Archive for December, 2009

Special-Lite is now offering 6-panel AMP (Acrylic Modified Polyester) Colonial Doors with smooth AMP face sheets without the wood grain texture. This version of the SL-18, identified by the model number SL-18S, combines the aesthetics of traditional styling with the performance, durability and reduced maintenance made possible by modern engineering and materials.

The SL-18S is available in custom sizes from a minimum of 30″ x 80″ to a maximum size of 42″ x 88″ and it can be factory-painted just about any color. Smooth colonial AMP face sheets can also be fabricated into 1-3/4″ panels for side lites and transoms.

 The new Smooth Colonial Door is constructed exactly the same as the SL-18, just without the wood grain texture. It is also backed by the same Limited Lifetime warranty as all of Special-Lite’s AMP/FRP doors.

For more information please visit http://www.special-lite.com/

It’s a lot harder for an intruder to tamper with a keyhole he can’t find.

So if you think of a proximity reader as an electronic keyhole that that would-be burglar or vandal can’t see, you can start to understand the many benefits of having it concealed. And when you consider that the functionality is limited only by the programming, it’s easy to see the advantages of a concealed prox reader. Concealed proximity readers are an innovation of my firm, Mayer Door, and Special-Lite, which offers doors that accommodate them. Here’s an example of a door with a concealed prox reader in the Indianapolis Public Schools.

Here are some advantages:

• Security. With a concealed proximity reader, the “bad guy” has no way of knowing how to get inside. There’s no clue as to what kind of security device is on the door or even where it is located.

• Convenience and speed. Short of a wide-open door (a suboptimal security measure, to say the least!), there’s no easier and faster way for authorized individuals to enter your building. They’ll appreciate the convenience, and you won’t have to worry about a line forming during peak periods.

• Nix on vandals. Vandals don’t mess with things they can’t see. A visible reader is vulnerable to assault by anything from chewing gum to a crowbar. A concealed prox reader is safely out of sight.

• User-specific functions. With the right programming, a prox reader’s versatility is virtually unlimited. If an employee left the company and without turning in credentials, you can simply deactivate the card. Or if you feel a card may have fallen into the hands of a potential intruder, it can be programmed to send a silent alert to Security personnel if someone attempts to use it. Depending on the physical configuration of the the door, it can even accommodate specific access challenges for handicapped individuals.

TruStile MDF sliding barn doors

We enjoy seeing ‘barn doors’ used in contemporary architecture.

Long used on barns because of their practicality, sliding barn doors have been modernized by the design community and are found in the most up-to-date spaces – including lofts, condos, hotels and offices. Sliding barn doors are a unique and effective way to divide large rooms, maximize space and create visual impact.

Click HERE to see more great looking barn doors recently featured in http://designformenmag.com/

I have to admit, I’ve been slow to catch onto the need for GreenFormat, at least until I read Paul Bertram’s white paper. Here’s part of what he wrote recently:

“The green building movement in the US is driven by green/sustainable rating systems, emerging standards, and building codes that incorporate criteria for environmental consideration in product evaluation. These efforts are now incorporating LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) as a scientific approach to building products environmental assessment. LCA includes multiple-attribute reporting as opposed to single attribute reporting to help generate a more comprehensive product assessment while reducing market confusion and ‘greenwash’.”

“Design firms seeking greater clarification of sustainable product attributes have further complicated the situation because they do not have a standardized way to request or report information about products. Designers waste time individually developing product information questionnaires, and manufacturers waste time responding to individual firm questionnaires. These un-standardized interactions produce inconsistent and non-comparable information, which wastes still more time.”

“GreenFormat is CSI’s response to the confusion of what constitutes a sustainable (or ‘green’) building product. It assists in the evaluation and purchase of sustainable building products.”

“GreenFormat is a web-based tool that allows design professionals to identify the sustainable properties of products. GreenFormat offers several search paths to access a product’s green attributes, as well as the manufacturer’s sustainable initiative, such as LCA, and end-of-life and climate-change reporting.”

To read more of Paul Bertram’s white paper go to http://www.csinet.org/s_csi/docs/17500/17458.pdf

Recently Dillard Door & Entrance Control in Memphis posted an interesting YouTube video about long-lasting school doors. Titled Doors With More Life, it features their “try me free” promotion for school systems in their area.

One of Kansas City’s enduring architectural treasures, the New England Insurance – Aquila Energy Corporation building was refitted recently with this dazzling new entrance system engineered and built by Ambico Ltd.

Constructed of Mirror Gold, 304-grade stainless steel, these shiny, reflecting, mirror finished doors and framing are ideal for heavy traffic because they will stay looking beautiful for many, many decades. Additionally, this entrance has anti-terrorism features including Level-II Bullet Resistance.

For more information about specialized entrance systems, please visit www.ambico.com/

FSC Logo With TruStile Door Certification Number

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international certification system that recognizes the highest levels of environmental and socially responsible forest management.

Use of FSC certified materials is one of the most widespread environmental strategies employed by contractors, mills, manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers to demonstrate environmental performance across the supply chain. It is also a key factor in sustainability and green building standards such as the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED program.

To earn FSC Chain of Custody certification, companies must develop and implement procedures that cover all of the elements of the relevant FSC standard. These procedures include accounting for the purchasing, inventorying, manufacturing, sale and recordkeeping of certified materials as well as establishing protocols for determining appropriate FSC claims and the use of logos.

Door distributors, as well as manufacturers, must be certified by an independent third-party to participate in the Chain of Custody. Certification numbers may be verified at www.fscus.org/

C. R. Mayer & Company Inc. represents TruStile Door in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Western Tennessee and the Florida panhandle.

You need to learn to say “no” to find true career satisfaction, Amber Riviere writes. Don’t be afraid of turning down work that doesn’t fuel your passion, feels wrong in your gut or is draining you emotionally. “It’s just as important to turn away the wrong opportunities as it is to jump on the right ones,” she writes. Web Worker Daily

“Continuous geared hinges reduce wear by spreading load forces more evenly over the full height of the door, rather than concentrating them at the hinge, as with conventional hinges. Geared hinges also can: lengthen the door’s life; enhance reuse by allowing changes from left- to right-hand or the opposite; reduce sound transmission; and prevent distortion.”

Read the whole story, Proper Maintenance of Locks, Hinges and Handles Helps Lower Costs,By Thomas A. Westerkamp, February 2009 at http://www.facilitiesnet.com/default.asp