Lever handle FSB 1287 acclaimed by experts

The Institute for Universal Design has voted the premium hardware makers from Brakel a winner in this year’s Universal Design Competition. The FSB 1287 lever handle boasts angled styling and an upwardcurving grip that can be safely and conveniently operated by forearm; a jury made up of specialists and members of the public was unanimously impressed. The remit successfully carried out by the development unit was to come up with a top-quality “made in Germany” product that could be comfortably operated “without hands” so as to reduce the risk of infection.

High levels of patronage in public buildings result in frequently used items such as lever handles becoming potential carriers of germs. This increasingly begs the question as to whether operating handles by hand is in any way appropriate to the age in which we live. By cutting out the need for manual contact, the latest creation by FSB designers Markus Michalski and Michael Schmidt affords enhanced protection against infection whilst also opening up new horizons for hands. That also convinced the jury for the Universal Design Competition 2021, which bestowed special honours upon the product and commended it as a prime example of current developments in universal design in the context of optimised processes and digital solutions.

The 1287 handle is operated with the user’s forearm pressing against its quarter-turn end section – the return-to-door – and establishing form-fitting contact with the upwardly-bent grip. The optimum height of the return- to-door was identified as being 111 cm on the basis of in-depth analysis of data for a person’s average body measurements. This is particularly conducive to the user comfortably resting their arm on the handle. Operation is possible regardless of from which side the door is approached (from the left or right). The door can be safely opened and yet the user’s hands remain free to perform other tasks such as steering medical equipment along or carrying a tray or some other work implement.

The Brakel hardware specialist manufactures its new ergonomic lever handle in a top-quality high-grade steel alloy. So as to avoid contamination whichever form of operation is adopted, the handle is supplied as standard with FSB’s anti-infection coating (AIC), which guarantees optimum protection against infection by virtually eliminating germs. The material used, a composition of chrome, nickel and steel as laid down in DIN 17440, is highly corrosion-resistant and notably impervious to knocks and scratches. The stainless steel surface forms an invisible passive layer, moreover, that provides it with a high level of resistance to cleaning agents and disinfectants.

The product range is fit for heavy-duty applications and just the thing for use on highly used, heavily frequented doors in, for instance, hospitals and nursing homes, childcare facilities, schools or other public buildings. And the new handle is equally ideal for public toilets, e.g. those in motorway service areas, keeping freshly washed hands hygienically pure.

Properties and benefits of the new FSB 1287 model at a glance:
– doors can be opened without manual contact
– optimum height for measured convenience

Properties and benefits of the new FSB 1287 model at a glance:
– doors can be opened without manual contact
– optimum height for measured convenience
– ideal for heavily-used doors
– anti-bacterial finish
– easy to fit
– top-quality high-grade steel alloy (chrome-nickel steel to DIN 17440, material no. 1.4301, approx. 18 % chrome and 8 % nickel)
– suitable for standard, emergency-exit and fire doors
– straightforwardly retrofittable in place of existing hardware technical circumstances permitting

Lowdown on FSB
FSB has been boldly embracing perfection for more than 140 years now and has long since become a byword the world over for visually and functionally outstanding hardware for doors and windows, electronic access solutions and barrier-free sanitary fit-outs. Architects and builders’ clients relish reaching out for products from Brakel because they see FSB as being in possession of great design expertise and a profound understanding of the requirements of modern construction. Everything in any way associated with handle culture in built spaces is catered to from a single source.

Franz Schneider
Brakel GmbH + Co KG

Anne Levy
Nieheimer Straße 38
33034 Brakel
Telefon: +49 5272 608-105

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