Retail shopfronts
Sliding entrances that keep conditioned air in and make the doorway effortless for customers carrying bags.
Doors & Windows
Automatic Glass Doors
Sensor-operated sliding entrances for shops, clinics, showrooms and offices — the glass, the framing and the coordination with the operator handled as one package rather than three trades pointing at each other.
- Single, bi-parting & telescopic
- Safety sensors as standard
- Break-out options
Who this work is for
- Retailers
- Clinics and pharmacies
- Building managers
- Fit-out contractors
Automatic Glass Doors — project photograph required
Real Al Makan photography goes here. No stock imagery is used on this site.
In practice
The operator is the easy part. The opening is not.
Automatic door problems are rarely mechanical. The operator itself is a well-understood piece of kit — a motor, a belt, a carriage and a controller — and most reputable units run for years. What goes wrong is the interface between the operator and the building: a header that is not dead level, a lintel that cannot carry the load, a floor guide set into tile that has lifted, or a power supply run as an afterthought and now in the wrong place.
That is why we treat an automatic entrance as a glazing and framing job that happens to include a motor. The header has to be fixed to something structural and set truly level, because a leaf that runs downhill will drag and the controller will read it as an obstruction. The side screens and transom have to be dimensioned so the moving leaves park fully clear of the opening — an entrance that only opens to 80% of its width because the parking space was miscalculated is a permanent daily annoyance, and it cannot be fixed without remaking the screens.
Configuration follows the opening width and the traffic. A single slide is the simplest and suits a narrow shopfront. Bi-parting doors halve the travel distance for the same clear opening, so they open faster and suit busy entrances. Telescopic systems, where two leaves per side stack, give a wide clear opening from a narrow parking space — the right answer when the wall to one side is short.
Two safety features are not optional in our view. Presence sensors on both faces stop the door closing on someone standing still in the threshold, which activity-only sensors miss. And on any door forming part of an escape route, a break-out function that lets the leaves swing outward under manual pressure is what makes the entrance usable when the power is off.
An entrance that opens to only 80% of its width cannot be fixed without remaking the screens.
Where it is used
Automatic Glass Doors — typical applications
The situations this work most often solves. If yours is not listed, it is still worth asking.
Clinics and pharmacies
Hands-free access for patients, prams and wheelchairs, with wide clear openings.
Office and hotel lobbies
Bi-parting entrances that handle arrival peaks without becoming a bottleneck.
Showrooms
Wide telescopic openings that make a display space feel open to the street.
Supermarkets
High-cycle systems specified for constant use, with robust sensors.
Upgrades to existing entrances
Retrofitting automation where the structure above the opening can carry it.
Design possibilities
Options you can choose from
Finishes, configurations and specification choices available on this work. Samples can be provided before anything is committed.
Configuration
Single slide, bi-parting, or telescopic where the stacking space beside the opening is limited.
Header finish
Powder-coated to brand colour, anodised, or clad in brushed stainless to match the shopfront.
Glass
Clear or low-iron toughened, laminated where retention matters, with branded manifestation.
Sensor package
Standard activation plus presence detection, with optional touchless wave switches.
Access control
Card reader, intercom, keypad or building-management interfaces where the entrance must be controlled.
Escape provision
Break-out leaves and battery back-up set to open or lock on power failure, decided deliberately.
Why it matters
What you get
-
Genuinely accessible
No push, no pull, no handle — which matters for wheelchairs, trolleys and anyone carrying something.
-
Keeps the cool in
A door that opens only when needed and closes promptly reduces the load on the air conditioning at the entrance.
-
Safety-first sensing
Presence sensors on both faces, not just activity sensors, so a stationary person is still detected.
-
Set truly level
The header is fixed and levelled properly, because a slide that runs downhill drags and false-triggers.
Technical
Specification notes
- Configurations
- Single slide, bi-parting, and telescopic (two leaves per side) for wide openings from a narrow stack.
- Glass
- Toughened or laminated toughened, typically 10–12mm, with manifestation to make the leaves visible.
- Sensors
- Microwave activation combined with infrared presence detection covering both faces of the threshold.
- Safety and escape
- Break-out leaves for escape routes, obstruction detection, and battery back-up options.
- Header and fixing
- Aluminium header fixed to structure and levelled along its full length, with access for servicing.
- Controls
- Mode selector for open, automatic, partial and locked, plus access-control interfaces.
Final specification is confirmed at survey, against the actual opening, exposure and use.
How we do it
Our process for automatic glass doors
The steps specific to this work — not a generic checklist.
- 01
Assess the opening and structure
What the header can fix to, the parking space each side, and where power can realistically be brought.
- 02
Choose the configuration
Clear opening width and expected traffic decide between single, bi-parting and telescopic.
- 03
Fabricate screens and leaves
Side screens, transom and moving leaves made to the surveyed opening and glazed in the workshop.
- 04
Install and commission
Header levelled and fixed, operator installed, sensors aligned, speeds and hold-open times set for real traffic.
- 05
Test the safety functions
Presence detection, obstruction reversal and break-out all tested before handover, not assumed.
Get a price for automatic glass doors
Send drawings, dimensions or a photograph of the space. For anything beyond a straightforward replacement we will arrange a survey, because measuring it ourselves is the only way to quote a price that will not move.
Questions
Automatic Glass Doors — frequently asked
It depends on the specification. Break-out leaves can be pushed open manually, and battery back-up units can be set to open automatically and stay open on power loss. On any door forming part of an escape route this should be decided deliberately rather than left to default.
Often yes, but the header needs something structural to fix to and enough head height above the opening. We check both at survey — retrofitting into an opening with no lintel capacity is the one case where we will tell you it is not sensible.
Very wide, if the configuration suits. Bi-parting and telescopic systems achieve large clear openings without needing an equally large stacking space. The limit in practice is usually the structure above, not the operator.
Yes. Belts, rollers and sensor alignment all drift with use, and a busy retail entrance cycles enormously. Periodic servicing is far cheaper than a failed entrance during trading hours.
Generally yes. Most operators accept a dry contact or a signal from card readers, intercoms and building management systems. Tell us what you have and we will confirm the interface at quotation stage.
Related work
Often needed alongside this
Shop Front Glass & Aluminium
Retail glazing and entrance systems built for footfall, security and presentation.
Explore service
Glass Sliding Doors
Top-hung, barn-style, cavity and stacking sliding glass door systems.
Explore service
Glass Swing Doors
Frameless toughened swing doors on floor springs, patch fittings or glass hinges.
Explore service
Tempered / Toughened Glass
Toughened safety glass cut, drilled and edge-worked to size, supplied loose or installed.
Explore service
Get in touch
Tell us about the job
Drawings, dimensions or just a photo of the space — whatever you have is enough to start.
- Call us +971 56 436 9675
- WhatsApp +971 56 436 9675
- Email almakan.uae@gmail.com
- Workshop & office Ajman Industrial Area 1, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
- Opening hours Open daily · 08:00 AM – 11:59 PM