Hundreds of Astra 3000 Series concealed door closers on apartment entrance doors are making a safe, reliable and efficient contribution to the chic interior design scheme in one of Docklands landmark buildings, Arena Tower. Since they are they are concealed in the door’s hinge edge, they are totally unobtrusive yet comply with all building and fire regulations.
The Astra door closers were chosen by the architectural ironmonger John Planck Ltd to suit the sleek, modern interiors of the apartments. They form part of an ironmongery package for over 3,300 individual door sets that featured a specially designed lever handle and matching accessories for all the apartments and common areas. John Planck’s ironmongers worked closely with developers Galliard Homes to create a scheme that is not only visually stunning but complies with all fire, accessibility and security regulations.
Arena Tower, a development by Galliard Homes is a landmark with a twist since the apartment levels rotate slightly around the building to create the Tower’s distinctive flowing twist. It rises 450ft above Canary Wharf and includes over 370 apartments as well as a cinema, swimming pool, gym, leisure facilities, plus an array of bars and restaurants spread over 3 floors.
Modern sleek aesthetics were a top priority for architects Skidmore, Owings & Merrill whose watchwords for the development were space and luxury. This made concealed closers the obvious choice since they are not visible when the door is closed, avoiding the somewhat institutional and ungainly appearance of overhead closers. John Planck selected the Astra 3000 series closers because they had worked very successfully with Astra before and because, with full adjustability, they were powerful enough to handle the doors’ weight and width.
The developer’s brief to John Planck included a strong requirement for fire safety and so Astra’s 300 Series fully controlled and adjustable were the obvious choice. They are often specified when clean, minimal design is required without compromising on performance - even on ½- hour and 1-hour fire doors. Unlike other concealed closers on the market, the Astra 3000 series is fully controlled and adjustable, making it a viable alternative to overhead products. This adjustability helps specifiers to achieve doors which comply with the Equality Act 2010, Building Regs and PAS 24 for entrance doors and the RRO for fire doors. The Size 3 version (3003) is approved to EN1154 (when the power latching action is set to maximum) and CE marked. Fire tests in accordance with BSEN 1634-1:2000 and BSEN 1634-1:1999 have also been carried out making the closers suitable for fire doors.
The 3000 series of concealed door closers from Astra is manufactured in the UK, in four different power sizes with adjustable closing speed and latching action for different size and weights of doors. A unique hydraulic piston assembly, designed by Astra, offers an adjustable, controlled rate of door closure together with an adjustable ‘snap action’ for overcoming the latch.