Using This Space Management Tool
By: Tom Carney

The use of space management tools, such as folding accordion doors and operable walls, is a cost-efficient way to utilize the available space within any church building. To name a few applications for these products, large fellowship halls can become smaller classrooms, and multi-purpose rooms or large conference rooms can be converted into smaller individual offices.

What Can They Do for Me?
It’s all about flexibility in your space management. When you have a large room and need multiple smaller ones, simply extend the accordion door or move the wall to fit your need. When your fellowship hall has been used as smaller classrooms, and you need a large open area to conduct a luncheon or meeting, simply retract or move the product into its stored position.

What Types of Products Are There?
Some commonly used products are sight-dividing doors, acoustically rated accordion doors, and acoustically rated flat-panel operable wall partitions. Sight dividers are lightweight, easy to move manually, and inexpensive, but they won’t stop sound. Acoustically rated accordion doors are still easily moved and slightly more expensive due to the added materials needed for sound deadening purposes. Acoustically rated flat-panel operable wall partitions are typically between 42 inches and 48 inches wide and as tall as your ceiling, yet, they move easily by way of a top-supported track system. In this way, your facility manager is not the only person who would be able to extend and retract these panels when your needs arise.

How Do These Products Look in My Building?
All of these products are conducive to the budget and come with carrying options and accessories. Beginning with finish options, all products come in a choice of colors for washable vinyl or a color selection of vertically ribbed carpet. Carpet finishes are particularly attractive on accordion doors, and most users of that product report a noticeable difference in sound dampening when they are extended across their room. The accordion door hardware is visually attractive and functional. The flat-panel operable walls come in standard vinyl, vertically ribbed carpet, woven fabrics and even wood veneers. There is sure to be a color, texture or pattern scheme that blends with the other finishes in your church.

Since the panels are flat, chalkboards, dry market boards and even pin-tackable surfaces are available to add function to the acoustical separation between rooms.

When the panels are extended, pass-through doors are available, so you can walk from one room to the other and even do so with a wheelchair.

How Are They Made and How Long Do They Last?
Accordion doors generally use an internal “X shape” steel pantograph system of interconnected steel plates, allowing the product to collapse into its folded position easily. Flat panels are made with an internal metal framework and are filled with insulation, and then sheetrock faces are attached to the perimeter frame.

When acoustical qualities are needed, special flexible seals are built right into the product to stop sound from traveling around the product perimeter.

Accordion doors and operable walls require some maintenance, yet most applications need only minor lubrication of moving parts and simple repair to face finish materials. Nearly all suppliers offer a cost-effective maintenance program, though some facilities are able to maintain the products on their own.

How Do I Know the Product Will Fit My Building?
Accordion doors and operable walls are manufactured to your building’s exact dimensions. The supplier comes to your church and physically measures the overall opening width and height. This information is furnished to the manufacturer, who builds the product just for your need. You can even have accordion doors made to fit around curves.

What Does Acoustically Rated Mean?
Without exploring all the technical explanations, these acoustically rated products are designed, engineered and installed to provide varying degrees of sound control. There is no product that is completely soundproof, but there are products can offer reasonable amounts of stop-stopping ability that will either be suitable for speech privacy on the low end or amplified sound privacy at the high end.

Most products are rated by their STC value, and the higher the number the better. So, accordion doors that have an STC rating of 40 are usually suitable for fellowship halls where some speech privacy is needed. Operable wall panels can be rated up to 52 STC and, when installed correctly, can offer appreciable amplified sound privacy for use in rooms using A/V presentations or perhaps a microphone for a guest speaker.

What Should I Look for in a Manufacturer?
Design representatives who will take the time to visit with you at your facility are in the best position to know more about your particular need and budget. These people are knowledgeable about all the various options to choose from and can prepare preliminary quotations and drawings that clarify exactly what the prices are based on.

Since some products need to be custom built, knowing the precise dimension, the amount of acoustical quality needed, and which finish or options can all be explored and understood by a personal visit to your church.

The better manufacturers will have a customer service department available to help individual churches explore the options and then help with installation service. Some manufacturers sell direct to churches or offer some form of individual attention to customers of religious facilities. Contact the manufacturer for details.

Accordion doors and moveable walls can be great products to use in churches because they offer the opportunity to make the most of the space you have. Instead of putting an addition on, churches can take space they already have and turn it into classrooms, sanctuaries, private meeting areas, banquet halls or prayer meeting areas.

Tom Carney is president of Curtition, www.curtition.com.

Product Roundup

Sico Insta-Wall
The Sico Insta-Wall is a mobile, folding partition that will divide any church space to meet the needs of the moment, no matter how frequently those needs may change. Insta-Walls can extend to whatever length is needed by simply linking units together. Features include:

• Heights from 4 feet to 7.5 feet tall
• Standard lengths up to nearly 25 feet
• Easy storage
• 360 degree hinges that allow the Insta-Wall to be rotated into any position.
• A fully tackable surface for posting signage.

Insta-Wall offers churches flexibility in designing the space they need when they need it.
www.sicoinc.com

Glasswalls by Hufcor
Glasswalls are the newest addition to Hufcor's family of operable partitions. Operable partitions provide churches with the flexibility to quickly create large or small spaces. Glasswalls offer:

• The beauty of natural light
• A physical, but not a visual, barrier
• Frame options, like wood in a wide selection of finishes, or frameless
• A variety of sound control ratings
• Many configuration options

Hufcor partitions are available through local, factory-trained distributors, offering installation and service and free layout assistance.
www.hufcor.com

SA-1000 by Panel Systems Manufacturing
With the invention of Panel Systems’ removable floor track system, it is now possible to support the weight of heavy room dividers on the floor instead of suspending them from the ceiling. With the SA-1000:

• Churches no longer have to spend money on very expensive ceiling beams or braces that can cost as much or more than the room dividers.
• Space can be configured as needed.
• The floor track can be easily removed in just a couple of minutes.
• The track can be stored neatly in an opening behind the panel stack.

The SA-1000 results in floors that are clear and free of obstacles when the divider is not being used.  www.roomdividers.org

VersiPanel and VersiFold by Mity-Lite
VersiPanel and VersiFold portable partitions from Mity-Lite are freestanding and flexible, offering superior sound control and pleasing visual effects. VersiPanel and VersiFold partitions meet the floor directly; blocking sights and sounds from other areas. They feature:

• Quick setup, with a no-tools approach to designing or re-arranging a dynamic area
• Fabric covering
• Semi-rigid, freestanding form that can be bent and shaped
• Safe, non-pinching design
• Optional chalkboard and whiteboard accessories
• Variety of colors and sizes

Units can be used alone or joined together for added versatility. 
www.mitylite.com

Woodfold’s Series 3300 Acoustic Room Partitions
Along with application for space division, an acoustic room partition can provide additional functional use of common spaces. Woodfold's Series 3300 Accordion Door combines the:

• Proven durability of their exclusive hardware hinge system
• Rigid MDF body panels
• Sound liner

This creates a dual-walled sound partition that offers an excellent alternative to other available products.
www.woodfold.com

VL-2 Sound Divider from Curtition
For those situations where minimal sound attenuation is sufficient or sound levels are normally low, requiring less sound deadening material, the VL-2 from Curtition is your answer. When coupled with carpet or fabric outer coverings, it provides excellent performance.

• The VL-2 has two layers of special composition vinyl liners on each side of the steel frame to provide six total layers of material from side to side.
• The VL-2 utilizes the same frame, trolley and track system as found on the Curtition VL-6 and VL-8 models.

It is an excellent value for the cost-conscious church.
www.curtition.com

FREEstanding Room Dividers from Screenflex
FREEstanding Room Dividers from Screenflex can be positioned right where you need them, anytime you need them. They set up in just seconds. Just:

• Roll into position
• Unlock
• Pull open
• Position as desired

Multiple FREEstanding room dividers can be locked together to form unlimited lengths.
www.screenflex.com