A revolving door is a type of door that is made up of three or four wings (leaves) placed in a central pivoting shaft with a vertical axis. The three or four wings and shaft are inside a round enclosure that has openings on the inside and outside that allow people to go inside or outside as they rotate. Aside how revolving doors complement the aesthetics of a building, high-rise buildings install them to aid the reduction of stack effects pressure. These stack effects pressure are majorly experienced by very tall building and are caused by the air rushing into the building.
Strollers, wheelchairs and wheeled luggage racks can be accommodated by large diameter revolving doors. These large diameter revolving doors are mostly installed by hotels, malls, office complexes and the likes. Europe’s current tallest revolving door is said to be about 5.2m high and has 5 wings.
Manual Revolving Doors
Manual revolving doors do not require electricity to function. Therefore, entrants are required to use the push bar to gain entrance. Once the push occurs, the wings rotate, giving way to entrants. The availability of a speed controller (governor) prevents the door from spinning faster than necessary no matter the push.
Automatic Revolving Doors
These are operated by electricity. No effort is required from the entrants. They rotate on their own when someone is close. They have safety sensors to prevent fatality.
Why are revolving doors mostly found in skyscrapers?
A high-rise building like a skyscraper needs a means of “draft block”. And revolving doors offer the service of blocking off drafts from a building. Not only do they block drafts off, but they also control the air that gets in and out of the building. These doors also hinder the effect of the chimney in the building from taking in air at a high speed at the base and sending it out through vents on top of the building, while the vents of the building is taking in air or heating up and sending the air out through the door.
The modern revolving doors we have now are fixed in a way that the individual doors of the assembly can be unlocked through the central shaft to permit free flow in both ways. This feature is used during emergencies and that is why they are referred to as “breakaway” or “breakout”. The feature can also be used when admitting oversized objects.
Revolving doors are not left open, except when people are passing through them. They efficiently minimise heat and air conditioning by not allowing dust and drafts to enter the building.
Counter-Clockwise Or Clockwise Revolving?
The traffic hand of a country determines how its revolving doors should revolve. In left hand traffic countries like New Zealand and Australia, revolving doors revolve clockwise. In countries that drive off the right, these doors revolve counter-clockwise. In the UK, they make use of both counter-clockwise and clockwise. Any direction works for them.
What are the benefits of revolving doors?
1. Save money on air and heating
As earlier stated, revolving doors help manage air and heating of a building. Office complexes or hotel won’t have to spend much on heating and air. During summer, air from the air conditioner or vents of a building is properly managed by the revolving doors since they are always sealed. The same applies to heat; energy costs are saved when the revolving doors serve as airlocks by shutting the heat the chimney emits within the building.
2. Prevent drafts
The sealed nature of revolving doors prevent drafts from entering the building. Statistics have it that most buildings that use revolving doors are found on high traffic areas that use elevators. Take away these revolving doors and drafts will find their way into the building and blow away papers and objects. Revolving doors shut these drafts out
3. Improved access
Revolving doors allow many people to gain entrance or go out at the same time. Unlike other manual doors that allow one person at a time, causing clusters and traffic at the entrance. Revolving doors admit everyone, including wheelchairs, crutches and luggage racks.
4. Security
Airports install one-way revolving doors for people not to bypass security checkpoints. Hotels and office complexes use this one-way revolving doors to boost their security if the space between the doors are small enough. The door is configured in such a way that an unauthorized person cannot tailgate behind an authorized person. The revolving doors used at the airports are designed with a brake that is activated by sensor when someone enters through the wrong door. The doors revolve backwards to enable the unauthorized person exit while alerting security.
Revolving doors also have metal and radiation detectors that help detect when a person is carrying unauthorized objects into a building. The auto-reverse feature has helped in curbing unauthorized entrance in airports, hotels, office complexes and the likes.
Not all revolving doors can allow one-way passage. That is why it is important to have a clear picture of what you want and carry out researches.
5. Noise blockage
Just like air is blocked, the same applies to noise. Noise from the street, car and bus fumes is shut out from entering the building by revolving doors.
6. Beautify the building
We won’t deny the beauty these doors add to buildings. Take these doors away from some building and they won’t be as beautiful as they currently are. The building becomes more pleasing and tends to attract people to have a look at what is on the inside. These doors also have a psychological effect on people; they magnify the room more than they are. One will know this when he/she actually steps inside the building.