DICTATOR opens the 375 kg heavy fire doors

Theatre “De Kom” in Nieuwegein, Netherlands

The theatre “De Kom” in Nieuwegein (Netherlands) opened in September 2012. The modern building impresses because of its brightness, thanks to the lavishly used glass – and because of the wood lined interior walls. The doors fit abolutely unobtrusively even in the rounded walls. It is difficult to distinguish them from the rest of the wall. But modern architecture comes at a costs: it is not possible to operate the approx. 375 kg heavy, curved, fireproof steel doors with wood panel with a standard door closer or operator, because no operator should be visible on the “outside”, and the geometry of the doors combined with the heavy weight don’t allow for a standard solution.

DICTATOR special solution for automating the exceptional fire doors

DICTATOR, specialized in customized solutions, met this challenge.

Together with the manufacturer of the doors, an operating solution that meets both fire protection and safety demands was developed for these 7 special doors.

It was very important to find a reliable solution fast to satisfy the regulations, as the building inspection had discovered fire protection deficiencies. Without the fire doors being automatized according to the regulations, the theatre would not have been allowed to start the new season beginning in September 2013.

DICTATOR DICTAMAT 310-21XXL

DICTATOR could solve this problem in cooperation with the door manufacturer. The door drive chosen was the hinged door operator DICTAMAT 310-21 XXL, which can operate doors of up to 600 kg. The DICTAMAT 310-21 XXL was mounted on the back of the door together with the control system and an UPS power supply, in a casing manufactured by the customer. The door manufacturer also produced a special lever which had been agreed upon before to transmit the power and which can also cope with the special movement radius.

Thanks to the DICTATOR operator solution the theatre “De Kom” could provide the impressive evidence that it is possible to reconcile modern architecture, functionality, fire protection and personal safety.

DICTATOR DICTAMAT 310-21 XXL door operator – summary of the project “De Kom”

The doors

• Curved, hinged doors
• Steel doors lined with wood on both sides
• Weight approx. 375 kg
• Dimensions approx. 2.620 x 1.500 mm (height x width)

DICTAMAT 310-21 XXL door operator with SQUARE 940 control system

• Power transmission via a specially manufactured lever
• Personal safety by acoustic alert (“You are in the slewing range of the door”) and a safety sensor on every side of the door
• UPS power supply for 45 minutes
• Remote control by the facility management central, by card reader and keys on the interior side
• Fire protection: control by the fire alarm system, which was especially difficult because, in case of a fire, some doors have to close, others have to open.

The theatre “De Kom” in Nieuwegein

Light-flooded interior with wood-cladded walls

The DICTAMAT 310-21 XXL door operator with special arm on the back side of the doors