Alpro's Transom Door Closers on Door Duty in Dorset

St Michael’s Middle School in Wimborne, Dorset, is using transom door closers from Alpro as part of a £220,000 refurbishment.

Alpro’s overhead transom closers are a means of hydraulically controlling the opening and closing of an aluminium door. The units are on doors fabricated and installed by HH Aluminium of Southampton. These transom closers are contained within the transom header bar of a door and are therefore well suited to use in premises where attention is being paid to aesthetics. Features include dual closing speed to allow flexibility, three levels of spring strength and 90-degree hold open facility.

Keith Parry, Sales Director at Alpro, said: “Fabricators using our transom closers benefit from the ability to adjust the latching and closing force according to the weight and height of individual doors as well as type and frequency of usage.  Fine-tuning to accommodate the exact needs of a pupil and staff user base is all-important in a school application. Alpro’s recent school projects also include Kingdown School in Wiltshire and the Philip Morant School and College in Essex.”

Door control at St Michael’s is also benefiting from use of Alpro’s face-to-face electromagnets from the Vortex range. These combine higher holding forces than competitor brands (up to 1,500kgs) with lower current draw than standard magnets so making them economically efficient and ecologically sound. With doors made from aluminium (a metal that can be recycled and put to a new use within two weeks) and solar control glass to minimise the need for air conditioning, the school has been given many green components that minimise use or wastage of fossil fuels.

HH Aluminium offers a full manufacture and installation service for aluminium doors and windows as well as curtain walling and shop fronts. It retains a team of experienced fabricators and directly-employed fitters working both with end-users and via the building trade. Sectors covered include education, healthcare, commerce and residential. Automatic doors and specialist entry systems for disabled access are specialities.

HH Aluminium has undertaken many school assignments and came to St Michael’s with a track record of relevant experience performed on budget and to tight timescales. The company covers the whole of the south east of England including London.

Founded in 1971, St Michael’s Middle School is high-achieving and caters for pupils aged nine to 13. St Michael’s is Church of England voluntary aided but is not a sole religion school and parents can opt to take their children out of religious assemblies.

The school has been rated as ‘good’ and ‘outstanding’ in recent Ofsted inspections. It is known for the pupils’ concerts at the 1,300-year-old Wimborne Minster which is the site of one of the world’s five surviving chained libraries.