock, and wood surround were added by someone else. The photos were sent to me by Eyal Bedrik of Entry Systems Ltd., in Israel (Thanks Eyal!). If you have any questions about this opening, just leave them in the comments section and I'm sure Eyal will be happy to fill us in.
I have a special place in my heart for locksmiths. Maybe it's because I've been "saved" a few times...like the time I locked myself out of my apartment in my PJs at 6 a.m. Or maybe it's because I like the mechanics of what they do. I always loved helping our in-house locksmith with masterkeying, and I've been told by an experienced locksmith that I'm a natural at shimming cylinders. How many people can say that?!
I swear, I didn't send him the camo underwear. :-)
I love this building - Flint Memorial Hall. It was built in 1875 as "the largest, most elegant, and most modern building North Reading had ever seen."
I got a Tweet today from @GinnyPowell, who was attending a Von Duprin training. She was surprised that the fire truck video is still around, and once she mentioned it I just had to go back and watch it again. It's a classic! I love the fire test engineer..."I am now checking the device..." I wonder who came up with this idea.
It's not often you find the variety of egress-related news stories that I've seen lately, so I compiled a few here for your reading pleasure. Enjoy!
Today my oldest daughter and I participated along with some of my coworkers and some of our compañeros from Trane, in the Quannapowitt Take the Lake 5K. It was a beautiful morning and we walked/ran in honor of some of our friends and coworkers who have battled cancer or are still fighting.
We only spent a brief segment of our road trip in Lexington, but it was long enough to spot a couple of doors of interest. Our hotel was originally a single family residence and it's on the Register of Historic Places. We checked in pretty late at night but I immediately noticed the mess they had made of the lock on their front door. Creative, yes...purty, no.
We're on the last leg of our road trip and will be home today, so here's a quick post to tide you over. I have lots more photos to share and the fact that they won't be chronologically presented offends my orderly side, but so be it.
I saw this church from the highway on our way into Roanoke, Virginia last week - it's St. Andrews Catholic Church, and I just knew it would have some nice doors. As soon as I approached the building from the parking lot, I spotted the meeting stile gasketing. Most people would probably see the building as a whole, or maybe the beautiful pulls, but I couldn't get past the gasketing.
I hope everyone had a safe and relaxing holiday weekend...I have to admit it was really nice to take some time off. I've been in Grassy Cove, Tennessee since Friday and there aren't a whole lot of doors here, but luckily I've got some saved up from last week. We're headed toward home tomorrow so I'll be on the lookout for doors of interest.
Today I had the pleasure of visiting the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. My trusty guide for the tour was Rachel Smith of Karpen Steel, who suggested the Biltmore as a stop on my road trip and then arranged for the visit to the estate.
We're currently on our Summer 2011 Road Trip and I'm on the hunt for doors of interest, but so far I'm seeing more sights like this:
Wow! Feast your eyes on this retrofit 994L lever trim for a Von Duprin 98/99 device. It was made by Cirecast, for the Kansas Statehouse. Gorgeous!
I originally published the post below in May 0f 2009, but I'm trying to gather some information so I've pulled it up to the front again. Please take a moment to answer the quick survey about lever return in your area. Thanks!Click here to take a quick survey.//
Here's the latest batch of reader photos...don't forget to send me any interesting doors you see on your summer vacations!
I first saw this door a few weeks ago but I was late for a meeting, so I hunted it down again. It's the rear exit from a Chinese restaurant - I didn't go inside to check out the situation, but even if it's just an exit from the kitchen it still doesn't meet the requirements for single operation egress.
Every time I specify hardware for a door that swings into a pocket, a little alarm sounds in my head because at least 50% of the time there will be a problem that urgently needs to be fixed at the end of the job. This application requires coordination between the architect designing the pocket, the contractor building the pocket, and the distributor supplying the doors and hardware, and that's a lot harder than it sounds. The other problem is that when one pair on a project goes south, in most cases ALL of the pairs are a problem.
Is it me, or are those some really big butts on pretty small doors? This post should bring in some interesting stats...like the guy who Googled "naked ladies with no cover-ups" and was sent to my blog post on naked closers with snap-on covers. :-)
