From flexible workspaces to healthcare centers with self-rooming, design professionals are reevaluating commercial interiors to meet occupancy load requirements, hybrid work environments and user wellbeing needs. During this time of change, firms are reconsidering where and how people interact within the built environment, as well as how wayfinding, space orientation and touchless operations can promote an assured sense of safety. As interiors are being repurposed to meet these demands, next-generation commercial sliding doors are rising to the occasion. With a durable, narrow-profile perimeter frame, commercial grade hardware and space-efficiency benefits, these doors glide along or into walls to ease congestion and improve traffic flow while preserving critical square footage.
As commercial sliding doors adapt to meet current demands, what trends are following suit? From the use of color to promote seamless wayfinding to hands-free entry points, here are five trends that will benefit today’s interiors and tomorrow’s generation.
1. Make a statement with color to advance wayfinding and accessibility>
To improve occupant navigation and support wayfinding, there’s been a return to bold colors as visual cues. In hospital settings, for example, interior commercial sliding doors have transformed from muted operations to colorful pieces with bright frames or accents. As explained by The Center for Health Design, the use of color in these environments has accessibility benefits. The study notes color can help “distinguish between different planes, reducing mobility issues” and allows institutionalized clinical spaces to feel less intimidating to patients. A case in point is the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) Heart and Vascular Center, where commercial sliding doors were specified for dual-entry exam rooms with colored edge details on the patient and physician entrances for improved wayfinding. Aluminum, full-lite glass sliding doors were also utilized for treatment rooms, carrying aesthetics and purposeful function throughout the clinic. Beyond supporting movement patterns, bright frames or pops of color on sliding doors can match an organization’s overarching look and feel, tying interior aesthetics to a brand.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, commercial sliding doors with black finishes and frames are gaining traction. Black sliding door components continue to push accessibility forward with strong, stark contrasts, while creating attractive, modern statements. AD Systems offers interior commercial sliding door systems with sleek, aluminum profiles in standard silver or custom color finishes, including black.
2. Improve traffic patterns with oversized commercial sliding doors
The desire for flexibility in commercial spaces has become a standardized trend over the last year. In today’s environment, it may be necessary to adjoin two separate spaces to support peak occupancy loads. Likewise, an interior may need to alternate between private and shared environments to meet occupant user needs. This is evidenced in collaboration cubes, workspaces and educational facility dining halls, where designs may need to account for varying traffic flow patterns, levels of synergy and occupant densities. Oversized commercial sliding doors are customizable and purpose-built to easily close off or open up these flexible areas. For example, the single leaf of a large, glass sliding door can be up to seven feet wide or 15 feet per pair. This solution can easily slide open along the wall to enlarge two areas and support free-flowing movement and then slide shut when privacy is desirable.
Beyond improving day-to-day functionality, these extra-large commercial sliding doors can serve as a statement piece. Thin, aluminum profiles can adhere to modern design aesthetic intentions while expansive panes of glass can tie-together spaces. Evoking upscale sophistication, they are a modern approach to space division.
3. Create visual synergy between commercial sliding doors and swing doors
As demand has risen for space-efficient interior sliding door systems, so too has the need for a seamless transition between interior commercial sliding doors and swing doors. Traditional swing doors are still needed at egress points. To preserve the design intent and create a unified interior, designers are looking to specify door systems with compatible features and hardware. To simplify this process, experts can turn to single-source door manufacturers. AD Systems, for example, provides complete door and storefront/partition solutions for both commercial sliding doors and swing door assemblies to ensure a close visual match across all door openings.
4. Mitigate the spread of infection with touchless operations
Design professionals are responding to the increased demand for hands-free products in support of infection control, and for good reason. Think about highly touched door hardware in healthcare facilities – these frequently used surfaces carry germs, bacteria and other infectious agents that have the potential to spread infection. To mitigate these risks, touchless door operations, such as AD Systems’ AutoMotion™ commercial sliding door system, eliminate hand-surface contact. The technology can upgrade nearly all of AD Systems’ sliding doors to full automation, making touchless entry points possible in a range of settings. Automatic sliding door systems also invite greater access for occupants and are well suited for flexible spaces.
5. Use artistic glass panels and plastic laminate infills to make a functional design statement
While best known for letting in daylight, glass is now gaining a second life as an artistic, decorative material in commercial sliding doors. Glass panels can mirror extensive, intricate designs to help tie together a large space, such as a lobby. They can also feature gradients or custom patterns to gently diffuse natural light while creating visual interest. To accommodate the need for more private spaces, design professionals are also turning to solutions such as integral blinds, switchable glazing, decorative resins or other materials to create decorative and functional privacy solutions. From designs that start on the wall and extend over the sliding door to infills in bright blues and pinks, these specialty solutions are ideal for conference rooms and restroom pathways.
Sliding doors are here to stay
Blending form and function, commercial sliding doors are quickly becoming more than a space-efficient solution. They can support a collaborative culture, transfer daylight, promote sound attenuation and further wayfinding. And, by simply opening or closing, these custom solutions can adapt to a range of environments – meeting the need for flexible interiors.
To learn more about how AD Systems’ line of interior sliding doors can be personalized to meet today’s in-demand trends in a real-world setting, explore our innovative door design configurations here.
