ASSA ABLOY SL521 ADS-F telescopic doors were installed at Bass Coast College, Victoria to address safety issues arising out of strong wind conditions in the area.

Bass Coast College

Located roughly 130km from Melbourne, Bass Coast College is a Year 7-12 dual campus school of around 1500 students.

Project

ASSA ABLOY was approached by Bass College design architect Kennedy Nolan for an issue at the school with four doors impacted by strong winds. Located near Bass Straight, Bass Coast College is regularly impacted by strong winds and weather events.

Challenge

The wind had created two main issues:

  1. Safety concerns with doors slamming in the strong wind: Students or staff could be severely injured if they were struck by the fast-moving uncontrolled doors.
  2. Wind racing into the building (the library), affecting air cooling, wind noise and loose paper or notes.

The main challenge was to ensure the safety of those using the door, but the situation also required a robust solution for the doors to operate comfortably and safely in a high-wind environment.

Solution

Following consultation with ASSA ABLOY, it was decided that the ASSA ABLOY SL521 ADS-F telescopic door system should be utilised. In addition to providing the largest clear opening width without having to create any structural change, the system featured built-in seals for unpredictable weather. The replacement doors also were specified with double glazing to reduce noise.

The doors were installed in an offset layout to reduce wind movement, with the main wind-affected external doors replaced with a single SL521 ADS-F entry.

Benefits

The built-in seals in the doors greatly reduced unfavourable weather entering the building along with keeping the air-conditioning where it belonged – inside the building. Installing the doors in an offset layout for the school library helped mitigate the wind moving through the airlock, with a single entry replacing two doors to withstand the harsh winds, whilst addressing safety, sustainability and noise issues.

ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems Australia was able to deliver a robust and sustainable solution for Bass Coast College. The selected doors achieved what they were designed to do – provide safe, robust automatic doors that could withstand harsh environmental conditions. In addition ASSA ABLOY’s 24/7 customer support, and service and maintenance packages will ensure seamless use of the system now and into the future.