When the operators of a large apartment block needed to bolster the access security to their underground car park, they knew exactly who to contact. The facility, situated in Sydney’s Central Business District, not only had a 400 mm sloping gradient but restricted headroom too; making it a double challenge for most traditional roller shutter systems.
They contacted DMF International Pty Limited based in New South Wales, Australia who specialise in commercial and industrial doors for a variety of applications including car parks and docking areas. DMF have been established for over 50 years and well versed in project managing more bespoke installations.
They explained ‘One of the product ranges we represent in Australia is the global leading German brand, EFAFLEX. They are synonymous with going that extra mile. Each of their high-speed doors is manufactured to fit the exact location and aperture. Once we had conducted the initial site survey, we knew that the PS systems from EFAFLEX would be ideal for this particular project.’
The EFAFLEX EFA-SST® PS is the fastest parking system door in the world and opens at a speed of nearly 2 metres per second. Its automatic opening action ensures that as cars approach the entrance, the door blade opens and then closes quickly behind to increase the safety and security of the driver. Here the high-speed door was made bespoke, custom made and shaped to accommodate the sloping gradient of the ground. Featuring confined headroom too, as is common in underground car parks, EFAFLEX had the knowledge and design expertise to assist.
The PS range has been specifically designed with car parks in mind. It features a space-saving construction, built to withstand the highest wind load capacity and be manufactured with a variety of additional safety devices. As users of car parks particularly in central city locations become increasing aware of the potential security issues in often dark underground environments, the EFAFLEX car parking system is a revolution in this sector.
Here they recommended an oval-shaped spiral design to cope with the 700 mm available headroom. The oval spiral has been designed to reduce the amount of headroom needed and ideal for use in restricted structural conditions.
Though the project required special attention throughout the design and planning, this is second nature to EFAFLEX who are becoming increasingly popular in the car parking sector, with installation for hotels, residential blocks and commercial buildings. Their fast action doors can help car park managers and operators to increase the level of security. By controlling the entrance and exit points, the high-speed doors help reduce the exposure time and therefore reduce the risk of unwanted vandalism or burglary.
Conventional roller shutters are typically manual in application, heavy to operate, slow to open, and only designed for a limited number of operating cycles. EFAFLEX use only the highest quality materials and designed to last. They can operate up to 250,000 cycles per annum, which is more than enough for even this busy Sydney car park!