Hide Access Doors in Plain Sight
Key Highlights
- BILCO terrazzo doors are engineered to conceal mechanical access points while allowing easy maintenance and equipment access.
- Projects range from public utility stations to luxury resorts and elaborate residential landscapes.
- Customizable with materials like tiles, pavers, turf, and epoxy, these doors blend seamlessly into various environments.
- Their corrosion-resistant construction makes them ideal for water-related applications.
- Innovative design solutions enable hidden access without compromising functionality or visual harmony in complex projects.
A Seattle pump station, a Florida high-rise resort, and an Arizona residence with a backyard fantasyland would appear to have very few similarities. In each project, however, innovative thinking opened the door for unique approaches to concealing mechanical equipment.
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) recently completed construction on Alki Pump Station 38, which is essential for moving sewage and stormwater from the surrounding area to the treatment plant.
According to SPU, the utility coordinated with the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS) and worked with Artist Sarah Thompson Moore to install the artwork, constructed in tiles, around the pump station. The work of art, titled Tracing Alki, was inspired by a topographical map of Alki and seeks to engage visitors in the rich history of this well-loved site.
The project required doors to allow access to equipment for maintenance, replacement and removal of mechanical equipment, and the goal was to camouflage the access doors within the art installation. The BILCO terrazzo doors offered an optimal solution. They are designed with a 1-inch fillable pan for field installation of architectural flooring materials, creating the opportunity for some of the artist’s tiles to be added to the doors.
“There were limited manufacturers that could produce a hatch with an inlay pan for the concrete and tile artwork that was to be installed,’’ said Avery Reger, P.E., of Seattle Public Utilities. “Being able to extend the artwork on the hatches was important for the artist’s vision and hides them in plain sight without affecting the accessibility of the station.”
St. Regis Longboat Key in Sarasota, Fla., features 69 private residential condos and a luxury hotel with 168 guest rooms on 18 beachfront acres. Water features abound throughout the property, including a saltwater lagoon, pool and spa for condo owners and a separate pool for hotel guests. The $800 million resort, which took three years to build, includes more than 60 water features.
Infinity pools were installed in 26 luxury condos. The BILCO doors allow access to mechanical equipment while simultaneously concealing it.
“We went with the BILCO hatch because it has an inlay option where you have a paver or tile placed on top of it,’’ said Pinar Harris, the architect for the project. “We wanted to have the functionality that we could access these spaces that are below the floor, but at the same time we didn’t want them to be eye sores. As an architect, I know they are there, but it’s not something people will be focusing on.”
In Arizona, Red Rock Design Build built an elaborate backyard complete with a shark tank, lazy river, water slides and multiple pools. The overwhelming scope of the project required the involvement of consultants, mechanical and structural engineers, electricians, general contractors and landscapers.
Rick Chafey, co-owner of Red Rock with Brett Blauvelt, said 16 access doors from BILCO allow access to the extensive equipment needed to facilitate water movement throughout the backyard fantasyland.
Red Rock installed a synthetic lawn and small amounts of gravel atop the doors and they blend into the natural landscape.
“We’ve used BILCO for dozens of projects,’’ Chafey said. “They have inherent qualities that make them ideal for projects with water features. We can get them in several sizes and the average service professional or owner can access equipment easily.”
The terrazzo doors are especially suited for residential applications. They can be covered with hardwood, ceramic tile, granite, artificial turf and other flooring materials.
The doors are precisely engineered with lift assistance to allow the user easy, one-hand operation regardless of size, even with the flooring materials. They are also constructed with corrosion resistant materials, an important consideration in any application related to water flow management.
“We like that a lot of times we can hide them on the floors and decking,’’ Chafey said. “We can load the top of those doors with similar materials to the decking around them. We’ve even poured epoxy and gravel around them or put turf on them to match the surrounding landscaping.”
Each project with BILCO’s terrazzo doors is unique, and all demonstrate the versatility, functionality and durability that make them an important part of the overall project plan.