Written By: Brad Campbell | September 15, 2023
Glass entryway doors offer numerous benefits for commercial entrances, especially in retail stores and other types of businesses where visibility, natural light, and aesthetic appeal are top priorities.
However, when it comes to security, commercial glass doors are more vulnerable to forced entry than other types of commercial entryway doors.
Fortunately, there are a few different ways business owners can protect their glass entryway doors against forced entry and other impacts to balance security and aesthetics.
There are many different types of glass doors, but when we’re talking about commercial glass entryway doors, the two most common types are aluminum-framed glass doors and all-glass entryway doors.
These two varieties of glass storefront doors provide high levels of visibility, allow plenty of natural light in, and complement many different architectural styles.
Not only that, but when combined with glass storefront windows, glass entryway doors contribute to a more open, inviting indoor space, which can make shopping or doing other types of business therein more appealing.
Another reason many business owners prefer one of these two types of glass entryway doors is that they can be easily customized with logos or other graphics, helping to reinforce brand identity and making their business more recognizable to customers.
Aluminum-framed glass entryway doors typically consist of a single, large pane of glass held in place by robust aluminum framing on all sides. Depending on the size of the entryway, there may be one or two of these glass doors facilitating the flow of people in and out of the facility.
While aluminum-framed glass entryway doors are aesthetically pleasing and provide all the benefits of glass doors we already touched on, it’s incredibly easy for an intruder to break the glass and open the doors from the inside.
This makes businesses with these types of commercial doors vulnerable to a variety of security threats, including:
That being said, it’s possible to mitigate these threats without changing the door type and even without replacing the standard glass with something stronger — it can be done using Riot Glass® retrofit security glazing solutions.
Riot Glass retrofit security glazing consists of robust security glazing infills and security framing that can be attached in front of the existing door glass, either within or on top of the doors existing framing.
This creates a formidable forced entry-resistant barrier in front of the door glass that can withstand break-in attempts using bats, sledgehammers, crowbars, thrown objects, and other common burglary tools.
stomized to match any commercial facility’s style, so your customers won’t even notice the difference — and you’ll have the peace of mind knowing that the bad guys can’t get through your front entrance.
In many commercial entrances, the glass entryway doors are part of a larger glass storefront. Standard storefront windows are just as vulnerable as glass doors to forced entry, so it’s important to not overlook reinforcing the surrounding windows as well.
For this, you can often use Riot Glass retrofit security glazing to create durable access denial barriers over all the vulnerable glass without removing or replacing it.
Like the Riot Glass solutions we discussed above, retrofit security glazing for commercial windows uses unique formulations of security glass, polycarbonates, acrylics, and other plastics laminated together to provide virtually unbreakable glass protection.
These specific formulations result in glazing that looks and feels very much like traditional storefront window glass, and it won’t noticeably alter the appearance or functionality of your business’s windows.
Glass entryway doors offer undeniable advantages for commercial entrances, particularly in businesses prioritizing visibility, natural light, and aesthetic appeal. However, while these doors excel in these aspects, they also present security concerns due to their vulnerability to forced entry.
This vulnerability can be mitigated through a variety of security measures that strike a balance between safeguarding the premises and maintaining the doors' attractiveness and functionality.
Two prevalent types of commercial glass entryway doors, aluminum-framed and all-glass doors, provide exceptional visibility and architectural compatibility. Yet, their susceptibility to break-ins necessitates security enhancements.
Riot Glass retrofit security glazing solutions and All-Glass Series security doors are cost-effective solutions for reinforcing glass storefront doors.
Composed of sturdy security glazing infills and framing, these solutions fortify existing door glass against break-in attempts, bolstering commercial properties’ resistance to a full range of security threats.
By incorporating these innovative security glazing solutions into their commercial security systems, businesses can confidently welcome customers through their glass entryway doors, while fortifying their premises against potential security breaches.
Contact Riot Glass, LLC for a free consultation.
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