Choosing the Right Product

Critical to all designs is understanding building use and traffic patterns. With the above information you can choose from the following four possibilities:

• Manual Doors
• Automatic Doors
• Security Doors
• Exit Lane Turnstile Revolving Doors

Decide on your application needs and the process is relatively simple.

Manual Doors

Typical applications include banks, stores and restaurants, conference centers, and universities. A manual revolving door can accommodate large volumes of traffic in both directions. The choice between a 3-wing or 4-wing design depends on the application and the people using the entrance. A 3-wing design is preferable in a hotel application where larger compartment sizes are more critical. Guests at hotels typically have rolling or carried luggage and the larger compartment size would be preferred. Some grocery stores and restaurants use 3-wing doors to accommodate a parent with a child conveniently in the same compartment. The 4-wing design will give a slightly larger throughput as four people in each direction can pass through the door with each revolution. This design is recommended on higher volume applications where capacity is a concern such as conference centers or universities. Most manual doors are supplied in 78, 84, or 96 inch diameters.

Automatic Doors

With the need for hands free operation the typical applications include airports, hotels, casinos and hospitals. Automatic revolving doors can accommodate larger items like golf clubs and skis. They are also used in hospital applications as they can accommodate wheel chairs and the disabled. Automatic revolving doors are installed when you need to conveniently move larger volumes of people through a front entrance while maintaining high energy efficiency standards. Your choices in automatic revolving doors are 2-wing, 3-wing, and 4-wing and typically in 120 inch and larger diameters.

Two Wing

The 2-wing design offers the largest compartment size and the best airlock. In a hospital application, a 2-wing can accommodate gurneys. The reason the 2-wing design offers the largest compartment size is there is no center shaft or center core. The entire door including the ceiling rotates on a channel installed in the canopy. It offers the best airlock because in lieu of a center core there are two cores, one on each of the wings. These cores will completely close the throat opening to outside elements and are desirable in cold climates to prevent ice and snow from entering the throat opening during non-operating hours. When the wings completely close, the door is not always open always closed during a portion of the rotation. Because of the increased mechanical components necessary for this configuration (i.e., the rotating ceiling), the 2-wing is typically more costly than a comparable 3 or 4-wing alternative. The standard sizes for a 2-wing door range from 120 to 192 inches in diameter.

Three Wing

The 3-wing is the most common automatic revolving door design. The 3-wing door offers convenience and energy efficiency while maintaining lower installation cost. Since the 3-wing has a larger compartment size than the 4-wing, the 3-wing will move larger volumes of people through a 3-wing door. A 120 inch diameter revolving door in a 3-wing design will allow an unassisted wheel chair to pass through the door. An assisted wheel chair will require a 144 inch diameter. These designs are offered in ranges from 120 to 192 inches in diameter.

Four Wing

The 4-wing design is very seldom used in an automatic configuration. The compartment sizes are smaller than a 3 or 4-wing door system. The required wing sensors take up too much of the usable compartment size causing the door to stop or slow too frequently in a 2-way traffic situation. As a result, several manufacturers have discontinued offering this product especially since there are viable options such as the 2 and 3-wing designs.

Security Doors

There is a growing need to provide a more secure environment to facility users. Revolving doors have been used to provide a secure entrance for over 20 years. When a swing or slide door is equipped with a card reader and the necessary magnetic lock or electric strike, it is assumed to be a secure entrance. The deficiency is that once the door is open there is nothing to prevent multiple people from entering with an authorized person and thus a security breach. With a security revolving door, it turns one compartment at a time allowing only one authorized person to enter from the secure area eliminating employees from becoming part of the security team. Consider how many times a security entrance is breached by a simple request to hold the door open as a possible unauthorized individual enters the secure area. With a security revolving door, the employee does not have this option. Typically, a 4-wing design is ideal to provide 2-way security and has also been used in dormitory and office building applications as a standard revolving door during the day and a security door at night. A 2-way security revolving door will address both of these risk scenarios.

• Tailgating - Unauthorized entry attempt via separate compartment while an authorized person is entering or exiting
• Piggybacking - Unauthorized entry in the same compartment (forcible or collusion) with an authorized person