Cabana Door Hardware in Recreation Center

A new idea in recreation center cabana door hardware is the “no latch hold open” approach.  In this configuration, the push side of the door (outside) has only a push plate, and the pull side has just a pull bar and a manual dead bolt which activates an occupancy indicator on the outside, like on an airplane bathroom.  The closer would be a hold-open type so the door stands open when left alone.

This hardware addresses three common complaints from cabana users and owners.

Firstly, with standard door hardware, when you first enter the rec center family locker area you are presented with an immediate challenge.  Which cabanas are being used?  If all the doors are closed, do you knock on each one?  If there are other people already there, do you ask them?  The hold open and indicator latch solves this problem by creating a simple polarity…if the door is open, the room is free, and if the door is closed, its taken.

Secondly, the lack of an actual lever means no keys, fewer moving parts and less maintenance.  These doors are opened and closed hundreds of times a day, and often roughly by teens or the occasional parent with three kids, four coats and four bags trying to open the door with one finger or maybe their foot.

Lastly (and this one sounds silly but it happens), this hardware makes it impossible for anyone to enter the cabana and close the door without locking the door behind them.  It is not uncommon for one or more people to enter the rec center cabana and begin using the toilet or shower and forget to lock the door.  Invariably another guest will knock (see point one above) and enter the room after testing to see if the door is open.  This scenario makes the hardware worth considering by itself, doesn’t it?