Automating a Pivot Door From Any Manufacturer: The Concealed Header Approach
Updated: 6 days ago
Architects choose a pivot door for what it leaves out: no visible hinges, no heavy frame, one large panel turning on its own axis. For a long time, making that door open automatically meant adding back the hardware the design had removed. As DAS puts it in its commercial brochure, a code-compliant pivot entrance used to mean surface-mounted operators, with arms, brackets and housings bolted onto the one element the designer meant to keep clean.
The DAS Pivot Series takes a different route. The motor and every electronic component sit in the header above the door, and the finished opening shows the door and nothing else. This post covers what that means for a project that is still on the drawing board: what the system is, the figures to design around, and what has to be coordinated before the door arrives.
What "concealed" means in the Pivot Series
The whole system lives in an 8-inch housing above the door. DAS's drawing of the Pivot Series shows five parts:
the header housing, which holds everything else
the pivot motor
the pivot plate
the electronics
a flexible power whip for the electrical connection
A removable cover on the underside of the housing gives access for service. That cover can be painted or veneered to match the frame, so it reads as part of the header rather than as a piece of equipment.
The figures to design around
These are the published Pivot Series specifications:
Doors up to 2,000 pounds
Doors up to 12 feet wide by 20 feet tall
110-volt, 15-amp circuit
20-foot flexible power whip
Self close and hold open
Clutch-driven auto assist
Check both the weight and the size against the door you have in mind. A pivot door's dimensions and materials are usually settled long before anyone asks how it will open, so it helps to know the limits early.
Any pivot door, from any manufacturer
The Pivot Series is built to work with any pivot door from any manufacturer. That keeps the door decision where it belongs, with the architect and the owner. The door can be chosen for its material, its profile and its hardware, and the automation fits into the header above it.
If the door itself is still being selected, Lucent's pivot door systems are a place to start. Lucent and DAS often work on the same projects, and Lucent's pivot page includes a system rated for up to 500 kilograms per leaf.
For a wider look at pivot door styles and how automatic pivot doors work, see our guide to motorized pivot door systems.
How the door behaves day to day
Self close and hold open
The door can close itself after each use, or stay open when the space needs it to.
Clutch-driven auto assist
The motor assists the door as it opens, and the system is clutch driven. DAS's pivot assembly specifications describe what the clutch does: it allows emergency manual override and smooth disengagement when needed. In other words, the door can still be operated by hand in an emergency.
Accessibility and egress
DAS describes the Pivot Series as ADA and egress compliant. On a public building, that belongs in the specification alongside the operator's safety certification. Our guide to what architects need in the spec set for UL 325 covers how that documentation fits together, and the local building department has the final word on any project.
Controls and backup power
Every DAS motor system includes a UL 325 certified control box with 36-hour battery backup. DAS systems can also connect to control platforms such as Control4, Crestron, Lutron and Savant. The DAS control options page lists what is available.
What to coordinate in the drawings
Concealing the automation moves the work into the header, so the header needs attention early.
Space above the door. Allow for the 8-inch housing in the header detail from the start.
Access from below. The service cover is on the underside of the housing, so keep it reachable once the ceiling and trim are finished.
Finish. Decide whether the cover will be painted or veneered, and coordinate it with the frame finish.
Power. Plan a 110-volt, 15-amp circuit, and locate it with the 20-foot power whip in mind.
Pivot hardware. The pivot plate is part of the assembly. Check the pivot assembly specifications against the door manufacturer's pivot hardware.
Weight and size. Confirm the finished leaf stays within 2,000 pounds and 12 by 20 feet, including glass and cladding.
Technical drawings and specifications for DAS systems are collected on the professional resources page.
An earlier concealed pivot: Roederer Winery
Before the Pivot Series, DAS's custom division built a concealed pivot for the tasting room entrance at Roederer Winery. The door is 6 feet by 8 feet and weighs 500 pounds. DAS engineered a motor to fit inside the door's 4-inch square aluminum tube header, so visitors see no automation at all, and motion sensors open the door as guests approach. That was a custom build. The Pivot Series brings the same idea, automation that disappears into the header, to pivot doors in general.
What about a pivot door that is already installed?
This post is about doors that are still being specified. For a door that is already in place, talk to DAS about the opening before assuming anything. Adding an operator to an existing door does not make the assembly compliant on its own: the existing hardware, frame and structure all have to suit powered operation, as our UL 325 guide explains.
See the Pivot Series
The Pivot Series is shown, with its drawing and specifications, in the DAS commercial brochure. For the full motor range, see DAS motor systems. To talk through a pivot door on your project, contact DAS.
