Sean Morrin

The residences were fitted with UNION’s Optimus3 72mm lockcases, providing reliable access to the students’ flats and rooms UNION, part of ASSA ABLOY Security Solutions, a UK division of ASSA ABLOY, the global leader in door opening solutions has supplied products to student accommodation for the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB). UNION’s Optimus3 Lockcases Deployed Madeira Road halls of residence opened in 2014 and are conveniently situated near the town center and beach. The modern building provides accommodation for 378 students and complies with the ANUK National Code for student accommodation, which maintains professional benchmark standards for student developments. The residences were fitted throughout with UNION’s Optimus3 72mm lockcases, providing reliable access to the students’ flats and rooms. The Optimus3 range is tested as suitable for high frequency use, making it the ideal choice for the heavy demands of student accommodation. Specifying the correct duty of products will reduce maintenance costs throughout the lifecycle of the building and in this particular case keeps disruption to students to a minimum. Sean Morrin from Dorset AI, said: “Recently students at AUB took part in a burglary awareness week, called ‘Who’s Locked Up’, highlighting just how important security is to the university. So it was vital that we worked with a trusted manufacturer who has extensive experience with the education sector to secure the project.” Simplifies Installation Process Colston Hendy, Regional Sales Manager for ASSA ABLOY UK, said: “We develop our products with the installer in mind, the Optimus3 latch is easily reversible, which simplifies the installation process, while its profiled shape enables smooth operation. “The spindle-gripping feature further enhances its performance by reducing the potential to rattle, which is beneficial in student accommodation where it is likely to endure heavy use by multiple students.” Optimus3 has a uniform footprint throughout the entire range, the lockcases also feature a two-piece forend that can be easily removed when doors are being painted or repaired, saving time and costs on routine maintenance work. Fully tested to BS EN 12209 and CE Marked, the Optimus3 range from UNION has been assessed by Certifire for use on 30 and 60-minute fire doors. The escape lock, supplied with a split spindle is tested to EN179, making it suitable for use on emergency escape route doors when used with the 1000 series return to door lever furniture.