Stainless steel entrance grids are designed to keep your facility safe and clean by reducing dirt and debris from entering your building. Ronick Matting Systems supplies stainless steel entrance mats for a variety of establishments, including hotels with revolving doors.
Installing a stainless-steel radius shaped grid for a revolving door at a hotel in a suburb of Minneapolis, MN.
Revolving doors provide a draft block for high-rise buildings that prevents the “chimney effect” that would otherwise allow the air to circulate from the bottom to the top of the hotel, creating high energy costs for heating and air conditioning.
*The chimney effect, also known as the stack effect, is a natural ventilation process that occurs when warm air rises, and cool air falls due to difference sin air density.
The product selected for the hotel revolving door installation was the GridlineG6 due to its sleek appearance, low-maintenance design, dirt trapping capabilities, and its ability to manage heavy wheel loads of up to 500 lbs. The stainless-steel GridLine G6 entrance grid works well under revolving doors; it is installed in multiple sections and has surface lockdowns allowing the panels to be easily removed.
This 8-story luxury hotel is in a busy location in a suburb of Minneapolis. It has over 300 guestrooms and over 15,000 square feet of meeting and event space (11 distinct event spaces that can be expanded into larger event areas, with the largest ballroom being able to accommodate up to 685 people per function). This hotel is conveniently located near both the Minneapolis - St Paul International Airport and the Mall of America drawing in people from all over the world. It also has a full-service restaurant onsite, that is open to the public. On average this property sees over 3,225 customers per week with foot and wheeled traffic: including luggage and hotel carts.
The Gridline G6 stainless steel entrance grid system was installed in 2016, ahead of the hotel’s grand opening.
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Estimated Installation Time: 6 Hours with 2 people, with approximately 70% of labor time spent installing the surface lockdowns. Maintenance is recommended on the entrance grids when the hotel is not at maximum occupancy and during off-peak hours.
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Due to the unique circular shape of this entrance mat system, a template was required before the grid could be put into production. There are two options for creating a template; for this project a digital template was utilized opposed to a physical template where a template is created at the project site with wood, carboard, paper and tape.
The digital template option is recommended for creating custom entrance mats with complex shapes, such as circular or irregularly-shaped mats used under revolving doors. By using a laser to capture precise measurements onsite this method minimizes errors and allows for a perfect fit, even in irregular or complex spaces. Once the laser captures the key points, they’re mapped out in a CAD program, enabling the digital template to replicate exact contours and dimensions.
This approach not only improves accuracy compared to manual methods but is also highly beneficial for busy areas where both aesthetics and durability are priorities.
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For revolving doors both an inner radius and an outer radius need to be calculated, multiple points are taken electronically to account for variances and to ensure that everything fits securely into the recess, as most revolving doors are not 100% circular.
After the measurements were taken the production team divides the stainless-steel entrance grille into sections, each of the 8 sections were cut into 3/8” pieces to make up the circle. The client selected surface lockdowns for ease of maintenance and installation for this project.
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Each of the stainless-steel grid sections arrived onsite labeled alphabetically to match the template diagram and ensure that each panel gets placed into the correct spot for the revolving door radius. Each panel was then arranged and positioned into the recess/their final location below the revolving door.
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Taping the drill bit at the desired depth is an efficient way to ensure consistent and accurate drilling without over penetrating. Installing surface lockdowns one panel at a time also allows for more control and precision during the process. This step-by-step method helps avoid misalignment, ensuring the panels are securely and properly anchored in place.
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After final positioning of all panels, a pilot hole was drilled through the top of the surface lockdowns.
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After marking the pilot holes, the individual panels were removed, and a 5/16” drill bit was used to drill the centers to the precise depth needed for the anchors. This step ensures that the holes are correctly aligned and at the right depth to secure the anchors, providing a stable and accurate installation. By drilling to the specific depth, this method helps to prevent over-drilling and ensures a secure fit for the panels once reinstalled.
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Next the team vacuumed the excess debris from the drilled holes to ensure a clean and secure anchor installation. Any leftover debris could prevent the anchors from seating properly. They ensured that the anchor heads were level with the surrounding surface, so the installed grid remains smooth and flush, preventing any unevenness or tripping hazards.
Once the area was cleaned and the anchors were securely in place, the team aligned the surface lockdowns with the fixed anchors allowing for a seamless re-installation of the panel. This method not only warrants a precise fit, but also helps in maintaining the integrity and durability of the setup.
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The stainless-steel screws were then placed into the lockdown and tightened to secure the panel firmly in place. The installation process was repeated for each panel until the radius was complete and the stainless-steel grille was locked in place.
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Part of why the Gridline G6 stainless steel entrance matting system was selected for this revolving door project is because it can easily be maintained; a damp mop can be used to remove dust and dirt from the stainless-steel surface, and a strong suctioning shop vacuum positioned above the rail surface can be used to remove dirt and debris underneath the entrance matting system. If needed, the larger heavier debris can be extracted by removing the individual grid units from the recess, by simply unlocking the surface lockdowns and removing the panel for a convenient low maintenance cleaning option.
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22.5 pounds of dirt was retained annually in the recess below. The timeline between mat cleanings was 1 year for this project after the initial installation.
According to a study done at MIT, revolving doors can save buildings on energy costs by up to 8 times, compared to swinging or sliding doors. They can cut energy losses by up to 40% and minimize heating and cooling costs. This is because revolving doors create a barrier that stops outside air from altering the indoor temperature. Couple the savings from having an efficient Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system with an effective entrance matting solution leads to an additional return on your investment. The International Sanitary Supply Association (ISSA) approximates cost savings of roughly $600 in care and maintenance costs for every pound of debris prevented from entering an establishment.
1 stainless steel entrance grille underneath a revolving door + 3,225 customers weekly = 22.5 lbs. of dirt collected annually.
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