An automatic door can be a major upgrade for a multifamily or commercial property, but many of our clients struggle to choose between a swing or sliding automatic door. Both door types have positives and negatives, and our door team is well equipped to walk you through your options and what might work best for your specific use case. In this blog, we'll hold the door open and look at swing and sliding automatic doors, and we'll help you find the right door solution.
Automatic Swing Doors
Automatic swing doors are the most common door type in corporate Canada. They are used in office towers, condo buildings, and any commercial enterprise that needs a safe, secure, easy-to-maintain entry door. These low-energy doors work well with an actuator like a push plate or card reader, and they can also create an accessible, code-compliant, welcoming entrance.
There are a tonne of benefits of investing in a swing door for your commercial or multifamily building, including:
Versatility: if someone doesn't want to use the door's automatic functions, or if there is a power failure, the door still operates as a manual swing door.
Accessibility: These doors are typically paired with low-energy automatic operators, making them energy-efficient and accessible because of their slow, predictable opening and closing speed.
High Traffic Use: Swing doors are great for high-traffic areas and can be installed as single or double doors, allowing you to move more people through internal or external doors.
Retrofitting: If you already have manual swing doors, you can typically upgrade to automatic swing doors, saving you the cost of the door and hardware.
Customizable: Multiple configurations are also available, but the most popular in Edmonton, Alberta, include surface-mount and overhead concealed operators, depending on the door frame specifics and available space.
Automatic Sliding Doors
Sliding doors have been used in busy spaces, commercial settings, and hospitals for years and allow easy entry and exit using a sensor to open and close the door. These doors require no physical action and are especially used in high-germ areas such as schools, clinics, and retail stores, as there is no surface you need to touch to activate the door. Although these doors seem accessible, they are not the best choice, as fall mats, safety sensors, and other protections are needed to make them safe for people with visibility and mobility challenges.
Automatic sliding doors have a number of great benefits for those looking for a set-it-and-forget-it door that will work for years to come, including:
Aesthetics: Sliding doors are aesthetically pleasing and have a sleek, subtle appearance because they open laterally, so they won't stand out and will simply be functional.
Easy to Operate: Sliding doors are often paired with a broad sensor array that opens the door when a person approaches; in some cases, they are paired with keycard readers, scanners, or even PIN pads for added security.
Customizable: Auto sliding doors come in a few different packages, including single-slide and bi-part slide packages, depending on your specific use case.
What is the best door for you?
This is really going to depend on your specific space and the goal that you have for your entryway.
You should consider an automatic swing door if:
- You don't have spatial constraints and want an accessible door that meets the Alberta Accessibility Design Guide standards for accessibility and barrier-free movement.
- You are looking to retrofit an existing door to save on costs or retain the original look and feel of your swinging door without the need to complete major structural upgrades
You should consider an automatic sliding door if:
- You have space concerns at your door frame in front of or behind your exit, and a laterally opening door will be a better fit.
- You are in a high-traffic environment like a commercial building, hospital, travel centre, or airport where people need to move quickly through a space, and you want to reduce the spread of germs and dirt.
Whether you are looking for a new door, a retrofit to an existing space, or something else, the team at Accesio is here to help you find a door solution that works for your Edmonton commercial property or multifamily building. With dozens of door options built to keep a Prairie winter out, we can find the perfect fit for your space, whether it's an automatic sliding door or an automatic swing door.
