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How Touchless Entry Systems Are Revolutionizing Hygiene Standards in Public Buildings

 

 

The global pandemic has left an indelible mark on how we approach hygiene and safety in public spaces. One significant shift has been the growing adoption of touchless entry systems to enhance cleanliness and convenience. These systems have become the gold standard for modern buildings, providing seamless, hands-free access that minimizes the spread of germs and aligns with heightened hygiene expectations.

What Are Touchless Entry Systems?

Touchless entry systems allow users to activate doors without physical contact. Instead of pressing a button or turning a handle, these systems rely on wave switches that detect a user’s hand movement or proximity.

Wave switches—a key component of touchless systems—offer advanced, user-friendly solutions for controlling automatic doors. By requiring only a simple wave to activate, they eliminate the need for physical contact entirely. These systems are ideal for environments where cleanliness and accessibility are paramount, such as hospitals, office buildings, schools, and retail spaces.

Wave Switches vs. Standard Press Wall Activation Switches

While both wave switches and press wall activation switches serve the same fundamental purpose—opening a door—they differ significantly in functionality, hygiene, and user experience.

Hygiene

One of the most compelling reasons to choose a touchless entry system is improved hygiene. Press wall switches require physical contact, making them a hotspot for germs and bacteria. Every touch increases the risk of cross-contamination, especially in high-traffic areas like restrooms or hospital corridors.

In contrast, wave switches eliminate this concern. By requiring no physical contact, they significantly reduce germ transmission, helping facilities maintain higher hygiene standards.

Durability and Maintenance

Standard press switches can wear out over time due to repeated physical use. Cracks, dents, and malfunctioning components often require maintenance or replacement, adding to operational costs.

Wave switches, on the other hand, experience minimal wear and tear. Since they don’t rely on physical pressure, they are more durable and require less frequent maintenance, making them a cost-effective option for long-term use.

User Experience

For people with limited mobility, traditional press switches may present challenges. Reaching and pressing a button can be inconvenient or even impossible for some individuals. Wave switches, however, offer an inclusive solution. With just a simple hand wave, anyone can activate the door, ensuring that facilities meet modern accessibility standards.

Advantages of Touchless Entry Systems

 

Enhanced Hygiene Standards

Public buildings often accommodate thousands of visitors daily, making surfaces like door handles and press switches breeding grounds for germs. Touchless entry systems mitigate this problem by eliminating the need for physical interaction with entry points. This advancement has become particularly critical in healthcare facilities, food service establishments, and schools, where hygiene is a top priority.

Improved Accessibility

Touchless systems cater to people of all abilities. Their intuitive design ensures that everyone, including individuals with physical disabilities, can easily use the system without additional assistance. This inclusivity is essential for public spaces looking to comply with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) regulations.

Energy Efficiency

Many touchless entry systems integrate with energy-efficient door solutions, ensuring compliance with modern standards. Wave switches can be configured to activate only when necessary, reducing unnecessary energy consumption and contributing to sustainability goals.

Modern Aesthetics

Wave switches and other touchless entry systems also enhance a building’s overall design. Their sleek, modern appearance aligns with contemporary architectural trends, making them an attractive option for commercial spaces that value style alongside functionality.

Reduced Maintenance Costs

By eliminating mechanical components that experience frequent wear, touchless systems often require less maintenance. Over time, this leads to lower costs for property owners while maintaining reliable performance.

Applications of Touchless Entry Systems

Touchless entry systems are versatile and can be implemented in various settings, including:

  • Healthcare Facilities: Ensuring sterile environments in hospitals, clinics, and laboratories.
  • Educational Institutions: Supporting hygienic entry points in schools and universities.
  • Retail Spaces: Offering customers a hands-free, convenient shopping experience.
  • Corporate Offices: Promoting cleanliness and professionalism in work environments.
  • Public Restrooms: Eliminating contact with germ-prone surfaces.

COVID-19 and the Rise of Touchless Solutions

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the demand for touchless entry systems. As people became more conscious of surface contamination risks, the need for hygienic, hands-free options grew. Today, touchless entry solutions are not just a temporary trend but a lasting shift in how public buildings are designed and managed.

Businesses that adopt touchless systems demonstrate their commitment to health and safety, reassuring employees, clients, and visitors that their well-being is a priority.

Why Choose Door Automation Corporation for Touchless Entry Systems?

At Door Automation Corporation, we specialize in providing innovative entry solutions for commercial spaces. Our team works with industry-leading products to deliver reliable, functional, and secure entryways tailored to your needs. Whether you’re looking to retrofit existing doors with touchless systems or install new automatic doors, we have the expertise to get the job done.

Here’s what sets us apart:

  • Comprehensive Solutions: We offer a variety of touchless entry systems, including wave switches and energy-compliant automatic doors.
  • Expert Design Consulting: Our professionals collaborate closely with top architectural firms in New York City to integrate touchless systems seamlessly into building designs.
  • Proven Reliability: With years of experience, our skilled team ensures that your doors operate efficiently and provide dependable performance day in and day out.
  • Tailored Services: From retrofitting manual doors to designing state-of-the-art automatic entryways, we customize solutions to meet your specific requirements.

The Future of Touchless Entry Systems

As technology advances, touchless entry systems will only become more sophisticated and widely adopted. Features like smart sensors, integration with building management systems, and customizable settings will further enhance their functionality and appeal. Public buildings that invest in these solutions now will be well-positioned to meet future hygiene and accessibility standards.

Contact Us Today

Elevate the hygiene, convenience, and accessibility of your building with cutting-edge touchless entry systems from Door Automation Corporation. Our reliable solutions not only enhance the user experience but also align with modern design and sustainability goals. Whether you need wave switches, automatic door installations, or expert consulting, we’re here to help.

Explore our range of products and services. Contact us to discuss how we can revolutionize your entry systems and ensure your building is equipped for the future. Let us help you create a cleaner, safer, and more welcoming environment for everyone who walks through your doors.

Boon Edam Revolving Doors: Sustainable, Safe, & Comfortable

As one of the global market leaders in entry solutions, Royal Boon Edam brings 140 years of experience in engineering quality when it comes to designing their revolving doors. That is why you will find Boon Edam revolving doors in New York, London, and every other major city across the globe in airports, office buildings, hotels, healthcare facilities, and many other types of buildings.

Outside of how long they have been in the industry, there is a reason why so many property owners turn to Boon Edam for their entryway solutions. It is because revolving doors can be a true asset in creating a comfortable, safe, and environmentally-sustainable building—even with rising energy costs. Hands down, revolving doors are simply the most energy-efficient entrance solutions on the market today.

What makes these doors so environmentally friendly? It is because the “always open, always closed” principle means that the unconditioned outside air and the conditioned inside air remain separated. This separation prevents dust, drafts, and noise from entering your building. Since revolving doors help reduce the amount of energy needed to maintain the conditioned climate inside of your building, they also help reduce your building’s carbon footprint. Thus, saving you energy and money—two critical assets in today’s building environment.

The Benefits of Balanced Dawson Doors

Also known as pivot doors, balanced doors offer various benefits that should be considered when designing your next entrance. This is especially true of Dawson doors in New York, which deliver high functionality and beautiful aesthetics perfect for public, commercial, and monumental facilities. Some of the different benefits that come with Dawson doors include:

Ease of Operation – Originally, balanced doors were designed to combat high-wind areas and the stack pressure that comes with high-rise buildings. Instead of fighting against the air pressure, these doors are designed to use the exterior and interior air pressure differential to open the door.

Improved Auto Operator – While the team at Dawson saw how functional, balanced doors were, they also realized there was a way to enhance the design. They did this by incorporating an auto-operator, eliminating the need for a closer. This creates a genuinely free-swinging door that doesn’t need any additional resistance.

Secured Mechanisms – Dawson is the only door builder that secures its operating mechanism inside the head instead of the floor. This unique design means there isn’t a need to perform any groundbreaking to install, replace, or repair the door. This saves a lot of time and cost.

What to Look for in Dawson Doors

When you are looking for the highest standard in door automation, then you are likely looking for Dawson doors in New York. But what makes these doors different than other balanced door options? It is a legacy of craftsmanship and technological advancements that lead to a wide variety of benefits, including:

Lower Maintenance Costs – Dawson manufactures castings to match the type of doors they are creating. That means there are no dissimilar metal reactions that can cause oxidization over time. Your stainless-steel doors will have stainless-steel castings, while your bronze castings will match their bronze door counterparts.

Superior Materials – Dawson understands the importance of high-quality materials. That is why they use self-aligning needle bearings in all door pivots instead of the plastic sleeve versions found in most other doors.

More Robust Hinges – Dawson uses a 1.9” diameter steel tube that is welded to the arms of the door instead of the usual 1.75” diameter steel tube hinge shaft found on other makes and models.

Stronger Guide Box with Better Integration – The Dawson guide box is made using a single piece of stainless steel, which is stronger, harder, and more corrosion-resistant than other guide boxes.

Easier Installation & Adjustment – Finally, Dawson’s product integrates all of the controls in the header instead of the floor. This not only provides better protection from dirt and corrosion but also makes it much easier to install and adjust as needed.

How to Lower the Costs of Automatic Door Repair

Replacing an automatic door outright can be cost-prohibitive, which makes automatic door repair in New York the much more attractive route for most property owners. But is there a good way to reduce the risk of needing repairs—therefore lowering your repair costs? The answer is yes, but it requires you to identify minor repairs before costly breakdowns occur.

There are two significant components when it comes to preventative maintenance to help you reduce your repair costs. The first is performing routine maintenance to help prevent wear and tear, while the other is being able to identify the need for minor repairs.

So, how often should you consider these maintenance services to keep your door automation running smoothly? It is recommended to schedule preventative maintenance twice a year. Typically, you will want to schedule one visit in the fall to keep doors running smoothly throughout the winter season, with a second appointment in spring to remove all of the built-up salt as well as to check for any wear and tear that could have been caused by the snow and ice. With these two maintenance visits on the calendar, you are likely to keep your overall repair bills to a minimum while extending the life of your automated doors.