HARDWARE & SECURITY
Industry researc
ironmongery bu
New research shows that some types of b
total maintenance budget on architectura
spend on this being between one and two
» THE RESEARCH FROM
the Guild of Architectural
Ironmongers (GAI) has
analysed what proportion
of a project’s overall cost
and ongoing maintenance is
attributed to door hardware
such as handles, locks,
hinges, door closers and other
essential ironmongery.
Similar research conducted
in the early 1980s by the
Property Service Agency (PSA),
a former agency of the UK
Government, concluded that
ironmongery was worth one
percent of project value but
accounted for 80% of the value
of the maintenance budget.
The results from the GAI
research show that the average
percentage of build cost
attributed to ironmongery has
increased, and has now put a
figure on likely maintenance
budgets too.
Douglas Masterson,
technical manager of the GAI,
said:
“As a proportion of a
project’s value, the budget
needed for specifying
architectural ironmongery
has increased over the last
40 years, most likely in
response to increasingly
robust standards for safety,
accessibility and other
improvements in the built
environment, advances in
technology such as access
control products, and the
quality of products themselves.
The value can now be up
to 5.84% of a project value,
depending on the sector.
“Maintenance regimes have
also moved on significantly
since the 1980s. New building
elements such as heating
and ventilation systems,
air conditioning systems
and IT networks are now a
higher percentage of annual
maintenance costs. The
demands of increased health
and safety regulations and an
increase to the UK minimum
wage has also impacted on
costs. Repairing or replacing
door hardware can still be
time consuming and now
we also understand its
budget implications too – for
some building types such as
educational establishments
it can be as much as 30% per
year.
“This research underlines
the financial significance
of making better choices
about the architectural
ironmongery in our buildings.
When it comes to specifying
products and asking for advice
on routine maintenance,
we would always suggest
consulting with a Registered
Architectural Ironmonger
(RegAI). Fully trained and
committed to keeping up to
date with the latest product
and industry knowledge,
RegAIs will be able to assist
with choosing the correct
product for the application, the
best practises for checking its
ongoing performance, and the
best options for any building
owner’s budget.”
The research was conducted
on behalf of the GAI by AMA
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locksmithjournal.co.uk