The latest accessories and must-haves to make your door and window openings beautiful and functional, from unique crystal handles to sexy hinges and integral venetian blinds … Plus the sector’s news

Crystal doorknobs

Architectural ironmongery specialist Carlisle Brass has introduced a range of transparent, coloured crystal doorknobs called Delamain.

The doorknobs are available in blue, pink, green, amber and yellow. According to the company, they feature a bubble effect in the crystal so that no two are the same. The doorknob rose is metal and comes in polished chrome, satin chrome or polished brass finishes.

Carlisle Brass
www.carlislebrass.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 302


Crystal doorknobs
Crystal doorknobs


Side folding doors

Industrial door maker Crawford has unveiled a range of side folding doors for a variety of applications. These include a version for normal industrial use, a reinforced model for more demanding applications, one with glazed sections for extra light or for product display, and a corrosion-resistant door for car washes. The doors can be operated electronically or manually and feature a soft stop-and-start function said to reduce maintenance requirements. The doors have seals to reduce heat loss. Pedestrian doors can be incorporated into the panels.

Crawford Hafa
www.crawforduk.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 303

Ultramodern door handle

Door and window handle maker Hoppe (UK) has launched an updated version of its Tokyo door handle. It now has rounded edges on the backplate to complement the curved sides of the handle.

Hoppe (UK)
www.hoppe.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 304

Electric locks

ASSA has expanded its Evolution range of electromechanical locks with the addition of mechanical only options, and says there are now locks available for every conceivable security requirement. Specifiers can now combine electromechanical locks on one side of a door with a mechanical version on the other. The company has also added a high-security mechanical hook bolt to the range, and says the locks meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

ASSA
www.assa.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 306

Double-glazed unit with venetian blind

Glass maker Pilkington has collaborated with door and window supplier Zeroplus to develop a fire-rated, double-glazed unit featuring an internal venetian blind. Called Slimblind, the blind is hermetically sealed inside the unit and offers fire resistance of up to 30 minutes.

A version with a 60-minute fire rating will be available shortly. The company says it is ideal for clean rooms and hospitals where privacy and hygiene are important. The glass can be tinted grey, green, bronze or arctic blue. Steel or stainless steel frame trims are available.

The product is stocked in eight sizes from 406 mm × 406 mm to 762 mm × 1829 mm wide in a range of frame colours.

Pilkington
www.pilkington.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 307

Fire-resistant PVCu doors

Duraflex has launched a range of fire-resistant PVCu doors called Stormfront. The door is made from a sandwich construction comprising heat-resistant plastic panels and a fire-resistant core that has a 30-minute fire rating. It comes in a range of options including Georgian-style solid or glazed and Victorian-style glazed or half glazed. Colours include white, red, blue, green, mahogany and light oak. The door has dual seals to prevent water leakage.

Duraflex
ww.duraflex.co.uk
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 308

Portuguese doorsets

Portuguese door maker Vicaima has launched a range of doorsets called Portaro Easifit. These are supplied with a frame, door, architrave, locks and hinges and the company says assembly takes approximately 30 minutes. Fire doors with ratings of 30 or 60 minutes are available. A choice of colours and finishes is available.

Vicaima
www.vicaima.com/uk/produtos.htm
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 309


LED exit sign
LED exit sign


LED exit sign

Cooper Lighting and Security has added an LED illuminated-edge lit exit sign to its range of JSB emergency luminaires. Called Lucci, it features 12 high-intensity LEDs that the company says have a life of 35,000 hours, five times longer than a traditional fluorescent lamp. The product has a first-fix base into which the luminaire can be plugged later and an automatic self-test facility as standard.

Cooper Lighting and Security
www.cooper-ls.com
www.building.co.uk/enquiries 310

Hinge fasteners

Door and window fittings firm Geze UK has launched a range of fittings for attaching hinges, handles and closers to heavy frameless glass doors. Called the SGG range, the fittings can be fixed to 8 mm, 10 mm and 12 mm thick glass. Fixings for 15 mm and 19 mm glass are also available.
The fittings come in mill finish or satin anodised aluminium and polished stainless steel.

Geze UK

Resin windows adorn Georgian-style flats

Pultec’s range of Optima windows were used for the conversion of a Georgian-style factory into 27 apartments. Two hundred windows were installed, made from pultruded fibre-reinforced resin, an alternative to PVC or aluminium. Pultec says the strength of the product meant it has narrow sightlines sympathetic to the style of the building, and also has an A-rating from BRE’s Green Guide to Composites.

Pultec

Movers and makers

A handbook on auditing the accessibility of buildings and services for disabled people has been published by RIBA Publishing. Called The Access Audit Handbook, it includes case studies, checklists and a DVD with electronic versions of the lists and a film. The book is said to complement the Centre for Accessible Environments/RIBA guide Designing for Accessibility.

The Door and Hardware Federation is holding a seminar in January for its members on a new standard for industrial, commercial and garage doors. The standard, BS EN 13241-1, came into force in May this year and covers safety and environmental issues. Manufacturers can only CE mark their products if they adhere to this benchmark.

Office partition manufacturer Avanti Systems has achieved a 60-minute fire rating for the structural integrity of its Unity partitioning system. The company said it is the only all-aluminium framing system to have a fire rating. The test was carried out by British Standard-approved test house Chiltern International Fire.

Ironmongery for fire doors must carry a CE mark next year. From January, it will be illegal to specify products that do not carry the European mark. The rule change comes as the European Union works to standardise fire testing across member states.

Rehau has published a 40-page guide to its range of PVCu doors and windows. The guide contains the technical specifications for all the products and includes the relevant approvals for each system. It also shows the available colours and finishes.

Homesafe Doors has begun work on an extension to its factory in Newent, Gloucestershire. When the 2750 m2 extension is completed, it will take the production facility up to a total of 7315 m2, making it capable of producing 1300 residential doors a week.

Doors and windows