Science Lab Doors

5 07, 2013

Science Lab Doors

By |2017-10-26T12:51:37-04:00July 5th, 2013|Fire Doors, Means of Egress|5 Comments

Several questions have come up lately regarding the door and hardware requirements for science labs in schools.  When a short article about a chemical fire in a lab storage cabinet came across my desk, I decided to do a little digging.  I found that fires in school science labs are not uncommon, in fact, the number of injuries to students has grown - in part because of changing educational requirements which advocate more hands-on science instruction.  In the event of a lab fire, building code requirements can help to limit the damage to the lab and prevent the fire and smoke from spreading.

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2 07, 2013

WWYD: Help Wanted

By |2017-10-26T12:51:43-04:00July 2nd, 2013|Door Closers, Fire Doors, Hinges & Pivots, Means of Egress, WWYD?|18 Comments

I answer A LOT of questions every day, and I love doing it.  I'm so glad to be able to provide this resource for our staff and customers, and anyone else who comes across my site.  But sometimes I get questions that I don't have a good answer for, and that's where you come in.  Please leave a comment if you have any insight on ANY of these questions...

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28 06, 2013

Colorado Convention Center

By |2013-07-10T15:31:51-04:00June 28th, 2013|Beautiful Doors|0 Comments

I've had dozens of architects ask me to specify hardware for doors with something "unusual" applied to them...sheetrock, wood, stone...one of our hardware consultants even had an architect propose full-sized brick covering the entire face of the door.  I always try to talk them out of it, but I have to admit it's pretty cool when I see doors where the architect didn't take "no" for an answer.

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27 06, 2013

Big and Beautiful Denver Door

By |2013-07-10T15:31:15-04:00June 27th, 2013|Beautiful Doors|5 Comments

It's been a busy couple of weeks that didn't leave me a lot of time for blogging - last week I went to LCN to have dinner with some of my favorite customers from Israel, witnessed a fire test at UL, then spent the rest of the week at the AIA conference in Denver where I played Code Jeopardy with the Denver chapter of DHI, played a mini version with LOTS of AIA attendees, and taught a class at the conference with Bill Lawliss.  We're spending this week with our new group of specwriter apprentices, as well as the previous group - they have already learned enough to help us with the instructing!  I have been amazed at how quickly they picked up the product information, code requirements, and specification techniques.  Here's a group photo from our field trip to Harvard yesterday:

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20 06, 2013

Beautiful Doors of Denver

By |2013-07-10T15:32:05-04:00June 20th, 2013|Accessibility, Beautiful Doors, Fire Doors, Means of Egress|3 Comments

I'm in Denver for the AIA conference, and this afternoon I played a rousing game of Code Jeopardy with the Denver Chapter of DHI.  If you're at the AIA conference this week, stop at our booth (#530) to play a short version of Code Jeopardy and your name will be entered to win an iPad Mini!  You can enter whether you get the questions right or not, and you'll probably learn something about a new code requirement in the process.

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19 06, 2013

WW: Are the kids to blame?

By |2014-08-22T22:56:18-04:00June 19th, 2013|Glass, Wordless Wednesday|14 Comments

Last Friday I posted an article about a school district settlement with a student, after a severe injury due to impact with traditional wired glass.  The article mentioned that a "15-year-old high school student fell while climbing atop a stack of rolled up wrestling mats."  What the article didn't say was that the mats had been rolled up between practices, and the student was helping to set up - the mats were stuck together and he climbed up to help free the mat and slipped, impacting the glass.  His injury was horrific, and he's lucky to be alive.

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14 06, 2013

School District Settles for $2 Million and Apologizes

By |2013-06-19T01:25:34-04:00June 14th, 2013|Glass, News|11 Comments

I've gotten in the habit of looking at wired glass to see if it has a certification mark for impact-resistance.  Almost none of the existing wired glass that I've seen has the mark, which means that unless it has field-applied film (I haven't spotted any film yet), it is extremely hazardous.  When I see kids running down the school corridors or swarming the exit at the end of the school day, I worry about impact with the glass, and the resulting injuries.  Our kids are supposed to be safe at school, but the majority of schools have traditional wired glass in place.  And if administrators think they are protected from liability, a precedent is being set that indicates otherwise...

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10 06, 2013

The Clock is Ticking

By |2017-12-07T22:57:14-05:00June 10th, 2013|Glass|0 Comments

Last month I posted an article by Kenneth T. Lumb about the liability that schools carry with regard to non-impact-resistant wired glass.  I received a comment from former Oregon State Senator Vicki Walker, who has been an instrumental and passionate force in removing traditional wired glass from Oregon schools.  With her permission, I have posted her comment below (or click here to download a PDF version). 

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22 05, 2013

Tornado Safety in Schools

By |2017-07-28T09:52:59-04:00May 22nd, 2013|News, Windstorm|2 Comments

When tragedy strikes, a common reaction is to examine what went wrong...what could have been done to affect a better outcome?  In many cases throughout history, codes were changed because of tragic events.  For the door and hardware industry, fires at the Iroquios Theater, Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, Cocoanut Grove Nightclub, Our Lady of Angels School, and the Station Nightclub come to mind as catalysts for code change.

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6 05, 2013

Boston Strong

By |2013-06-02T19:27:52-04:00May 6th, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Doors Gone Wrong, Road Trips|10 Comments

Last month I wrote about my experience on the day of this year's Boston Marathon.  The slogan "Boston Strong" has emerged since then as the ultimate description of this city, which will not let senseless violence beat us down.  This weekend my friend and I took our kids downtown, and our first stop was the makeshift memorial that has sprung up next to Trinity Church and across the street from the Boston Public Library.  I was surprised at the very long line of people inching through the display of running shoes, flowers, notes, candles, hats, stuffed animals, and other mementos that have been left at the site, and also the multiple news vehicles parked along the street.  I'm still wondering what story they're waiting to capture...survivors visiting the memorial?  Famous people?  I guess I'll have to watch the news and see.

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30 04, 2013

Shelter from the Storm

By |2015-04-01T21:41:20-04:00April 30th, 2013|Windstorm|2 Comments

Thankfully, we don't experience many tornadoes here in the Northeast - I actually only remember one tornado scare in my lifetime - on June 1st, 2011.  The weatherman was telling the residents of the towns in the tornado's path when to go into the basement and when the danger had passed.  I was grateful that we had a basement to go to, that my family was all here together, and that ultimately the tornado didn't make it as far as our town.  But what if we didn't have a relatively safe place to go - especially in an area where tornadoes are more common?  When I think about our elementary school, I have no idea where the safest location would be...I wonder if the school staff knows?

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29 04, 2013

Community of Christ Temple – Independence, Missouri

By |2015-11-04T09:34:53-05:00April 29th, 2013|Beautiful Doors|12 Comments

Last week I had a whirlwind trip to Kansas City, Missouri for Code Jeopardy at DHI's MoKan Chapter meeting, and another code class which was held at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas.  The venue was amazing and the local SSC did a fabulous job of coordinating everything.  Thank you to everyone who attended!

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16 04, 2013

Boston Public Library

By |2013-05-01T19:20:04-04:00April 16th, 2013|Beautiful Doors|9 Comments

Many of you know that I live just outside of Boston and I consider the city my home (and I really appreciate those of you who emailed me to make sure I was ok).  I love this city, the architecture, the history, the vibe given off by the people.  For me, downtown Boston isn't an area to be avoided because of traffic, crime, or parking difficulties.  It's a place I frequent - with my family and friends, for work, or on my own.  I have never worried about my safety.

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9 04, 2013

Public House

By |2013-05-01T19:22:04-04:00April 9th, 2013|Beautiful Doors, Road Trips|6 Comments

As always when I travel, I've been on the lookout for interesting doors during my trip to Las Vegas.  I saw these last night at dinner.  They're beautiful (and huge!) carved wood panels, hung on center pivots which are offset from the edge.  When the doors are closed (see below), there is a gap at the hinge edge.

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4 04, 2013

On the Road Again

By |2013-05-01T19:21:31-04:00April 4th, 2013|General Info|7 Comments

On Monday I'm headed to ISC-West in Las Vegas for a few days...will I see any of you there?  And in a few weeks I'm making my first-ever trip to Missouri AND Kansas!  If you're in the area, I'll be playing Code Jeopardy with the MO KAN Chapter of DHI on April 25th in Kansas City, and debuting my new game-show presentation - Decoded: 1 vs. 100, on April 26th in Overland Park, Kansas.

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3 04, 2013

WWYD? High Winds

By |2013-05-01T19:21:01-04:00April 3rd, 2013|Door Closers, WWYD?|16 Comments

Many of us have experienced a project where the doors were subjected to unexpected wind loads, causing problems with the hardware and the operation of the door.  I'm not talking about the occasional wind that comes with a hurricane, tornado, or tropical storm - I mean the everyday wind gusts due to the building location or other factors.

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27 03, 2013

Operational Force for Hardware

By |2019-02-10T10:12:32-05:00March 27th, 2013|Accessibility, Panic Hardware|7 Comments

The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, effective in March of 2012, included an unexpected change regarding the maximum allowable force to operate door hardware.  This modification to the standards was made as an "editorial change," which is typically used to address errors or make clarifications that do not affect the scope or application of the code requirements.  Editorial changes do not go through the normal code development process including committee hearings and opportunities for public comment.

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20 03, 2013

WW: 5 Motions to Release the Latch

By |2013-04-03T18:32:28-04:00March 20th, 2013|Doors Gone Wrong, Panic Hardware, Wordless Wednesday|3 Comments

As most of you know, a required egress door must typically operate with only one motion to release the latch.  The common exception is dwelling unit entry doors in hotels and apartment buildings, which can have one additional locking device if the occupant load of the unit is 10 or less.  Take a look at this door, sent to me by Jeff Strangio of Maffey's Security Group.  Do you think you could figure out how to open it in smoky conditions?

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