In The Boardroom™ With...

Mr.  Robert R. Tibbling 
Director of Business Development-End User Markets
ASSA ABLOY Door Security Solutions
www.ASSAABLOYDSS.com 

Robert R. Tibbling : Life-safety and security are always the driving forces in building construction standards. But lately, green building initiatives have been gaining momentum even though they are currently not required by code. Private building owners are increasingly adhering to these standards and are using environmentally-friendly design as a selling feature to lure potential tenants. Many federal, state and local government facilities are required to attain at least a minimal level of green building certification, making them active participants in this trend.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Is there a place for doors and hardware in the green building movement?

Robert R. Tibbling : There are two primary areas where doors and hardware can make a valuable contribution: materials/resources and energy efficiency.

Most green building standards seek to cut back on the use of virgin raw materials and the associated impact created by their extrusion and processing. To achieve this goal, the use of building materials made with high percentages of rapidly renewable or recycled materials is widely encouraged.

Nearly all steel doors, frames and hardware are made with some amount of recycled material, but the exact quantity will be influenced by the steel production method. Integrated mills use blast furnaces to turn iron ore, coke and scrap iron into pig iron which is then injected into a basic oxygen furnace where it is converted to steel. Doors and frames built with steel produced by this method and feature recycled content that typically exceeds the levels targeted by many green building standards. 

Mini-mill steel production relies almost entirely on scrap metal as the raw material. The scrap is melted by electrical current in an electric arc furnace and turned into steel. So instead of mining the earth to feed its furnaces, mini-mills instead mine junkyards for old cars and scrap metal.

Mini-mill operators estimate that 20 doors can be produced from the steel of one scrapped car. In addition, 5,400 BTUs of energy are conserved for every pound of steel recycled. Also, the air pollutants emitted by mini-mills are a fraction of those produced by integrated mills.

Doors, frames and hardware are all made with some percentage of recycled material. Manufacturers should be able to provide these numbers to help end-users calculate the value of recycled materials used in a project.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Wood doors are typically present in large numbers in most building projects. Please explain how wood fit into materials and resources requirements. 

Robert R. Tibbling : Wood doors can also figure into the equation. Green building standards seek to support environmentally responsible forest management by encouraging the use of products—including doors—manufactured with wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

The FSC sets standards to ensure forestry is practiced in an environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable way. Any source of wood that seeks FSC certification must undergo a rigorous verification process from an independent, accredited third-party. The certification body examines the source of the wood and tracks the materials from the forest through the entire chain of custody. FSC certified products can be traced back to their original source.

Green building standards also seek to curb depletion of long-cycle renewable materials by encouraging the use of building products made with rapidly renewable materials, generally defined as plants with a maximum ten year planting-to-harvest cycle. Wood doors constructed with agrifiber cores can help address this concern while still offering the same aesthetic and durability properties as wood fiber doors.

Agrifiber core doors can be made from wheat and straw shafts that are the byproduct of normal farm production. Wheat and straw are planted and harvested within a year, easily fitting the rapidly renewable classification. Agrifiber offers the added benefit of being free of urea formaldehyde as well as holding the distinction as one of the few building products with a favorable carbon balance score.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Sustainable building practices place a premium on energy efficiency. Can you explain how doors and hardware can help optimize energy performance in buildings?

Robert R. Tibbling : Doorways within the building envelope serve as a barrier against thermal exchange and directly impact building energy performance. Each component—the frame, door and hardware—must be pieced together to create an efficient, weather-tight barrier with a low U-factor (or U-value). While door manufacturers often display the R-value of their products, building energy codes may set performance guidelines that are expressed in a U-value. R-value can be converted to U-value with the following equation: U = 1/(R1 + R2 + R3…etc).

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: What strategies can you offer to build a doorway with a low U-factor?

Robert R. Tibbling : Thermal break frames should be considered to reduce heat loss and prevent condensation or frost from forming. These specially designed frames are built to thwart metal’s natural heat transfer capabilities. Thermal break frames feature strategically placed barriers that prevent heat/cold transfer. A thermal break in the frame, filled with closed-cell polyethylene foam lowers its overall U-factor. The barrier provides a positive thermal break within the frame profile, delivering maximum protection against cold penetration.

Insulated doors are another valuable component. The insulating properties of a door are usually expressed as the R-factor. R-factor is the measure of a material’s ability to resist heat flow. The greater the resistance, or R-factor, the more effective are a material’s insulating properties (R-factor is the inverse of U-factor). The core or interior space of this type of door is filled with an insulated material, which would ideally have a high R-factor such as polyurethane. Insulated doors can also be used on interior opening applications, including computer server rooms that require a temperature controlled room.

All openings have small gaps and creases that must be filled to form a truly effective barrier against energy loss. Gasketing, also referred to as ‘weatherstripping,’ is needed to seal edges and prevent air from steadily seeping through these cracks. Small seams are typically found around the two side jambs, the door head, and the door bottom. These seams are necessary to enable proper door operation, but also allow the passage of hot or cold air. Gasketing can be used to fill seams around the jambs and door head; a bottom seal can eliminate the gap under the door. Openings with a pair of doors also require gasketing to seal the meeting style.

Gasketing is available in varying grades to meet weather conditions of different climate zones. Checking if products meet or exceed American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 156.22, Door Gasketing and Edge Seal Systems, can help determine their quality. Like insulated doors, gasketing is a necessity and interior applications that require temperature controlled rooms. Gasketing is also routinely used on interior doorways for smoke control and to reduce sound transmission.

Application of weatherstripping can be simplified with Kerf frames. These specially designed frames feature a groove that is constructed along the section of the frame that comes in contact with the edge of the door. The grove serves as a convenient channel to install weatherstripping without the use of additional fasteners.

Door closers should not be overlooked in the effort to create an energy efficient opening. An insulated doorway is relatively useless if the door fails to automatically close and latch shut. Consequently, door closers are an important accessory for optimizing energy efficiency. Stack pressure within a building—created by the differences between inside and outside air pressure—can create a rush of air to flow out that overpowers the closing cycle, causing the door to stay open longer than intended or, worse, fail to latch shut. As a result, the exchange of air between the inside and outside is prolonged, forcing the building heating and/or air-conditioning systems to work harder to maintain the desired temperature setting. Door closers that can overcome this stack pressure should be used in building envelope doorways.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: One of your roles is to help guide the development of standards for door and hardware products. How do these standards weigh upon product development at ASSA ABLOY?

Robert R. Tibbling : Our goal is to develop products that exceed industry standards and offer great value to end-users. This means when they install one of our products, it will withstand real life abuse and deliver dependable security. If a lesser quality product is installed and repeatedly fails, then the end-user ends up spending more for replacements and renders the facility vulnerable to security breaches and life-safety code violations. Quality cannot be taken out of the value equation. And standards help set a value threshold.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Please explain the importance of standards and why end-users should pay closer attention to how well products perform in relation to these benchmarks.

Robert R. Tibbling : Doorways fill a critical role in the overall functionality of a building by serving as both a conduit to safety and a barrier against threats. History shows that in emergency situations, a properly functioning doorway can be the difference between life and death. Given this immense responsibility for protecting life, it makes sense to have standards that set thresholds a product must meet in order to be used on an opening; you wouldn’t want a non-fire rated lock, for example, used on a fire-rated doorway. Today, there are standards in place that set criteria for everything from product life cycle to impact resistance. All of the standards are designed to protect building occupants and help create a well-functioning facility.

These same standards can also be used to give end-users a measuring stick for comparing products; a type of value gauge. If end-users take the time to do a little research, they can easily uncover important information that will enable them to determine the expected performance and durability of a product. Understanding a few basic benchmarks helps end-users recognize the true value of a product.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Can you give a few examples of standards that provide insight into product performance?

Robert Tibbling: All products categorized as ANSI/BHMA (American National Standards Institue/Builders Hardware manufacturers Association) Grade 1 Commercial earn this designation by undergoing standardized testing from independent labs such as Underwriters Laboratory or Intertek Testing Services.

Poorly constructed hardware would fail under the constant rigors and abusive conditions that are common to many opening applications. ANSI/BHMA standards were established for this very reason—to set minimum strength and durability requirements that ensure a product will withstand the type of abuse expected in various applications. While a product might meet these standards, keep in mind that ANSI/BHMA standards establish a minimum threshold.

Let’s look at an exit device, for example. Since exit devices tend to be hardware workhorses that are subjected to heavy use, durability is a prominent feature to keep in mind. A good way to judge the durability of an exit device is to look at how well it performs in ANSI/BHMA cycle testing. The Grade 1 standard is 500,000 cycles. If the exit device is for a heavily trafficked opening, look for a product that has cycle tested well beyond the minimum ANSI/BHMA standard.

The construction of the exit device will play a significant role in how well the egress hardware cycle tests. A device with dozens of moving parts stands a good chance of breaking down prematurely, requiring excessive maintenance or even replacement. Some exit devices actually require maintenance several times a year to prevent the device from breaking and to maintain the manufacturer’s warranty.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Mortise locks are commonly used to provide security. Can you offer tips onlities an end-user should look for in a mortise lock?

Robert R. Tibbling : The underlying characteristic and therefore the basic measure of a mortise lock is its brute strength; mortise locks are built to absorb abuse. Impact tests leave little doubt about the holding power of a mortise lock. A large weight—a battering ram, really—is slammed against the door repeatedly until the lock is broken. ANSI/BHMA standards for Commercial Grade 1 mortise locks require the lock to withstand 10 blows at 100 joules of force. Some newer commercial grade 1 locks on the market today have withstood over 900 impact blows, which is actually above and beyond the more stringent detention-level testing requirements of 600 blows at 200 joules. An opening requiring high security would be best secured with a high performance mortise lock.

A step down from the strength of the mortise lock is the cylindrical or bored lock. Cylindrical locks are perfect for interior doors such as offices and classrooms that are not exposed to the abusive forces common for an exterior door, but still require dependable security. Again, cycle testing is an important measure. The minimum ANSI/BHMA Commercial Grade 1 standard for cylindrical locks is 800,000 cycles. High traffic areas will need a lock that surpasses this number and indeed, some cylindrical locks have tested to over 8 million cycles.

Torque testing is a good indicator of strength and durability in a cylindrical lock. In this test, a torque wrench is attached to the lock lever and twisted until the lock breaks. The minimum ANSI/BHMA Grade 1 Commercial standard is 1,000 in.lbs. If a cylindrical lock will be used to secure sensitive areas, choose one that not only exceeds this standard, but also prevents entry once the lock is broken. This means a screw driver or other device cannot manipulate the latchbolt of a broken lock to gain entry. While a mortise lock would be ideal for a high security opening, there are some cylindrical locks that actually approach the strength of a mortise lock.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Are there any other standards that should be considered?

Robert R. Tibbling : There are standards that apply to just about every door and hardware product. There are even standards that are based on geography. Windstorm codes, for example, apply to buildings located along the coast that are vulnerable to hurricanes. Doors and hardware used in these regions must be tested to impact and design pressure standards. Interior sections of the country prone to tornados must use rigorously tested hardware on storm shelters. All of these standards effect product development and need to be considered by the end-user when planning their facility doorways.

SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Any other words of advice for end-users?

Robert R. Tibbling : Standards are constantly revised and updated. Make sure the products you select are tested to the latest industry standards. Again, the true value of a product is determined by how well it performs and how long it will last.