Howe Green recently has completed two projects for very different clients: Indiana’s Eagle Church and at one of America’s major international airports.

One application is at the Anson campus of Eagle Church in Indiana. Here, facility manager Carl Verh approached Howe Green’s U.S. distributor, FF Systems, to source the best product to facilitate easy access to an audio cable box located in the gymnasium floor. It needed to fit flush so as not to present a trip hazard and be robust enough to resist high levels of pedestrian traffic. Howe Green’s 5000 series aluminum floor access cover was identified as the ideal solution because it is designed to fit completely flush and, being inlaid with the same flooring material, is virtually invisible apart from its aluminum show edge.

Verh comments, "I am really pleased with how the Eagle Church project turned out. The floor access cover hatch looks great; everyone likes it. It pretty much ’disappears‘ when closed and blends right in with the gymnasium floor.”

A quite different application is at an international airport where many Waldor 50 hinged wall access panels have been installed in the restrooms to provide secure access to services hidden behind tiled walls. “The popular Waldor is a perfect solution for this kind of application because the concealed steel hinge allows employees to open it easily, while still meeting the stringent TSA requirements for security,” says Tom Trieloff, FF Systems General manager of U.S. and Canadian operations.

The 5000 series aluminum floor access cover is one of several types manufactured to order by Howe Green to ensure easy and safe access and create a flush fit. Covers are suitable for both interior and exterior environments and with any type of floor, including wood, vinyl, ceramic tiles, laminate, marble, concrete, terrazzo, resin and carpet. They are available in different gauges to suit different applications from residential use to very heavy-duty capable of withstanding up to 14,000-pound pneumatic tire wheel loads. Any size is available from 4-by-4 inches up to 36-by-36 inches, depending on the project.

Manufactured from corrosion-resistant stainless steel, the wall access panels are easy to install. They are fitted with a “push/pull” latch or, in situations such as this where security is paramount, can be fitted with special locks to prevent unauthorized access. The Waldor can be manufactured to any size from 12-by-12 inches up to 36-by-24 inches and can accommodate tiles up to 0.5-inch thick.