Are automatic doors a good preventative solution for reducing the risk of Covid-19, Coronavirus , other Viruses and bacteria spreads?
New research from the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that SARS CoV 2, which causes the disease known as COVID-19 coronavirus, is more constant on plastic and stainless steel finishes than on cardboard, paper or copper: “The longest viability of both viruses was on stainless steel and plastic; the estimated median half-life of SARS-CoV-2 was approximately 5.6 hours on stainless steel and 6.8 hours on plastic.”
This is not great news for Architects, Building Facilities and designers who have traditionally favored stainless steel, Aluminium & Chromed brass for their aesthetics along with ease of cleaning.
It is clear from the available research that this type of touch point poses a potentially serious risk of transmission, particularly in places where a significant proportion of users could be unwell with a virus, if not SARS CoV 2. Examples such as doctors’ surgeries and hospitals come to mind.
Door handles, door push Plates as well as other contact points such as lift buttons, flush buttons, taps and hand dryer buttons are all typically made from hard materials including stainless steel and plastic.
While SARS CoV 2 is uniquely hazardous, other common viruses and bacteria, including the common cold, Influenza and the rotaviruses are also potentially transferred by touch points in buildings.
This is completely avoidable given that we have the affordable technology available to remove the problem. I am constantly amazed at the lack of automatic doors on Commercial/ public toilet entrances, I shudder at the thoughts of hundreds of potentially soiled hands touching the metal handles – urrgghh
Similarly, we now have reliable technology to automatically flush toilets, dispense hand wash, automatic hand sanitisers and self-operating taps; yet the same contact handle is used by all persons traveling to and from the toilets.
Some newer services have open planned entry with design for privacy which work, but often existing buildings or structures that have been repurposed use the same layout for communal Toilets, Corridors and even staff entry doors.
The Answer in my mind is to add automatic doors.
Automatic doors as an asset class have reduced in relative price as the popularity has risen and grown safer with the introduction of higher safety standards.
Its all too common to see an automatic door welcoming your clients with free passage but only to have your internal doors all handled manually by your valued staff and guests.
Recent innovations such as automatic doors not opening unless the hand sanitiser station has been used – Promoting good hand hygiene or Traffic people counting systems to correctly limit the safe number of bodies within a building space show me that auto doors are starting to be seen as a solution .
I believe we will start to see more automatic doors installed on internal doors where it is not desirable to prop open the door, especially in public buildings and large businesses.