Raiffeisen Arena in Linz
Mechanical access solution with emergency exit door function
Lock series 8000, 7000 and 6000 in use
It took around a year to build the Raiffeisen Arena, the largest sports stadium in Linz and the home ground of the Austrian first division football club LASK. With the new construction of the historic arena, the club has created an ultra-modern venue for itself, its fellow league clubs, fans and players.
With its contemporary standards, the new Raiffeisen Arena not only fulfils the international requirements of the Austrian Football Association, but also category 4 of the UEFA stadium infrastructure regulations. It is therefore also authorised for Champions League and Europa League finals. A total of 20,000 seats, 42 sky boxes, 2 event boxes and over 1,700 business seats are available for international visitors to the stadium.
It goes without saying for all parties that not only the comfort but above all the safety of the guests and players and the building itself must be guaranteed as crowds move around. From video surveillance and fire protection measures to secure escape routes and emergency exit doors and locks, everything has to be planned and implemented professionally.
"We’re delighted to be able to make a significant contribution to security at the stadium in Linz with the use of our mechanical locks," says Christian Lüftl, Key Account Manager Lock Systems at WILKA Schließtechnik GmbH from Velbert. In addition to 47 standard mechanical locks from WILKA, which were installed in the lower stadium level in the functional areas of the stadium, a further 26 locks from the 6000, 7000 and 8000 lock series were installed. These locks, equipped with an emergency exit function in accordance with DIN EN 1125, are used in the doors of the visitor block entrances.
"The EN 1125 standard is used in public buildings in which visitors do not know their way around and guarantees safe escape through an emergency exit door with just one single activation of the door lock," explains Lüftl.
However, it was not only ensuring safety − even though this was the top priority − that was decisive in the selection of doors and locks for the stadium in Linz, but also protection against unauthorised access. Conflicts often arise here in large or public buildings if the passage also needs to be protected against burglars or unauthorised persons. The door should be securely locked, but at the same time it needs to be able to be opened by anyone in an emergency.
The Series 7000 and 8000 locks offer a solution for both requirements. They not only ensure safe escape routes but also provide an increased level of break-in protection. "Firstly, the multi-point locking system locks the door at several points along it, making it considerably more difficult to break open," explains Christian Lüftl. "In addition, the self-locking mechanism protects against unauthorised access by automatically locking the door as soon as the latch bolt re-engages in the striking plate after a visitor has passed through"
Perfect interaction
Following an enquiry by the stadium developer to a Linz-based metal construction company, both WILKA and WILKA specialist dealer Schachermayer not only provided the metal construction firm with advice and assistance in the selection of suitable locks, but they also supported it through to completion. The metal construction professional and their team were responsible for installing the doors and locks. "It was an impressive achievement by the employees of the metal construction company," says Christian Lüftl. "It was not only necessary to ensure precision during installation but also to meet the deadline due to the fixed opening date. Thanks to the perfect teamwork between the metalworkers, WILKA specialist dealer Schachermayer and WILKA, the project was successfully completed in February 2023 without any technical problems and on time."
