Hospital benefits from P C Henderson’s Sirocco system

Sliding and folding door hardware manufacturer, P C Henderson, has been specified for a state of the art hospital build in Breda, Holland.

Covering 128,000 square metres, the new ultra-modern Amphia Hospital was officially opened in November 2019.

The design brief focused on creating a new world of medical care – aiming for increased one to one patient contact, shorter waiting times, the highest level of health care and a peaceful and comfortable environment.

A key component in achieving this was the design layout of 514 private luxury rooms with adjoining bathrooms. The contactor wanted to ensure ease of movement around the room - as well as enhanced privacy and comfort. A key solution in achieving this was through the specification of a sliding door system to separate the main room from the bathroom. P C Henderson’s Sirocco system was identified as the best solution for the project.

Rene van den Biggelaar, Business Unit Manager at P C Henderson Holland, commented “Our Sirocco sliding door system is extremely popular in healthcare applications due to its integrated hydraulic self-closing feature which ensures the door always comes to a safe and gentle close”.

In order to ensure a system that worked well for both patients and staff – a test room was set up during the build which was used for a number of months. This provided valuable feedback which led to some further customization of the product to ensure the best user experience.

“The contractor required a system which could work with a 1.35m wide door - ensuring that even a hospital bed could be maneuvered through into the bathroom if required. We achieved this by manufacturing a custom made 2850mm length of track to replace the systems usual 2200mm track. We also designed a custom made stop which would allow the door to be held open half way across the opening - when only a small walk way was required”, continued Rene.

Home to over 4000 employees, the hospital is one of the largest clinical hospitals in the Netherlands and utilises some of the most innovative medical technology. With a key focus on patient comfort - patients are provided with their own iPad, which they can use for entertainment purposes, as well as to order from a menu of over 25 nutritional hot meals.

Sustainability is also high on the hospitals agenda – with systems in place to generate approximately 85% of its own energy needs. The use of P C Henderson’s Sirocco system assisted towards this through its hydraulic self-closing feature which requires zero electric input.

Sirocco sliding door gear caters for doors weighing up to 80kg and is available with a number of optional extras to further add to the sophistication of the product – including a delayed closing timer and fascia.