urnstiles conjure images of clunky metal contraptions that slow entry to subways or ballparks. But since Sept. 11, 2001, a new generation of those security posts, equipped with sleek metal casings and optical sensors, has been showing up in high-rises like the Sears Tower in Chicago and the Library Tower in Los Angeles.
"There has been a major increase in turnstile acceptance in the United States in the past year," said Ed Hendrickson, the president of Perey Turnstiles, a private company based in Milford, Conn. "We're catching up to the rest of the world. They have been dealing with terrorism on a much larger level for decades."
The new turnstiles, called optical stiles, read ID cards and come with or without barrier arms. They cost about $30,000, compared with about $2,000 for the basic rotating tripod — the kind once used in New York subways.
"I'd say that our business is up 150 percent" since 9/11, said Curtis E. Lamson, the national sales and marketing director for Designed Security Inc., a private maker of turnstiles in Bastrop, Tex. "Last fall, we had a tremendous amount of inquiries. About February, people really started buying. We've been going gangbusters since then."
Even before the Sept. 11 attack, some corporate and government building managers were installing optical turnstiles. Designed Security said its pre-attack installation sites included offices of Dell Computer, Rockefeller Center and the United States Marshals Service.
The optical stiles use sensors to ensure that only one person enters for each ID card presented. They allow up to 30 people to pass through in a minute, compared with 35 to 40 for the traditional tripod turnstile.
"Before 9/11, most people were shopping for the lower-end models," Mr. Lamson said. "Now we have several multimillion-dollar deals pending."
Perey, a leading turnstile maker, has been at it since 1913, selling its products to places like Disney World, New York City and the Pentagon. "I believe that the significant increase in sales will really come in the next two to three years," said Mr. Hendrickson, who estimated that the industry was now only a $100 million market worldwide. "Turnstiles are not impulse buys. It takes a while to come up with new security plans or architectural designs."
Mr. Hendrickson said 16 companies worldwide made turnstiles and estimated that 25,000 turnstiles — including optical stiles — were installed in the last year. Perey's sales, he said, are up 45 percent from this time last year.
In June, when updating its security, the Sears Tower installed 34 optical stiles, made by Automatic Control Systems of Port Washington, N.Y., that require a photo identification badge for entry to the elevator banks.
"They really do make a difference," said Carlos Villarreal, director for security at the Sears Tower. "We've been able to effectively control access to the elevator floors in a cost-effective way."
The building also has new metal detectors, X-ray machines and planters along its perimeter, but Mr. Villarreal considers the optical stiles central to controlling traffic and building access.
"In talking to other security directors across the country, I think that turnstiles are going to become standard in commercial high-rise buildings," he said. "They're quick, easy and not at all cumbersome. Plus, they're reliable. So far, we haven't had any problems or complaints."
Another consideration is aesthetics. Mr. Hendrickson said many companies chose the optical stile because of its more modern look. "Obviously, a tripod turnstile will provide better security than an optical stile because of the actual physical barrier," he said.
Mr. Lamson, though, said that about 75 percent of customers requesting the optical stiles wanted models with barrier arms. "Since 9/11, everyone wants to have the actual physical barrier," he said. "It's mostly psychological, but it's a higher level of comfort."
Of course, some people may feel more trapped than comforted by gates guarding their entry to places of work or play. Even if the optical stiles do not have physical barriers, they are equipped with alarms like flashing lights or sirens that can signal an unauthorized entrant.
"Some are even tied into the elevator system, so that the elevators won't come down to the ground floor until the alarm has been checked out," Mr. Lamson said.
Other prominent buildings that are using turnstiles are the 73-story Library Tower — one of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi — which recently installed six optical stiles made by PathMinder Inc. of Ottawa, and the Wells Fargo Center, also in Los Angeles, is installing 16 optical stiles made by Designed Security.
At the Sears Tower, the optical stiles are finished in polished stainless steel and etched glass to match the building's lobby. "They had to be aesthetically pleasing," Mr. Villarreal said. "And they are. They look like they've been there forever, like they were part of the original design."
