Today revolving doors are a standard part of our cityscape, but they were only invented because of one man's paralysing fear of opening doors for women. Though they have proved to have many advantages over traditional doors, revolving doors have had a strange and chequered history, as Colin Bisset writes.

The idea that a phobia can be responsible for a new design is probably overlooked. A fear of dental treatment might well have helped create more comfortable surgical processes and environments, but it might be glib to say that the chief phobia among designers is cacophobia, the fear of ugliness. In the case of the revolving door, however, it was an inventor's phobia of opening doors for women that provided inspiration.

Philadelphia's Theophilus Van Kannel originally named his invention the Storm Door Structure rather than the revolving door (or the Phobic Misogynist Door). He was a man who was interested in new experiences and even went on to invent a popular amusement park ride called Witching Waves in which the articulated floor rises and falls, causing pods holding people to pitch about at random. But it was his 1888 door design that became famous around the world.

Philadelphia's Theophilus Van Kannel originally named his invention the Storm Door Structure rather than the revolving door (or the Phobic Misogynist Door).

The advent of the design marked a stage of architectural development when buildings were becoming larger and significantly taller, especially in the rapidly expanding commercial centres of American cities. In a tall building, traditional hinged doors caused air from outside to rush through the building, drawn up like a chimney to any opening at the top, creating air turbulence and a nightmare for internal temperature management. The revolving door solved the problem by creating an airlock while still allowing access into the building. It also has the advantage of reducing street noise and can't be blown open in high winds, so a stable environment is maintained even in wild weather. In cities such as Chicago, with freezing winters and baking summers, the invention was a godsend.

Though it was unpopular with doormen who were no longer required, the revolving door has remained virtually unchanged since its introduction. Usually four doors are set around a central pivot and held within a cylindrical enclosure. Today many are motorised so that there is no issue of who pushes and in which direction (once a common sight gag in films and sitcoms). The size of the doors can be increased to accommodate large quantities of traffic and some even incorporate merchandise windows.

After a Boston nightclub fire claimed nearly 500 lives in 1942 because escape was hampered by a single revolving door, it became common practice to place hinged doors on either side of a central revolving door, which can simply be pushed open in the event of an emergency. Today many designs allow for the individual doors of the revolving structure to be pegged back in case of emergency.

Design File looks at the revolving door Saturday 15 March 2014 Listen to By Design to hear more about the surprising history of revolving doors. More This [series episode segment] has image,

A doorway is one of the most important design features of any building. The notions of arrival and flow are particularly important for commercial buildings, and it could be argued that the revolving door, with its constant movement, adds a certain frisson to the action of entering or leaving a premises. With its ability to be incorporated into any door aperture, the revolving door can also be retrofitted to historic buildings.

For young children, a revolving door is often seen as something of an adventure. But, like escalators, they can also be a little unsettling. Many people take that discomfort into adulthood, preferring to use a more conventional door if it is available. It is not surprising to find that some people have developed a phobia about revolving doors, making them a very circular subject, in more ways than one.

Find out more at By Design.

