E N V I R O N M E N T
NZ’S UNHEALTHY BUSHFIRE CLOUD
UNDERLINES THE SUSTAINABILITY
BOONS OF ARCHITECTURAL REVOLVING DOORS
T he long plume of smoke that draped
New Zealand after the Australian
bushfires has reminded building
designers and operators of the need to
keep airborne pollutants out of public and private
buildings for the good of occupants and visitors.
It has also been a timely reminder of the health
benefits of architectural revolving doors, which
have long been appreciated by architects,
engineers and building specifiers and managers
for their inherent energy conservation benefits.
This is because revolving doors function
beautifully as airlocks, which allow smooth
pedestrian flow while saving money on heating,
ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC). On
warmer days, they keep expensive cool air in,
reducing air conditioning costs. In cooler times,
they keep cold air out, thereby reducing heating
costs.
This “Always Open, Always Closed” principle also
works beautifully in helping to exclude a whole
host of airborne pollutants, allergens and irritants,
both natural and man-made, ranging from traffic
particulates, dust, smoke and fumes through to
allergens that can aggravate respiratory issues
arising seasonally and during different weather
conditions.
KEEPING AIRBORNE POLLUTION
OUT OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
Industrial types of pollution are likely to be worst
in urban fringe industrial areas and port areas
(such as Auckland, Tauranga and Napier Harbours)
while inner city and CBD areas cop the worst
congestion from more than four million vehicles
now on New Zealand roads.
“Pollution and sustainability have profound
sustainability implications of which architects,
engineers, builders and building managers and
owners are already well aware. Whether it is
an office building, shop, hotel, educational or
health facility, specifiers and building operators
appreciate there is a Duty of Care to keep their
buildings healthy,” says HTS Group managing
director Noel Maharaj.
Architectural entrance and access control
experts, HTS Group, distribute Royal Boon
Edam revolving doors and security entrances
throughout New Zealand, giving the Kiwi market
access to a range of architecturally harmonious
and stylish products used globally by scores of
Fortune 500 companies in 27 countries, including
corporate HQs, legislatures, government
agencies, diplomatic posts and public and private
facilities.
“We don’t pretend for a moment that one solution
can be a silver bullet for interior sustainability
issues – this is a multi-tiered issue – but we do say
that revolving doors have inherent advantages
that increasingly suit our built environments.”
“You often hear doctors advising people to stay
indoors during times of high pollution or weather
that stirs up allergens including pollen, which
can particularly affect people suffering from hay
fever (allergic rhinitis), which affects about 18% of
people in Australia and New Zealand.”
ALWAYS OPEN, ALWAYS CLOSED
HTS Group – which distributes Royal Boon
Edam’s comprehensive range of revolving doors
and security entrance technologies to the New
Zealand market – is making available features
to optimise the inherent heating, ventilation,
air conditioning (HVAC) and pollution exclusion
advantages of revolving doors. The company
is also offering OEM-standard maintenance
packages that optimise the HVAC performance
and operating durability of revolving doors.
Because revolving doors cut off the air path
between the outside of the building and the inside
– compared with a sliding door, for instance – the
savings they make on the HVAC costs of larger
buildings are substantial, says Mr Maharaj.
The same “Always Open, Always Closed” pollution
exclusion benefits apply to a host of major
government, corporate, retail, data centre and
hospitality buildings in high-rise areas, as well as
to buildings typically in middle and outer suburbs
housing the young, elderly and infirm, including
schools, universities, institutions, transport
terminals, hospitals and age care facilities.
Prevention of HVAC losses through inefficient
doors to such facilities is integral to sustainability
and the efficiency of green buildings, because
HVAC costs are often the single biggest major
costs of operating a large building. New Zealand’s
Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority
(EECA) has estimated that HVAC represents
40 per cent of the typical energy consumption
breakdown of an office building, well ahead of the
consumption for lighting, equipment and lifts.
“These figures don’t begin to take into
account the human and financial
cost of illness for people working
in environments that are less
than ideally healthy. This is
a very real issue for the
numbers of people with
upper respiratory tract
issues and allergies,
which account for
several million visits
a year to doctors in
Australasia,” says Mr
Maharaj.
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