So There’s This Door

I was headed to a meeting in the building next door to my office building. My hands were full with a water bottle and some paperwork, and since the morning was chilly, I had my coat on — it’s about 200 yards between the buildings. I walked through our currently empty company cafeteria, to use the side door, as I have done a dozen and more times. But this time, the door wouldn’t open. I leaned against the door and then bumped it with my hip a couple times, but no open.

Oh well, I thought, it’s locked. It was just before 9:00 a.m., so I figured someone just forgot to unlock the door from overnight. The door is a common glass door, set between two glass walls, with a metal bar across the middle at about waist height. Right under the bar is part of the frame with the word “PUSH” clearly printed. The bar doesn’t move in any mechanical way, and I had been pushing on it as I have done many times in the past. But push wasn’t working. I noted the frame and lack of hinges on my side and knew that pulling was not an option.

I walked back through the empty cafeteria to find another exit. There was one near the cash register, and before trying it, I asked the cashier if I could go out that door.

“No,” she said, “it will sound the alarm if you open it.”

“Oh, okay. How can I get out on this side of the building? That door is locked.”

“Locked?” she asked. “It’s not locked. You just have to touch it with your skin to open it.” She gestured to mime opening the door with hands.

I had tried opening the door with my coated elbow. I walked back to the door. I put my bare had to the metal bar and the door opened right up without resistance or sound.

I’ve never heard of such a gimmick for opening a door. Nothing about the look of this door suggests any kind of unusual high technology. There’s a badge-swipe panel on the outside, but that’s not out of the ordinary for office buildings.

A skin-touch sensitive door. That’s kind of a cool concept the more I think about it, but I’m not really seeing the functional advantage of it. A gimmick for a gimmick’s sake? Something just to fool and annoy me, personally? Whatever.

Bullgrit
bullgrit@totalbullgrit.com