Office building revolving door specification requires accurate traffic throughput calculations to ensure adequate capacity during peak arrival periods. This article explains how to calculate required door capacity and select appropriate specifications.
1. Peak Traffic Estimation Methods
Office building traffic follows predictable patterns with morning arrival peaks between 8:00-9:30 and evening departure peaks between 17:30-19:00. Estimate peak traffic by dividing total building occupancy by the peak window duration. A 500-person office typically sees 60-70% of occupants arriving within a 90-minute morning window, yielding approximately 230-350 persons per hour or 4-6 persons per minute on average during peak. Revolving doors must process this volume plus margin for seasonal variations and special events.
2. Door Capacity Specifications
Three-wing revolving doors typically process 40-55 persons per minute depending on diameter and rotation speed settings. Four-wing doors process 55-75 persons per minute. These capacities assume smooth continuous traffic flow without congestion. Real-world performance degrades during periods of heavy briefcase and luggage load, cold weather when users move more slowly, and first-time visitors unfamiliar with door operation.
3. Queue Management Considerations
Acceptable queuing tolerance for office buildings is typically 30-60 seconds during peak periods. Longer queues create employee frustration and potentially late arrivals affecting productivity. Calculate maximum acceptable queue length by multiplying acceptable wait time by traffic arrival rate, then verify that available lobby space accommodates this queue depth without blocking other building functions.
4. Redundancy Planning
Professional office building design provides at least two revolving doors to handle traffic and provide operational redundancy. Single-door installations create vulnerability where any maintenance issue or malfunction blocks the primary entrance. For buildings exceeding 1000 occupants, consider three or more entrance lanes combining revolving doors with accessible swing or sliding alternatives.
5. Integration with Turnstile Systems
Many office buildings route employees through security turnstiles after passing through the main entrance revolving doors. Coordinate door throughput with turnstile capacity to prevent bottleneck formation at the turnstile line. Turnstile processing rates of 20-30 persons per minute per lane typically limit overall system capacity more than the revolving door itself in high-security buildings.
This article compiles information from publicly available automatic door industry resources.