How automatic doors help your building be more sustainable

Why is it important to build sustainably? 

The building sector accounts for 39% of the world’s carbon emissions, according to the World Green Building Council’s Global Status Report 2017. For comparison, that’s nearly double the amount of CO² produced by the transport sector (22%).

A stable indoor climate is crucial for many reasons. For starters, people spend, on average, up to 90% of their lives indoors. Thus, the health, productivity, and retention of employees, customers, and patients alike depends on a comfortable indoor climate. However, 71% of energy consumption in buildings is due to the heating and cooling of indoor spaces. Every time the climate is disturbed by external weather, heating/cooling systems must work overtime to correct it.

Therefore, it makes financial and ethical sense to commit to a sustainable approach. 

How do automatic doors improve sustainability?

When a door saves energy, the whole building saves energy – this fact is often overlooked.

Doors and windows are the obvious vulnerabilities when it comes to maintaining indoor climates – they’re thinner than walls and allow external weather to rush in when open. While windows tend to remain closed, doors are required to open and close several times each day for a building to function.

Automatic doors are faster, smarter and more suited to high foot traffic than manual doors. Therefore, automatic doors are a necessity for sustainable commercial buildings, helping to minimize heat transmission, air leakage and air infiltration.

Why is ASSA ABLOY well equipped to boost sustainability?

ASSA ABLOY has a comprehensive range of automatic swing, sliding, and revolving doors that help reduce the cost and energy consumption of commercial buildings. Our doors offer most value across three key building segments – retail, healthcare, and private commercial buildings (such as offices and hotels).

Revolving doors are the most sustainable entrance solution for high traffic areas – ideal for climate control and eliminating drafts. They’re always open for people, but remain closed to the elements.

Swing doors offer convenient handicap access as well as a space-saving solution. They can be operated by sensors or wave plates, so they’re only open when they need to be.

Sliding doors provide fast, quiet access – either as a single doorway or a vestibule (double doorway) solution. Vestibules create a ‘buffer zone’ to minimize drafts and air leakage, regardless of the weather.

Our intelligent solutions provide a range of benefits to your building project. ASSA ABLOY automatic doors can:

  • Minimize energy loss
  • Improve indoor air quality
  • Increase daylight
  • Control air circulation
  • Optimize overall energy performance of any building

Compliance and EPDs

ASSA ABLOY is one of a handful of corporate partners of the World Green Building Council – a responsibility we’re immensely proud of. We also have a comprehensive collection of Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), enabling decision-makers to take a transparent view of each product’s lifecycle.

The performance of ASSA ABLOY automatic doors across the globe contribute to the environmental ratings of buildings, including BREEAM, LEED, HQE, DNGB, nZEB, and Greenstar.

With our commitment to high-quality service, ASSA ABLOY ensures sustainability throughout the lifecycle of each product. Regular servicing and product care maintain a product’s energy saving properties, while also promoting safe operation through well maintained materials, resulting in reduced need for door replacement, minimized downtime and reduced costs in the long-term.