In Jacques Tati's Mon Oncle (1958), architecture itself becomes a character: sliding doors, an automatic fountain, gates that emit mechanical sounds, devices that both enchant and frustrate the inhabitants. The comedy arises precisely from the fact that these seemingly trivial systems silently shape everyday life. More than six decades later, the observation seems prophetic. In contemporary buildings, countless systems work autonomously and discreetly, going unnoticed when they function well. Among them, automatic doors, traditionally seen as secondary elements, are emerging as part of a new "invisible infrastructure": connected, efficient, and intelligent systems that support comfort, sustainability, and operational resilience.
When we think about architectural performance, entrance doors rarely appear among the priorities. At first glance, they seem limited to opening and closing repeatedly throughout the day. But in the transition to sustainable and smart architecture, these systems have taken on new functions: they are now active nodes in digital networks. Equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) platforms, automatic doors can transmit real-time data on usage patterns, anticipate maintenance needs, and be monitored or adjusted remotely. This connectivity reduces downtime, extends equipment lifespan, and lowers corrective maintenance costs, while at the same time transforming doors into building sensors, generating valuable data for building management systems (BMS). Integrated with HVAC, lighting, and security, they become part of an intelligent ecosystem that supports both the user experience and the daily operation of the building.
ecoLOGIC and Energy Efficiency
Among the most significant advances is ecoLOGIC, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution from ASSA ABLOY for automatic sliding doors. The system dynamically adjusts door behavior, such as speed and hold open time, according to pedestrian flow, weather conditions, and outside temperature, balancing user experience with energy efficiency. In other words, it reduces energy losses during opening as well as demand on heating or cooling systems.
Tests show savings of up to 14,000 kWh per year per entrance in medium-sized stores, along with a 2 to 7% reduction in opening cycles. This not only extends the lifespan of doors in high-traffic environments but has also earned the system GreenCircle Certification for proven energy efficiency. The solution is also ISO 27001 certified, ensuring data security, and operates independently of the local IT network via a gateway with cellular modem and SIM. This means the system can be implemented quickly, without the need for complex integrations, while maintaining both data integrity and cybersecurity. ecoLOGIC has also earned the first TÜV SÜD test mark for AI that independently validates performance and reliability.
The impact of these systems can be observed across different sectors: in healthcare, automatic doors ensure hygienic, contactless operation, reducing risks of contamination, and when combined with IoT monitoring, they guarantee reliability in critical areas such as operating rooms and ICUs; in logistics, monitoring opening and closing cycles optimizes the flow of goods and reduces energy losses in climate-controlled environments, such as cold storage; and in transportation, remote monitoring minimizes interruptions in stations and airports, ensuring the continuous movement of passengers in infrastructures that cannot afford downtime. These examples highlight how automatic doors have ceased to be secondary details and have instead become essential infrastructure for the operation of complex buildings.
ecoLOGIC was designed to make sustainability an integral part of the building, not an afterthought. By intelligently managing how automatic entrances operate, it reduces unnecessary energy loss, lowers carbon footprints, and extends door life, while also preserving architectural flow and comfort. It gives architects and facility managers a tool that supports sustainable operations in modern building design. — Martin Sagnérius, Head of Digital Services, ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems
By combining connectivity and environmental awareness, entrance systems consolidate themselves as a new type of architectural detail: operating silently, yet decisively, as part of the hidden infrastructure of smart buildings. While meeting immediate demands for efficiency, these technologies also point to a cultural shift in how we understand architecture, as an integrated network of systems that, together, make buildings safer, more efficient, and more human. If in Mon Oncle the humor lay in showing how doors and devices shaped life in a caricatured way, today the same perception takes on depth, reminding us that even the most trivial elements of architecture can carry intelligence and play a central role in the future of cities.
