Revolving doors?

[Danny McG]

I've came across this in a fiction book, I've never heard it before, does anyone know if it's true?

Revolving doors made high-rise buildings with elevators possible by allowing pressure equilibration without blowing the windows out whenever a passenger hit the button for the umpteenth floor.

 

[HareBrain]

Yes, I've been in several high-rise buildings without revolving doors, and you wouldn't believe the amount of smashed glass there is all over the place.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Wikipedia has your answer, in the first few paragraphs about revolving doors:

Revolving door - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I didn't read the whole thing, but I'd guess the design of modern skyscrapers takes the air pressure thing into consideration, and are better at venting the extremes of air pressure.

edit - what I mean is, I don't think modern skyscrapers always have revolving doors, but honestly I'm not sure about that...haven't been in one in decades...

 

[HareBrain]

Wikipedia has your answer, in the first few paragraphs about revolving doors:

Revolving door - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I didn't read the whole thing, but I'd guess the design of modern skyscrapers takes the air pressure thing into consideration, and are better at venting the extremes of air pressure.

edit - what I mean is, I don't think modern skyscrapers always have revolving doors, but honestly I'm not sure about that...haven't been in one in decades...

Modern designs tend to have sliding doors.

Interesting article -- though it doesn't say anything about pressure caused by elevators as such, more by heating currents. I wouldn't have thought the elevator would cause much of a pressure effect on the ground floor, as the pressure would have to either be vented all the way down, or the elevator a loose enough fit not to cause a build-up -- otherwise it would impede progress to the ground floor, as the shaft would have to be sealed (all doors closed) while the elevator is moving.

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Interesting article -- though it doesn't say anything about pressure caused by elevators as such, more by heating currents.

I think the lack of elevator mentions could be construed as indicating that elevators weren't the (or even 'a') driving force in the development and introduction of revolving doors.

Maybe the fact that the elevator shaft is enclosed confines most of the change in air pressure to the shaft (barring what escapes through the closed, sliding doors). And aren't elevator shafts often (or usually?) vented at the top of the shaft?
I'm a person who had trouble completing a bird house project in junior high school shop class, so really, my knowledge of designing and building things is very limited. All guess work.

 

[Foxbat]

I’d imagine the elevator pressurisation thing (if it was ever a thing) is pretty redundant now. Many modern buildings incorporate pressurised stairwells in their designs. This is to keep them clear of smoke and able to work as a viable escape route. I think these stairwells would cause a bigger pressure problem than an elevator.

It doesn’t take a lot of pressure above normal atmospheric to make it almost impossible to open doors that are subject to this pressure increase so if elevators in older skyscrapers did cause extra pressure within a building, they would certainly need some kind of venting.

Of course, if you build a draughty skyscraper, over-pressurisation is something you wouldn’t need to worry about

 

[Dave]

I agree with the others that you don't need revolving doors to keep a positive pressure within a building (which means the air is always leaving through an open door rather than coming in.) Most modern buildings do have this, so that smoke, dust, insects and smells are all carried away outside and are not brought inside, and that this is all achieved with modern air conditioning systems. It is especially used in restaurants where you wouldn't want kitchens contaminated, but also cuts down on the amount of cleaning necessary in offices. I know nothing about high-rise lifts, but I would expect that technology has moved on somewhat since the first high-rises and lifts were built, so maybe this was something that was only true in earliest days?