Who’d have thought revolving doors could be so interesting? Or such an issue?

       In today’s column, I wrote about how much energy they save, compared to a swing door. 

       Here’s more:

       To see the MIT revolving door study, start here.

       Here are links to Van Kannel’s three revolving door patents: 1888, 1897 and 1900.

       Van Kannel started a revolving door company in New York. He later bought a competing company, and in 1907 International Steel Company bought him out.  The company exists today as the International Revolving Door Company, and since 1950 it has installed more than 265 “descendants” of the Van Kannel doors in Philadelphia – everywhere from Two Liberty Place to the Archdiocese to Center Square to the old Wanamaker’s building, you name it.

       The Franklin Institute gave Van Kannel a medal in 1889 for his invention.    

       If anyone was wondering why buildings don’t just do away with swing doors altogether, it’s because they provide handicapped access. (And access to people who are elderly, walk slowly, use canes or walkers, have casts... etc.) Also, it’s easier and cheaper to install card-key access for after-hours entry on a swing door.

      Finally, if you’re curious about revolving door etiquette, here’s the answer from the Charleston School of  Protocol, where “manners matter.”

      One thing that didn’t make it into the column was my tour of Center City doors.

       With Wesolowski’s encouragement, I grabbed my stopwatch and headed up JFK Boulevard and down Market Street.

      At the Mellon Bank Center, the swing doors were tempting. They were the center entrance, and a lunch cart was directly in front. Still revolving door use over ten minutes outnumbered swing by 36 to 11.

      Not bad! (Or, at least, better than some of the folks at MIT.)

      But clearly, many people need encouragement. 

       1818 Market has a sign: “Please help us to conserve energy. Use the revolving doors.”

     At the Government Services Center: even though one of the swing doors was actually propped — or stuck — open, many people still opted to spin.

     The swing doors to the Philadelphia Stock Exchange have stickers showing wheelchairs.

      One Liberty Place has signs that say “doors locked.”

      Over at the new Comcast tower, the swing doors are doubled, with a tiny vestibule in between for less air exchange — and more effort to use them!

       But people still do it.

       Perhaps we should be happy this is all that’s asked of us, door-wise.

       At Comcast, I met an engineer, and even he didn’t know for sure why revolving doors were better. When I told him about it, and about the students at MIT, he paused and looked back at the revolving doors, contemplating.   I could tell his engineer gears were engaged.

     Maybe saving energy is just the beginning, he mused.

     As the door spun and spun and spun, I caught his drift.  Just maybe there’s a way to use the constant motion to generate energy.  

     Any thoughts, MIT?