Hart Door Systems of Newcastle upon Tyne has installed a range of doors for Clipper Windpower’s new offshore wind blade facility, a phase of which was completed late last year at Shepherd Offshore’s Neptune Energy Park, Wallsend.

Nick Hart, Hart’s technical director, says the contract was a technical challenge in that the doors needed to achieve certain u-values to ensure that building was able to maintain its green credentials.

“We pride ourselves on being able to manufacture and, if necessary, source products to achieve individual and exacting targets. In this case we supplied two very large Speedor Maxi doors which are 8m wide x 8m high to enable a production flow through the building to take place immediately adjacent to the river in a very windy environment,” says Nick Hart.

“Speedor is our automatic door brand which is both high-speed, automatic and energy saving. So we are used to environmental issues. However these large Speedor Maxis required a special foam backing to achieve a U value of 1.44. Insulated Roller shutters are also part of the project using the latest high specification insulated aluminium laths.

“Occupiers of commercial property space are being driven by the government to increasingly make buildings more energy efficient. Further changes in Building Regulations Part L are coming through this year and for this SBEM calculations are required to satisfy compliance and obtain the necessary Energy Performance Certificates. We see the drive for ever onerous green regulations as an opportunity for Hart Door Systems.”

The building comprises a production building some 160m long by 27m wide with a clear height up to 20 m. There is also ancillary office space. Within this large building  manufacture of blades for the offshore turbines is taking place.

Apart from facilitating production through the building, an additional benefit of the Speedor Maxi is its ability to withstand winds up to 90 mph. Each door has an insulated roller shutter and a steel fire door exit to either side of it and Hart also supplied additional roller shutters and fire doors for other parts of the plant.

Nick Hart says the entire range of doors was painted to match the overall colour regime of the building. “We have worked closely with the project’s architect and structural steel designer to produce the appropriate solution,” says Nick. “Collectively we are at the forefront of a new industry. This is a bonus for an area that has demonstrated engineering skills and innovative solutions for decades. Hart is delighted to be part of this new industrial frontier.”

Hart Door Systems

Tel 0191 214 0404

E: sales@speedor.com

www.speedor.com

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