Locker Room Showers

Stadiums typically contain high-quality locker rooms and showers for the home and visiting teams. That quality is needed not only for the high-end appearance that may be expected but also for durability and ease of maintenance. Shower stalls, in particular, raise questions about the most suitable material to use in order to meet these needs. Many have assumed that ceramic tile is a good choice since the glazed surface of the tile can be appealing, is easy to clean, and provides good hygienic properties. However, the grout lines in between the tiles can quickly become problematic, allowing mold, mildew, cracks, and water penetration to occur. That all adds up to ongoing maintenance demands at best and very unsightly conditions or building damage at worst.

A preferred alternative is to use solid-surface panels to provide an excellent shower enclosure, including the shower base pan. Since the panels can be designed and sized to fit fully in a shower, there are no or minimal joint lines. Further, solid surface is non-nutritive, meaning it does not promote the growth of mold and mildew and resists bacterial growth. The inclusion of active antimicrobials like copper within the solid surface itself can reduce odor-causing bacteria. During construction, solid surface showers can mean quicker turnaround on installation over traditional tile. From start to cured finish, solid surface showers can be ready to use in as little as four to five days. Traditional tile can take up to 12 days by the time all steps are finished, including mortar bed prep and curing, grouting and curing, and finish seal cure.

A common misconception among designers and contractors is that shower receptors must always have the drain in the dead center of the receptor. That is simply not true. Being able to put the drain hole in virtually any position is a distinct benefit of solid-surface shower receptors that are made in a manufacturing plant and can be sloped according to project specific needs, including accessibility requirements. Solid surface receptors can also be installed in as little as 1 hour versus a tile pan that can take up to three days to finish.

Photo courtesy of Inpro

Team lockers and showers made from solid-surface material, like the example shown here, can provide a superior appearance with multiple finish options, be easier to clean and maintain than tile, and provide durable surfaces on all sides, including the drain pan.

High-Speed, High-Performance Doors

There are plenty of things that need to move around in a stadium besides people. Equipment, supplies, seating, and the machinery to move all of that are common so that food service can be provided, stages can be set up and taken down, and sports teams can function. All of this not only means that corridors and passageways need to be designed to handle these back-of-house functions, but it also means that appropriate doors need to be used to access the spaces off of those passageways. In some cases, an alternative to swinging doors is sought so that forklifts, carts, or other equipment can pass through without fear of damaging the doors, meaning that the doors roll up or slide out of the way. It also means that the doors need to be able to open and close automatically so the equipment operators don’t need to stop to perform that function.

One of the best responses to these door needs is to use high-speed automatic doors. According to the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association (DASMA), high-speed doors are a subcategory type of high-performance doors. They are power-operated, coiling, folding, or sliding non-residential doors, generally characterized by high cycle-ability (75–100 or more opening and closing cycles per day) and/or rapid operating speed (32–40 inches per second or more). Several types fit into this category, including fabric panel rolling doors, rigid panel rolling doors, folding doors, and sliding doors. They are typically made to order for high durability and/or designed to safely break away due to equipment impact. These types of high-performance doors offer unique enhancements not available with conventional coiling and sectional overhead doors, including operational cost savings, energy efficiency, and the ability to sustain high usage with minimal maintenance. As such, they are ideally suited to many stadium installations.

DASMA’s High-Performance Door Division has presented findings of a two-year research effort involving third-party laboratory testing and summarized it in a DASMA article titled “When a High-Speed Door Is More Energy Efficient.” The study demonstrates that if a doorway is used frequently, at or above 55 cycles per day, a high-speed door delivers superior traffic flow and conditioned air conservation as compared to conventional overhead coiling doors. Prior to this work, high-performance doors were only considered in building codes and standards as static, and closed. However, because of this research, codes now recognize the dynamic nature of these high-performance doors. In particular, high-speed doors offer a unique benefit in controlling air exchange. When other slower-moving doors are activated, the amount of air exchange is high because the door is fully open for a longer period of time. High-speed doors open and close faster so the air exchange between each side is reduced. That can improve energy performance in a building, especially when the door is opened and closed frequently each day. Using the methods described by DASMA, it is now possible to demonstrate calculated energy performance and cost savings on a building envelope in a reliable and verified way.

In the United States, high-performance doors and their components are often engineered to meet material and assembly performance criteria as set forth by well-known standards and testing agencies such as ANSI, ASTM, IEC, and UL. High-performance doors may also need to comply with building codes and standards applicable to stadiums as places of assembly. In recent years, the definition of high-speed doors has been added to ASHRAE 90.1-2013, ASHRAE 189.1-2013, and the 2105 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC). In addition, associations such as DASMA and the National Fenestration Rating Council (NFRC) are involved with developing industry standards specifically for high-performance, high-speed doors.

High-speed, high-performance doors have been available for more than 35 years, primarily installed at industrial locations. Now, high-performance door manufacturers are seeing a rapid surge in product popularity within more visible commercial venues such as stadiums. This is due to the product’s ability to enhance thermal performance and energy efficiency for exterior applications or between conditioned space and refrigerated space. Manufacturers are also responding to some emerging trends by offering greater thru-visibility qualities with clear vision panels, higher operating speeds, enhanced safety features, and more compact designs. Overall, high-performance, high-speed automatic doors have come to be recognized for providing functional and operational solutions for client operations with contemporary aesthetic features and options with minimal maintenance as compared to traditional rolling doors.

When designing with and specifying high-performance, high-speed doors, architects should consider the following:

• Project type: Are the doors being used for new construction or retrofit/replacement, and what are the parameters of the new or existing walls where they will be located?
• Application: Are the doors being used purely to separate conditioned interior spaces, or are there special concerns such as between parking garages, food and beverage spaces, freezer spaces, tunnel areas, or other demanding locations?
• Aesthetics: What are the appearance and design qualities being sought?
• Desired speeds: Opening speeds can be identified, typically 32 inches per second or more. Closing speeds are sometimes just a little slower for safety but no less than 24 inches per second.
• Type and speeds of thru-traffic: Doors can be specifically selected and designed to accommodate automobiles, forklifts, or other equipment as well as pedestrians. An understanding of the primary users of the door can help define cycle volumes and durability requirements.
• Thermal performance: If this is required, then the specific requirements should be identified for both insulation value and air infiltration.
• Wind resistance: If the door is subject to exterior or interior wind pressures, that can be accounted for in the door design to resist it appropriately.
• Type of door curtain: Rigid or flexible materials are available with the ultimate choice possibly being impacted by security needs or other considerations.
• Control panel: Different technologies for door control are possible, including integration with building networks and smart devices.
• Space requirements: Compared to other door types, high-speed, high-performance doors usually free up floor space along with well-defined opening sizes with minimized side-jamb and headroom fitting clearances.
• Approach distances: These can be defined using different types of activation equipment, such as security card activators, laser motion and presence sensing, manual push button, ground induction loop, and others.
• Special door panel requirements: Different options are available, including insulated solid, non-insulated vision, perforated ventilation (for open-air requirements), or other choices.
• Available building power supply: The door will usually require a three-phase electric power source. The coordination of phase and voltage requirements needs to be addressed.
• Sustainability goals: High-speed, high-performance doors commonly produce favorable life-cycle and costing benefits.
• Maintenance requirements: Check the manufacturer’s owner’s manual for recommended maintenance, such as cleaning the door curtain/vision area and visual inspection of the overall appearance.
• Manufacturer’s warranties: Most quality doors are available with warranties and other quality commitments.

High-performance doors have been used successfully in many demanding situations beyond stadiums too. Bob Rombs is vice president for the Audi Hampton car dealership and notes, “It’s really nice to hear our clients come in—they’re very impressed. The high-performance doors exceed our standards and are aesthetically pleasing.” Similarly, Herc Meier is chief of the Fulshear Simonton Fire Department and observes, “My family and I drive by this station many times. The aesthetics of the doors with our equipment standing behind there telling our community that we’re ready to respond and allowing them to see what their tax money goes to has been great for us.”

Photos courtesy of Hörmann High Performance Doors

High-speed, high-performance doors can provide a durable, efficient, and economical solution to many large opening needs.