For the longest time doors have remained fundamentally the same. Think of a door and most people would imagine a panel door with a handle that opens and closes by pivoting in an arc around a hinge. However, there are now many different types of door to choose from and this is true for both commercial and domestic uses.
The Revolver
It’s not surprising that revolving doors have only been around a little more than 100 years. Although they do look somewhat gimmicky and no doubt, kids love them, revolving doors have a serious function. Their aim is energy conservation as they allow buildings to be draft blocked yet still allow for the entry and exit of people. They are only found in buildings where there is a large amount of traffic that is frequently coming and going. They are now a common feature in many large buildings where you some measure of energy and heat conservation has been considered.
The Slider
The benefits of sliding doors are a little more obvious, they maximise space. In a time when space is ever increasing as a premium, sliding doors that can disappear into a wall cavity are becoming more popular. They are also able to be manufactured from an insulating material and can help keep rooms cool in summer and warm in winter. A glass sliding door allows a tremendous amount of natural light to come into a room, and also acts as a large window providing an excellent view for homeowners who have a porch or garden.
Sliding doors are also used in industry and warehousing as they can be easily made to large sizes and can be controlled electronically. In an industrial setting or in a warehouse where space and security are heavily controlled, a sliding door makes a lot of sense.
Heavy Metal
Heavy industry and warehousing also commonly use shutter doors made predominantly of steel. Again this type of door provides excellent security and also maximise the space of the work or storage place. Furthermore, there is added security in that a shutter has no jutting out parts like a swing door which could increase the chances of accidents.
Traditional
An innovation to the traditional hinge door is the folding door. The doors have what is referred to as leaves which can be doubled over or folded against another leaf. They do take up a little more space than a sliding door but have the benefit of different configurations.
If you do prefer traditional doors there are still advances that make the door better than what you could have gotten before. No longer are we restricted to plain wooden doors with maybe some glass windows incorporated in the panels. Now there’s almost an endless choice of different materials and types of construction for different types of door. There are now doors constructed of hollow metal and polystyrene and polyurethane. At the construction and fitting level, you have companies like https://www.altro.net.au/new-products-webapp/3d-concealed-hinge providing concealed hinges, increasing the overall quality and function of hinged doors.
Doors come from the simple idea of providing and restricting physical access to particular places. What’s fascinating is the myriad ways we have gone about creating different type of doors for different desires and needs.
