Photo courtesy Ellison
Located in Union, New Jersey, Vermella Union’s tagline, “Not your ordinary life,” speaks directly to the lavish apartments available there and the array of community features and services at renters’ fingertips. The building utilized custom balanced doors in three entryways at its clubhouse to add to its luxury look.
The new complex aims to serve as the pinnacle of comfortable, luxury, amenity-filled living in New Jersey. The epicenter of those amenities is Vermella Union’s 2323-m2 (25,000-sf) central clubhouse. It features ‘business areas’ for tenants to escape their work-from-home situations, a golf simulator, a movie room, a large gym, a lavish pool deck, and a rooftop common area. The clubhouse was designed to deliver ‘resort-style’ living that renters can enjoy year-round.
The building also serves as the first impression for guests and prospective renters, which is why developers at Russo Development used high-quality, easy-operating doors for the frequently used clubhouse entrances.
The balanced doors were used for three entryways, including the main front entrance as well as doors leading outside to the pool and sundeck, a BBQ space, and various dining areas.
“The clubhouse is the ‘wow factor’ of the community and the most important amenity area of the complex. Each component of the clubhouse had to be taken into consideration, including the doors,” said Roman Gorfinkel, senior project manager at Russo Development.
The six custom balanced doors installed at the clubhouse are constructed of aluminum, with a dark bronze anodized finish, and feature 254-mm (10-in.) bottom rails with 25-mm (1 in.) diameter push/pull handles. Each door is equipped with innovative, industry-leading balanced hardware.
The doors are made from high-quality materials and designed to last a lifetime with proper maintenance. The doors feature a solid internal subframe construction and thicker materials. The aluminum doors are 51 mm (2 in.) thick, providing a more substantial, durable door compared to traditional aluminum entries. Additionally, the innovative balanced hardware allows them to operate with ease and reduces the door’s projection distance when opened.
“From a design perspective, the doors are larger and wider than traditional entries but still operate effortlessly, which was important to maintain for the main entryways,” Gorfinkel added. “They needed to look good and perform well.”
The balanced doors are built to outlast traditional commercial doors and provide a lifetime of easy, trouble-free operation. Additionally, balanced doors pivot at two-thirds width, an attribute that more evenly distributes the door’s weight, reduces opening force, and relieves air pressure at both sides of the door frame.
For Vermella Union, being able to specify doors with the appropriate finish was vital as well. The dark color of the doors matches the surrounding framing of the entrance vestibule, including the transoms and sidelights, as well as the muntins and framing materials for the windows on the building’s front elevation.
