A veritable A to Z of access covers

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Dec 15, 2016

Here at Howe Green HQ as we head rapidly towards the end of yet another year we have been reflecting back on 2016.  We have been recalling the diversity of buildings and projects that our floor, wall and ceiling access covers, panels and hatches have been installed in over the past 12 months. From airports to restrooms, theatres and tourist attractions we really do seem to have covered the spectrum!

Howe Green – the North American perspective

Sales in North America continue to expand through our two distributors – FF Systems Canada in Ontario and FF Systems Inc in Florida. Our bestselling floor access cover so far in 2016 has been the 5000 Series Light Duty Floor Access Hatchin aluminum. The 2500 Series Wood Floor Access Cover, 7500 Series Medium Duty Floor Access Hatchand HSE75 Hinged Medium Duty Access Hatch/Doorhave all attracted attention and sales.

It has been interesting to be approached by both architects and specifiers based in the US and Canada who are looking for bespoke solutions to a specific access challenge. In the UK we have a reputation within the building services sector as problem solvers.

After 33 years in the business UK specifiers know that when it comes to accessing concealed services they can rely on our Technical team to design the simplest, most cost effective solution. It’s heartening to think that our reputation for innovation is gaining traction across “the pond”!

Focus on education

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest” Benjamin Franklin

That certainly seems to be the attitude held by the educational institutions that have invested in access hatches from FF Systems Canada this year.

The team at FF Systems Canada worked with a firm of architects to resolve the issue of accessing underfloor services concealed below terrazzo flooring for a refurbishment project at the Fairmount Public School in Mississauga, Ontario.

The original school building dates back to 1951 and since becoming a K-8 center in 2011 the number of students attending the school has increased to over 400. With all that extra footfall it is little wonder that the existing access hatches in the school corridor needed to be replaced for a more robust solution. The 5000 Series Light Duty Aluminum Floor Access Hatches proved to be perfect for the job providing safe and easy access in the busy pedestrianized area and more than able to cope with the chaos of the school corridor at lesson changeover time!

FF Systems Canada worked with the architect and contractors on a project for the $95 million state of the art Science Teaching Complex at the University of Waterloo. Waterloo, which opened in 1957, is ranked consistently as Canada’s top innovation university. With a complex of over 100 buildings spanning 1,000 acres the campus is home to over 36,000 students. The new Science Teaching Complex is an impressive five-storey building located in the heart of the campus.

Howe Green’s 7500 Series Medium Duty Floor Access Hatch was specified to provide access to services beneath a tiled floor within the new Science Complex. With a 5 ton pneumatic tire wheel load the 7500 Series is ideal for highly trafficked pedestrian areas and is also suitable for cars and light delivery vehicles.

We are looking forward to continuing to grow our presence in North America through our distributors in 2017. Remember - if you have a challenging access scenario just get in touch, we would love to help.

Find out more:
Visit the Howe Green US website
Call Howe Green’s distributor - FF Systems Inc in the US on 239 689 5334 or for Canada 519 896 0888.

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