Door of the future

Dyre Magnus Vaa
B.Architectural Technology &
Construction Management
Mohammad J. Almutawa
B.Architecture
Dmitriy Maletskiy
MSc. Rocket & Missile Systems
Sema Aksu
B. Architecture
Kristjan Jagomann
BSc. Mechanical Engineering
Martina Grgić
BSc. Mechanical Engineering
Mart Kekišev
BA. Metal Art and Design
Introduction
In collaboration with Jeld Wen Estonia, we set out to develop the door
of the future. The concentration of the project is design research for
new possibilities and outcomes for industry partners, business idea
development and the new possible outcomes for technology develop-ment.
Based on the research results a new conceptual product solution
idea is developed and showcased as a working prototype.
Team
Supervisors
Martin Pärn
Estonian Academy of Arts
Ruth-Helene Melioranski
Tallinn University of Technology

FOCUS
06 Door as a communication tool
Scope of Research
07 Methodology
Tools and Avenues of Research
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
08 What is a Door?
Parts, Processes and Meanings
10 History and Culture
Anthropological and social view
12 Differentiation of Space
Public vs. Private
13 Interaction and User Habits
Connecting to People
17 Levels of Control
Incremental Change, Big Difference
18 Market Research
Understandings Users and Needs
20 Manufacturing, Materials and
Technology
Production Possibilities
FINDINGS
22 Conclusion
Interpretation of Results
& Summary of Findings
23 Future Development
The Next Step
RESOURCES
62 Appendix
Source Material and bibliography
RESEARCH

MOD
Modular Panel Door
27 Concept
28 Design
30 Context
32 Technical Solutions
33 Prototype
34 User Testing
35 Future Dev
DIVE
Multifunctional Folding Door
38 Concept
40 Development
42 Design
44 Prototype
46 Future Dev
PROJECTS
VEIL
50 Concept
52 Design
54 Context
56 Mechanics
57 Materials
58 Prototype
59 Future Dev Dynamic Curtain Wall

HOW CAN A DOOR BECOME
A COMMUNICATION TOOL? WE OBTAIN FROM A DOOR?
DOOR AS A
COMMUNICATION
TOOL
6 •
Through market research we aim to understand what is current-ly
available to users now and what messages doors are being
designed to convey, whilst also finding out what users want from
their doors and what things they seek to express.
Looking into production with respect to manufacturing, mate-rial
science and technology, we are able to find out what the
future communication possibilities are and how we can move
forward with utilizing the door as an effective and clear means
of communicating certain messages and relaying information.
with utilizing the door as an effective and clear means of com-municating
certain messages and relaying information.
OPEN. CLOSED. TRANSPARENT. LOCKED.
WHAT INFORMATION CAN
LIGHT. SOUND. TOUCH. COLOR. SHAPE.
Doors are used daily as a communication tool, whether it’s
through signage, color-coding, lights or simply by the state of
the door, whether it is open or closed, there is a message being
sent and information to be obtained.
We are focusing on how different messages could be sent in
different settings, in personal spaces and public place, as well as
how this information translates to user action and habits.
We’re interested in finding out more about the origins of a door
being used as a communication tool through an anthropological
and cultural precedence.
We seek to investigate the new ways one can control their
environment through a door, and how information can be con-trolled
on multiple levels. Be it privacy, security or openness and
friendliness.

Interviews
We set out to interview users to find
out more about their impressions and
thoughts on the topic. We were seeking
information about how users approached
4.
a door, what it meant to them, whether they were consciously
or subconsciously receiving or sending messages and also their
ideas on what a door could be, what the door of the future can
be and what they wanted to see from their own doors through
the customizations they make or wish to have.
This is valuable data to understand the market, and to generate
and develop new concepts that are accepted by users. The inter-views
help us confirm the basis of some ideas we’ve discovered
• 7
METHODOLOGY
The way in which we intend to
conduct our research
Data Scavenging
We intend to scavenge various resources
for information that is related to our
topic. Our primary resource would be
the Internet, starting off by looking for
1.
articles, topics, definitions and images of keywords that make up
our research. Within this approach, we are focused on quantity
of information, amassing a large shared database for our collec-tive
work.
We will then go through the collected information and start
categorizing it and grouping related information together comb-ing
through the entire database until everything cataloged and
sorted.
All through out the sorting process, information that is relevant
to our research is kept and anything irrelevant is removed from
the collection.
Our intention with this approach is to search and discover as
much as possible, in as little time as possible to build a shared
knowledge repository and familiarize ourselves with our topic
and what currently is out there.
and help us discover new ideas.
Literature Review
Throughout the data scavenging process,
we would have collected a large array of
articles and other published work rel-evant
to our research. We will go through
5.
the material, reading and understanding what the intention of
the work was, what others have found out and how that aligns
with what we set out to find.
From social studies to empirical research papers, the intention
of this method was to find out supported data, and evidence we
can use to substantiate our claims.
Mood-boarding
One of the ways we sorted the images we
gathered from the scavenging phase was
to create mood boards of certain topics
and work together to place images that
2.
convey and inspire the mood of certain key points.
The point of this method was to develop a feel for what the
topic is about, to see how others viewed a certain topic and set
a tone for the research. We set out to turn tacit knowledge into
shared knowledge.
Shadowing
Shadowing was an important research
method where we got to follow around
users and observe how certain doors
were being used and are being interacted
3.
with. We got to see real world situations where people would act
and do things naturally where they wouldn’t have to consciously
think. They were unaware of filming which means they didn’t
perform out of the ordinary.
We set out to notice patterns and occurrences that happen with
door by people and document them and see if there are any
issues that arise that need attention or habits that integrate that
have to be preserved.

Acquire
Materials
Manufacturer
Shape into
Components Assemble Store Shipping
Wood
Metal
Plastic
Milling
Sawing
Casting
Joining
Gluing
Screwing
Nailing
Welding
Distributor
Store Distribution
Networking Shipping
Warehousing Transporting Warehousing Contracts
Transporting
Relations
Connecting
Retailer
Store Marketing
and Sales
Warehousing Advertising
Pricing
Transactions
In-store
Delivery
+ Assembly
Transporting
Installing
Raw material Processing
Extraction Storing
Processing Shipping
Milling Warehousing
Transporting
Sawing
Casting
Logging
Mining
Research and Development
Research Idea / Opportunities Innovation
Feedback Prototype
Detail
Material
Manufacture
Testing
Further
development
Identify
Needs
Options
Investigate
Market
Interview
Questionaire
Concept
Prototype
Design Process
Design
Development
Detail
Material
Manufacture
Design
Documentation
Drawing
Bill of materials
Planning
Testing
Further
development
Identify
Needs
Options
Investigate
Market
Interview
Questionaire
Forest
Mine
Storage Pre-Production Storage
Components
Shop Storage
Assembly Shop
Construction Site
End WebShop
Market Production User 8 •
WHAT IS A DOOR?
A door is a simple architectural component. It is the face of a house, the beginning of
a room, a means of opening and closing a space, and a way of protection. It signals the
borderline between a public and private space, as well as gives control over the access
into the space.
Doors are a living architectural element, they’re dynamic and interactive. It is the part
the users touch regularly and use to convey and receive certain signals and messages
about the use of the space.
There are a set of systems of which a door is comprised off, each one carries a different
function. The physical separation of space through a door panel, movement through
hinges and slides, and locks to have control over access. Door also is a way to gain infor-mation
and communicate what is hidden behind the door or explain what is happening
is occurring behind it or clarify the mode of door in action.
“A gateway to new
possibilities, adven-tures,
and rooms.”

End User
New User
Recycling Centre
2nd Hand Shop
Repair
Recycle
Dissassemble
Remelt
Reuse
Repair
Resell
Incineration
Heat
Energy
Landll
Methane
CO2
• 9
Looking past a door being an object
in the exists in the present time, it is
overshadowed by the sheer amounts of
processes that precede and succeed it
overlapping each other. Raw materials
are cut down and extracted and shipped
to where they are processed and stored
until they are shipped once again to
where they are shaped to create compo-nents.
Components are brought together
and assembled based off designs and
ideas generated by designers, engineers
and marketers, all built on the needs of
end users.
People use doors everyday, multiple
times a day. Doors are integrated into
the routine and lives of people around
the globe, they are a necessity, and a
commodity. They are the means of which
users separate their space from others,
a way to feel secure and private, and a
vehicle in which they can control their
climate.
Doors also transcend the physical realm.
Doors don’t have to be tangible but are
a way to imply entry and acceptance,
opportunity and barriers. Doors are a
state of mind, they’re a passageway into
ideas, feelings, and perceptions. They’re a
threshold on what entrenched on what
one considers their self. Doors attribute
themselves to the start of journeys and
exist to serve a links to points in time
whether it is the past, present or future.
UNPACKNG
A DOORS INTO IT’S
VARIOUS
COMPONENTS, PROCESSES
AND MEANINGS.

HISTORY AND
CULTURE ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL VIEW
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
T
10 •
he earliest records are those represented in the
paintings of the Egyptian tombs, in which they
are shown as single or double doors, each in a
single piece of wood. The most ancient doors
were in timber, those made for King Solomon’s temple being in
olive wood, which were carved and overlaid with gold. The doors
dwelt upon in Homer would appear to have been cased in silver
or brass. Besides Olive wood, elm, cedar, oak and cypress were
used. A 5,000-year-old door has been found by archaeologists in
Switzerland.
All ancient doors were hung by pivots at the top and bottom of
the hanging stile which worked in sockets in the lintel and sill,
the latter being always in some hard stone such as basalt or
granite. The tenons of the gates at Balawat were sheathed with
bronze (now in the British Museum). Other sheathings of various
sizes in bronze have been found, which proves this to have been
the universal method adopted to protect the wood pivots. In the
Hauran in Syria, where timber is scarce the doors were made in
stone, and one measuring 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) by 2 ft 7 in (0.79 m)
is in the British Museum; the band on the meeting stile shows
that it was one of the leaves of a double door. At Kuffeir near
Bostra in Syria, Burckhardt found stone doors, 9 to 10 ft (3.0 m).
high, being the entrance doors of the town.
The ancient Greek and Roman doors were either single doors,
double doors, sliding doors or folding doors, in the last case the
leaves were hinged and folded back.
The Greek scholar Heron of Alexandria created the earliest
known automatic door in the 1st century AD during the era of
Roman Egypt. The first foot-sensor-activated automatic door
was made in China during the reign of Emperor Yang of Sui (r.
604–618), who had one installed for his royal library. The first
automatic gate operators were later created in 1206 by the
Arabic inventor, Al-Jazari.
Copper and its alloys were integral in medieval architecture. The
doors of the church of the Nativity at Bethlehem (6th century)
are covered with plates of bronze, cut out in patterns. Those
of Hagia Sophia at Constantinople, of the 8th and 9th century,
are wrought in bronze, and the west doors of the cathedral
of Aix-la-Chapelle (9th century), of similar manufacture, were
probably brought from Constantinople, as also some of those in
St. Marks, Venice. The bronze doors on the Aachen Cathedral in
Germany date back to about AD 800. Bronze baptistery doors at
the Cathedral of Florence were completed in 1423 by Ghiberti.
Of the 11th and 12th centuries there are numerous examples
of bronze doors, the earliest being one at Hildesheim,Germany
(1015). In all these cases the hanging stile had pivots at the top
and bottom. The exact period when the hinge was substituted
is not quite known, but the change apparently brought about
another method of strengthening and decorating doors, with
wrought-iron bands of infinite varieties of design. As a rule three
bands from which the ornamental work springs constitute the
hinges, which have rings outside the hanging stiles fitting on to
vertical tenons run into the masonry or wooden frame. There is
an early example of the 12th century in Lincoln; in France the
metalwork of the doors of Notre Dame at Paris is perhaps the
most beautiful in execution, but examples are endless through-out
France and England.
Returning to Italy, the most celebrated doors are those of the
Battistero di San Giovanni (Florence), which together with the
door frames are all in bronze, the borders of the latter being
perhaps the most remarkable: the modeling of the figures, birds
and foliage of the south doorway, by Andrea Pisano (1330).
In the Renaissance period the Italian doors are quite simple,
their architects trusting more to the doorways for effect; but in
France and Germany the contrary is the case, the doors being
elaborately carved, especially in the Louis XIV and Louis XV peri-ods,
and sometimes with architectural features such as columns
and entablatures with pediment and niches, the doorway being
in plain masonry.

• 11
MYTHS AND LEGENDS
Doors are as ancient as the human abode and so have become
part of our conscious and subconscious being. Throughout his-tory
and across cultures doors, doorways, portals, gates and
thresholds have been potent objects and symbols of supersti-tion,
rites and rituals, psychological change, transcendental and
religious experience. Doors occur metaphorically in our expres-sions
and recur in our dreams.
The door, physically and symbolically, involves a change of state.
At mundane level, a door means control over illumination, intru-sion,
acoustical disturbance, visual engagement, social interfer-ence
and movement of air and pollution and thermal emission.
At symbolic level a door offers hope, new life or fresh beginning,
isolation from the familiar, ventures into unknown, initiation into
mysteries, fear and expanded communications. At spiritual level
it provides an encounter with the supernatural, a communion
and unification with the creator. As Christ said, ‘I am the door,’
and ‘no one comes to the Father but through Me.’
Mystically, an open door represents good fortune, a new open-ing
in life, or a desire to open up the feelings. A revolving door
means a monotonous period ahead and a trap door predicts
shocking news, a door knob means unexpected good luck, hing-es
bring family problems. A locked door shows missed oppor-tunities,
denial of opportunities, or can represent ‘need to close
the door over the past’. A door opening outward may show that
one needs to be more accessible to others. However, an inward
opening door may represent the desire for inner exploration and
self-discovery. A front door is a normal entrance and a back door
a nominal one. A house with one door is a preferred abode. Evil
spirits enter the house from a back door.
GUARDIANS OF THE DOOR:
A door as an entrance needs protection so that evil spirits are
warded off it, and as an exit point good fortunes or luck does not
escape out of it. Doors have protective charms. The most com-
mon charm for the door is the horse shoe. Other objects include
olive branches, statuettes of gods, angels and saints. (For more
refer to Chapter: 4.3 Openings systems: Treatments).
Portals, doors and gates had inevitable protectors or guardians in
the form of real or horrible humans, beasts and monsters. These
figures ‘fawn on all who enter, but rend all who would pass
there again (after death)’. The creatures were such as: winged
genii in the form of bulls, scorpions, human-headed lions -the
sphinx, lions, Dwarpal, Yaksha. Other forms like Christ, Michael,
Gabriel, archangels, Ganesha, Hanuman, signs of the zodiac and
sculptures of the months. In India, China, Siam, Japan, the gates
are protected by Dwarpal, and presence of the Kshetrapal (the
guardian of the local territory) was also necessary.
China has many legendary door guardians. The guardians are
brave warriors. The pictures of door gods are hung in pairs,
facing each other, it is considered bad luck to place the figures
back-to-back.
Door guardians used for Buddhist temples are different from
those at Taoist temples. At Buddhist temples, the most com-monly
seen door gods are Wei Tuo and Chia Lan, two guardians
of the blessed state of enlightenment.
JANUS ROMAN GOD OF DOORS:
In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doors, door-ways,
beginnings and endings. Janus also represented the sun
and the moon. Janus is always associated with some form of
duality. Janus is depicted with two faces -looking in opposite
directions. Janus symbolized change and transitions.
Cardea is the goddess of thresholds and door-pivots (cardo
=door-pivot). She protected little children against the attacks of
vampire-witches. Her powers were ‘to open what is shut and to
shut what is open’.

D
12 •
DIFFERENTIATION OF
COMMUNICATING ACCESSIBILITY SPACE
PUBLIC DOORS
oors that are accessible to everyone in public we
have classified as public doors, these includes
ones in educational facilities, banks, shops,
churches, and in train stations and metros. They
can further be divided into groups of doors that are accessible
to absolutely everyone and doors that are still public but with
limited entry aim towards specific type of users. These doors
have to communicate with users to clarify which type they are
and whether they can be accessed or not at any given moment.
Openness of space can be conveyed through the door by the use
of clear material since openness is synonymous with transpar-ency.
Clear and welcoming signage is usually visible. In a lot of
case, motion sensors are present to open when passersby are
detected to attract them in and let them know they are welcome.
On the other hand, in situation with limited access, doors require
a code for entry or through an ID card. It is communicated by an
always closed door, blinking red light, and sometimes signage
that is visible to users to let them know that they need to per-form
a procedure to gain access. It is more of a friendly reminder
rather than an authoritative message. Some spaces let you know
they’re occupied by simply whether a lock is green or red such
as in the public restrooms, or by a high closing door so you can
see the feet of the occupant but still preserving their privacy.
PERSONAL DOORS
xclusive doors that belong to a certain user or a
group of user is considered to be personal doors.
These include doors to personal homes, gates
and personal vehicles. The doors have to commu-nicate
E
and indicate that they’re portals to private and personal
spaces. This is usually achieved by setting up barriers with mul-tiple
doors preceding each other, or constructed obstacles such
as a fence to bound a private space and let others know that
its a personal door. Other users that require entry have to ask
permission through knocking, knockers or a doorbell to notify
owner to let them in. Doors can be left open but still convey the
message that they’re the threshold of something personal and
not to cross the boundary until expressly invited in.
Personal doors can also reflect the owner’s personality and send
out information that the owner would like to personally express
through customization, color, material, shape and decorative
placements.
Users can divide their personal space with doors to differentiate
and separate spaces and functions and control flow within their
space. Doors are used to communicate with other who occupy
the same personal space as well as have a strong functional role
within the space.

• 13
INTERACTION
AND USER
HABITS DISCOVERING EMERGING
There are numerous research papers and articles concluding on
the action of using a door is highly subconscious for most of us.
It is not only the action of opening and closing the door which
is done without thinking about it, and why.
A article by the cognitive scientist Art Markman have looked
into why people do hold open doors for others. Some times this
might be because the person holding the door want to make
an impression on the person walking behind, while other times,
Markman conclude that this is done as an subconscious act. His
research show that when there is someone behind you, within
a certain distance, you will tend to hold the door open for this
person behind you. Markman assumes that this is a subconscious
act by the first person, to minimize the effort spent between the
two persons.
Markman’s research also shows that the person walking behind
is also contributing to sharing the effort with the person hold-ing
the door, the person behind will automatically speed up to
minimize the effort spent by the person holding the door.
Research was also done with more than two persons involved.
These tests showed that if there were more than one person
walking behind, these were easier to spot for the person in front
and he would hold the door for a longer time than he would
for just a single person. Interestingly though, when there is a
group of people walking behind, they do not tend to speed up
as much to minimize the effort spent by the person holding the
door. When one person is holding the door for a group behind,
to door holder’s effort is outweighed by the effort of the group
walking behind.
A research paper published in “international Journal of Design”
have done research on how people interpret automatic door
movements as gestures. They have done user tests where they
let a door do different gestures (like opening when people are
passing by, or are nearby) to see how people will percieve these
gestures.
PATTERNS AND BEHAVIOR
The research was done by fitting a door with such a system,
and test people walking towards or past the door. After pass-ing
through the test area, the persons was asked about firstly,
whether they noticed the gestures, and if the did, what they
interpret the door gestures.
In addition to doing the field tests, there was also done a video
prototype experiment. In this study the persons asked got more
time to think about their answers, and they gave more detailed
answers. The persons asked were shown videos of different
scenarios where a person was walking by, past and through the
gesturing door. The persons were then asked how they would
interpret and how they liked the gestures shown in the videos.
The results of the two studies shows that the core finding is that
people’s interpretations of door gestures are highly systematic
across several dimensions of door motion. Despite the novelty
of gesturing doors, untrained interactants “intuitively” read the
gestures in systematic ways. This suggests that people have a
common understanding of door interaction and interpret the
meaning of door gestures in similar ways.

OUTWARD OPENING DOOR
INWARD OPENING DOOR
SAVING A CLOSED DOOR
14 •
REACHING
OUT
FOOT ON
THRESHOLD
RELEASE
HANDLE
REACHING
OUT
PUSHING
DOOR WITH
2ND HAND
PLACING
FOOT
OUTSIDE
RELEASE
HANDLE
REACHING
OUT
PUSHING
DOOR
SHOULDER
FOOT
FOLLOWS
DOOR
PULL DOOR
BACK WITH
HANDLE
REACHING
OUT
EXTENDING
LEG
LEANING
BACK
HOLDING
ON TO
HANDLE
RELEASING
HANDLE
REACHING
OUT
LEANING
BACK
PLACING
FOOT
CLOSING
WITH
HAND ON
ON DOOR
PLATE
REACHING
OUT WITH
FOOT
STOP
DOOR
PULL PUSH
RELEASE
HANDLE
DOOR
CONTINUE
TO OPEN
In this scenario, where the door
open outwards, the users use some
form of pushing technique to open
the door. When looking closely at
the videos, we can see that there are
nobody using the same technique
for opening the door.
In this scenario, where the door
open inwards, the users use some
form of pulling technique to open
the door. When looking closely at
the videos, we can see that there are
nobody using the same technique
for opening the door.
In this scenario we looked at how
the test persons would change their
technique when approaching a door
that is about to close.

Although the user tests are rather crude, we still find quite a lot
about how one opens a traditional hinged door. We can see that
there are many similarities between all the users’ techniques.
The main similarities in the techniques is how all the users
reach for the handle, with the same hand, a couple of steps
before the door.
Another similarity is the footwork when turning the handle and
opening the door. In the process of turning the handle, the users
put their weight on the front foot while lifting their back foot of
the ground. The similarity in the footwork can also be seen when
the users open the door. When they push open the door, most of
the users let their back foot follow the opening door leaf, and
place the foot in the room they enter. When pulling open the
door, the footwork differs, about half the users enter through an
open door with their front foot first whilst the other half goes
in with their back foot.
There were several different hand techniques used when open-ing
the door in the test. The obvious similarity is that all the
users used one hand on the handle when opening the door. The
differences were that some users used two hands when opening
the door, either by both pushing and pulling (on a static surface)
in the push open scenario. Another observation was that in the
push open scenario there were two test users that used their
upper body to push open the door.
There were a several varying techniques in regards to how the
users let go of the door after opening it. Some of the users used
some extra force opening it, so that they could let go while the
door did the rest of the opening itself. Other users held on the
the handle, and also used it to close the door behind them. The
third technique was closing the door behind with a hand on the
door leaf.
To conclude our findings, we can see that opening a door is an
act which is executed subconsciously. The users do not think
about nor plan how they should move their body to get through
a door, but it is a set of unique habits each user has which result
in their style of opening and walking through a door.
• 15
OBSERVATIONS;
USER PATTERNS
AND
BEHAVIORS
he information obtained about the topic of user
interaction and habits when using a door, has
been found through literature research, shad-owing
of users as well as user tests on specific
T
types of doors. Throughout the research of this topic, we have
obtained knowledge about the different techniques users use
when they approach and open doors, theories about why users
hold open doors for others, how people interpret automatic door
movements, and how doors are used to communicate.
User interaction and user habits can be as specific and tangible
as a person opening a door with the door handle, and it can
also be how a person perceives and understands different doors.
Firstly we will look at how different users, use different tech-niques
to open the same door.
USER TESTING ON HINGED DOORS
The data for this phase of the research was collected by 4 dif-ferent
students going through the same door, in the way that
feels natural for them. The door is a wide hinged door between
a classroom and a corridor. The “user tests” were filmed at 100
frames per second to give us more detail in the movement of
the users.
In this part of the report, the
terms “front foot” and “back
foot” will be used to analyze
and explain the findings of
our user tests. The terms refer
to the position of the test
users feets when grabbing the
handle of the test door.
FINDINGS
DOORS IN TOWN: SHADOWING
As a part of researching the topics of user habits, users interac-tion
with doors as well as how doors are used as a communica-tion
tools, parts of the team went into Tallinn city to observe
how different doors were used. The observations were docu-mented
with video recording. The shadowing were done on bus
doors, a hinged shop door and a cafe with two hinged doors.

We did observe how people enter and exit the trolleybus both
from inside the bus and from outside. The observations from
inside the bus was done on trolleybus 3, and the observations
from outside the bus was done on the busy stop of Kaubamaja
where several of the trolleys stop.
Although bus doors are not the core of our project, the actions
used when using this kind of doors can be related to doors
relevant for our project. Because the bus doors are doors which
are highly trafficked in both directions at the same time, we can
find similarities with other doors like this. Examples of doors
with the same conditions can be doors in public buildings and
public places.
The main tendency we found was a problem of a large amount
entering and exiting at the same time. This led to clashes both
between people entering at the same time, and people exiting
with people entering the bus. In addition to this issue, we also
saw that several users not only used the door to enter and exit-ing
the bus, some also used it to hold on to. There were some
users holding on to the door while entering and exiting the bus,
and there were also some users holind on to the door while
riding the bus.
SHOP DOORS
16 •
One of the location where we did observe users was the main
entrance of the shopping mall “Kristiine”. The door is an auto-matically
operated sliding door with glass panes. During the
time we were there, there were a lot of traffic both in and out of
the mall. The main observation we did was that during the time
we were filming, the doors only fully closed ones, and it stayed
closed for only 2 seconds.
The fact that the doors were open at all time, seemed to prevent
us from getting any good observations of users interaction with
the doors. The one observation we could see of user interaction
was when the doors were closed, or about to close. In these
cases we could see the users slowing down for a couple of
steps, until they could see the door reacting to their presence,
and open.
TROLLEYBUS
SHOPPING MALL
CLASH/CRASH
HOLDING ON
TO DOOR
As a part of our research we went in to the Tallinn Old Town and
observed how doors for different shops and cafè’s were used. We
looked at how the shops used their doors to communicate with
the people walking past on the street.
The most obvious and standard way of communication we saw,
was the usual signs which tells you whether the shop is closed
or open, as well as giving you information about opening hours.
We saw several versions of these signs and writings, and even
some doors with several “open signs”.
Some doors we looked at did also communicate with bypass-ing
persons by being open or closed. Some shops had their
door wide open, communicating clearly that you as a customer
are welcome to enter. Of these open doors, some shops had an
extra door you had to open in order to enter. We did also see
doors that were half way open, something we did also perceive
as a clear invitation to enter. With the closed doors, there was
other variables that decided whether we felt welcomed or not.
However, with a nice looking and welcoming shop window and
door, we felt as welcome as if the door would have communi-cated
this by being open.

TEMPORARY
WINDOW
MERGING
SEMI-PRIVATE BOUNDARIES
SEMI-OPEN SEMI-OPEN
LEVELS OF
CONTROL
• 17
CLOSED
SECURE
TRANSLUCENT
ALLOW
LIGHT
AND AIR
TRANSPARENT
OPEN
PRIVATE
UNSECURE
SECURE
SAFE UNPRIVATE ACCESSIBLE
INCREMENTAL CHANGES

MARKET
RESEARCH
UNDERSTANDING THE USERS AND
MARKETING LANDSCAPE
18 •
GENERAL MARKET APPROACH
he market for doors are largely dependent on
building construction market, both new and
repair. Being dependent on construction sector,
the sales can vary or increase sharply in an event
T
of a country, for example the olympic games (olympic village),
fifa world cup.
- Emphasis on environmental and energy ratings, safety and
climatic conditions creating new approaches to door manufac-turing
trends.
- Wood is undoubtedly the most common used material in door
industry, aluminium has a sizeable percentage in the market.
Being completely recyclable makes aluminium gain popularity
as a sustainable, economical option. Anodization is chosen in the
market for lifespan of the aluminium components.
- Asia Pacific (China, India and Indonesia) represented the larg-est
market in the door industry, followed by North America and
Europe.
- Despite apprehension regarding the fragile economy, window
and door industry executives anticipate increased sales in the
coming year. Industry trends and outside influences for the sec-tor
are;
- Fragile economic backdrop
- Changes in material prices
- Energy efficiency and improved product
- Labor issues (qualified)
- Unemployment
The annual survey for door and window industry ‘’2014 Industry
Pulse Survey’’ is shown with the charts below where respondents
are both window, door dealers and manufacturers. The questions
are to define impacts of industry trends and social factors.

• 19
TRENDS
The design of the door can not be separately thought as a differ-ent
element of the space. The surroundings of the door affects
the design of the product. It is way more important what kind
of connection / separation that door offers. For instance, kitchen
doors need to be considered as in a public, private use where
the design is quite different. The public kitchen doors are mostly
known as industrial solution, and have an obligation to control
certain level of connection between eating space. The private
usage on the other hand considered is the major touch point
inside the house. It is mostly desired as non-space occupant, not
to having it is a considerable option between users. Having the
interaction between most of the spaces as well as outside envi-ronment
makes it more openly. ‘’I keep it mostly opened - door
is closed only in case i have burnt some food badly but it does
not happen often.’’
Customization of doors gives the information for the users per-sonality,
habits, socio-cultural preferences, purpose of the space
behind. ‘’Doors alone can not be anything to represent what is
lied beyond.’’
The market needs to create a variable selection for users need,
desire, choices. It needs to be considered that even a hidden
door - room is expected from the market. As well as high secure
doors for banks, prisons and so on. There is user preference
selection from personal or manufacturers point of view.
User targeting is generally not depending on who is the user
rather than how user need to interact with the door. There are
user oriented design in the market but most common answer for
different user group is solved by arranging the dimensions of a
universal door or solution with the door handle.
Examples of handles and door hardware that can be used with-out
tight grasping, pinching, or twisting.
For different demands from the market, we have conducted a
research about existing and concept projects.
In the first step we checked for market, it was impossible not to
notice Austrian artist Klemens Torggler design ‘Evolution Door’
as an origami style work, which is told as door to the future.
Customizable doors selection we can serve some examples like
aDore door designed by Patrick Decker and Florian Langer which
is composed by layers of modular plates to use as multi-purpose
aim.
Design of door for Sapeli by Lucie Smyslova is also another cus-tomizable
option in concept phase for the future doors.
There is also a trend on different pivot solutions for opening
system, generally for more larger doors, door in door solutions,
two way opening doors.
For final example, it is described as our survey answers ‘’more
than a door’’, the transformer apartment by Vlad Mishin. Used
wall-door separations to create surfaces between spaces. Even
to hide the kitchen when it is not used, and do this in a very
desirable way.

MANUFACTURING,
MATERIALS AND
TECHNOLOGY PRODUCTION POSSBILITIES
EXISTING STANDARDS The average price is a little more than the 24-gauge doors, but
I
20 •
n today’s door market, there are many options
for choosing the proper materials. Most popular
materials are wood, fiberglass and steel. Usually
the type of opening depends of the mate-rial
choice. The biggest difference between materials is not the
material but aesthetic. Wooden doors are usually made with a
thin piece of plywood or laminate on either side with a thicker
piece of hardboard behind it. The core is usually made of poly-urethane
and is designed to insulate. Real wood won’t be free of
maintenance and they will need to be refinished.
Second type of wood doors are solid wood doors which are
completely made out of wood and they shouldn’t be confused
with solid wood core doors. Solid wood doors are the heaviest
and most secure doors. They will resist most major shifting and
expanding but they will need to be kept up annually. The major
disadvantage to a solid wood door is of course the price and they
are the most expensive door one can buy. Great energy-efficient
alternative doors are the steel/wood hybrid doors where the
exterior of the door is made with steel. Wood is generally the
most expensive door of all.
When talking about steel, the most important thing to concern is
the gauge, where the higher the number, the thinner the steel is.
Example for inexpensive doors are 24-gauge steel doors which
are ultra thin and a good temporary solution. These doors bend
and flex easily and only good thing left is insulation behind it.
The flexing causes the removal of the paint which leaves the
steel unprotected and ready to rust.
22-gauge steel doors are made of thicker steel that doesn’t bend
or flex as easy as a 24-gauge and it holds paint extremely well.
the difference in quality is huge. Thicker gauges of steel are also
available, but these are primarily for the commercial or security
markets.
A relatively new material in doors today is fiberglass. Typical
for fiberglass is low maintenance, resists scratching and is very
strong and secure. Quality is good, as it was the situation with
wood doors. Cheap fiberglass may crack and fall apart. If looking
for cheap doors, the inexpensive steel ones should be considered
first. Fiberglass doesn’t need to be finished to be considered low
maintenance. Important thing to note in fiberglass doors is the
quality of their wood grain.
Fire doors refer to fire barriers and prevent from fire spreading
during the time, which is regulated by normative requirements
and safety conditions. Unlike usual doors, fire doors can prevent
from fire spreading for a longer period of time. Typical fire doors
are made out metal. Door leaf is covered with sheet metal. The
inner core is made out of polystyrene (used where thermal bar-rier
characteristics are required), or honey comb (it is standard
for hollow metal doors industry and it is durable, lightweight),
steel stiffened door (for additional strength).
Providing extremely hygienic and cleanable surfaces which
are highly durable, fiberglass, hygienic PVC or laminate surface
finishes are ideally suited for locations such as hospitals or
laboratories. Smooth and seamless construction means that
bacteria cannot build up on ledges. The door leaf is made of
fiberglass, reinforced polyester and is effectively insulated with
polyurethane. Door is not only hard-wearing but also hygienic
and easy to keep clean.

• 21
OFFBEAT POSSIBILITIES
Liquid Wood
A new form of industrial production, liquid wood, built from
organic materials like bamboo, flex, hemp, jute and rattan. It
looks, feels like wood and is made of wood, but it shifts shape
like plastic.
A type of resin is created from discarded wood-pulp of the
aforementioned plants, natural fibers and fish oils; the murky
mixture is compressed, heated and ultimately fused together in
a durable, strong and toxin-free alternative to petroleum-gen-erated
products. Under heat and pressure, the resulting viscous
substance can be used for injection-molding furniture pieces
with all the flexibility-but-rigidity of traditional plastics. The
products are recyclable and no toxic agents are fed into the mix.
Color Changing Material
Photochromic materials in response to sunlight have the pos-sibility
to change colours. Usually they are colourless when the
surrounding is dark and when sunlight or ultraviolet radiation
is applied molecular structure of the material changes and it
exhibits colour. When the relevant light source is removed, the
colours disappear.
Example is Rainbow Winters Petal Dress, which is printed with
the photochromic ink. It is inspired by the colour transformations
of the rainforest, the dress changes, under UV light to purple on
the outside.
Flexible LED Light Strips
LEDs have become really versatile and flexible and the ones less
than a millimeter thick are the ultimate in LED lighting innova-tion.
With LightForm, you can cut any length, shape and size.
Unlike rope lighting LEDs, you can cover a surface rather than
just creating a line of light – from interior and exterior walls to
furniture and mobile objects. Colours available are red, yellow,
orange, green, purple and white.
Magic Glass
This type of door has two outer layers made of conventional
glazing. Between the layers is a liquid crystal polymer mem-brane
that can be activated by remote control or turned on and
off through conventional light switches. The same surface can
serve as a window or privacy screen and projection surface. This
hybrid glazing comes in panels making them potentially appli-cable
in large-scale as well as smaller room-to-room doors and
dividers. This design is made by Russian door makers of Mauer
Buro.

22 •
FINDINGS
ANALYSIS AND CONCLUSION
Demands of users, whether it is a public place or private, creates
a type, design choice in the market. And market responses this as
division of production selection, for example security solutions
as fire escape doors, industrial doors, hygienic doors, mechanical
or engineering solutions. The main expectation from the future
is that doors needs to be environmental friendly, sustainable,
smart and customizable.
In the research on users interaction with doors and user habits
we found that because doors are such a natural part of our
everyday life, our interaction and use of doors are done highly
subconsciously. We open doors, hold doors open for others, inter-pret
doors and doors movements without thinking about it. Our
research also shows that we do these things in relatively similar
and systematic ways, although the user tests shows that we
have our own personal techniques when we use doors. From our
observations done in the Old Town of Tallinn we could also see
how doors can be, and are being used as communication tools
by shops, cafè’s and restaurants.
Whilst analysing the level of controls, it became apparently
clear that doors are designed in a way for the most part, their
properties are static, well except for the obvious fact that
they open and close to let the user through. Door seem to be
designed to be either secure or unsecure, private or non-private
but there doesn’t seem to be much doors that take incremental
change into consideration. They tend to be at a polar extreme
of their usability, either on or off. Users tend to prop up doors
a certain way to keep them half open even though doors aren’t
really designed to be put that way. In terms of communication,
on and off approach to usability is fine to convey sharp concise
messages but with a variable degree of micro adjustments and
stages, the door would be able to communicate so much more
with more accuracy and fidelity to the users original intended
message.
Research of existing door materials showed that the most
commonly materials in door production are wood, steel and
fiberglass. These options are of course not the only ones. Doors
can be made of aluminium, glass, vinyl or uPVC (unplasticized
polyvinyl chloride) and a lot of other materials which are still in
research. It is difficult to say what material is the best for doors
because it depends on the price one would like to spend. If the
future materials are going to be researched more, the prices
will become lower and doors will become completely redefined.
With the various new manufacturing processes and technologies
currently available such as smart materials that change color or
opacity and the ease of integration of circuits and electronics,
doors can be more than just a panel on a pivot but in fact so
much more.

ACCESS LEVELS INFORMATIVE
• 23
FURTHER
DEVELOPMENT
VISION FOR THE FUTURE
Access: A direction to
develop a new method to use and
open a door, keeping in mind the
ease of use for the handicapped,
and people with their hands full.
Levels: Developing a door
that isn’t designed only to be open
and closed but have multiple levels
of openness and control, to give
user full command over privacy,
security, and space.
Informative: A door that
can send specific messages or cer-tain
information depending on the
situation; example: clinic door, that
tells you when your turn is up or
a fire door that changes color for
weather its safe to access or not.

MODULAR
PANEL
DOOR
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. MOD
• 25
SEMA AKSU
MART KEKIŠEV
DMITRIY MALETSKIY
DYRE VAA
MOHAMMAD ALMUTAWA
KRISTJAN JAGOMANN
MARTINA GRGIĆ

• 27
Nowadays, we live in a nonstop change world. In that world, peo-ple
change in accordance with the environment and this situa-tion
also influences their preferences. Most people update their
preferences in a harmony with the modern world. We can see
that modernist changes in our daily lives. The space that we live
in is getting more compact and smaller day by day. Communities
are shaped as ‘living and working single life’ profile.
It is easy to see how some objects which were seen just as a
material in the old times has become a part of the modern life
with some simple changes. Doors are one of those objects which
have been influenced by the new fashions. The changes mostly
depends on size, material, colour, texture decided by designers,
producers in the market. Combination of the described elements
is mostly custom design and costs more than a regular product.
Only with those combinations doors have gain some identity
rather than to be just single element. They have started to mirror
the owner’s preferences, needs and interests.
INSPIRATION
PANELS+DOOR
We decided to create something that can be customizable
and sustainable throghout time as the needs and environ-ment
changes, door evolves with it. Asked ourselves what if
door imade with panels in a frame that can bee choosed and
designed from different combinations of material, functions,
merged together to create something unique. Therefore dig in
more deep through our research and gather inspiration from
structures of natural and crafted forms and patterns, history and
cultural backgrounds; not just as doors but in various design
platforms
The general approach is created from the door itself, but it’s
structural unit, honeycomb sandwich panels. Enlarging the sup-porters
.
VARIATIONS, PROCESS
Throughout this research we would like to achive is to be
able to create different shapes, materials, functions as frames,
panels and shelves to create alternative solutions for the
space inneed. Not just panel - frame solutions but as hang-ers
that ou can attach in slice machanism n the door. Or as
block which can be attached n rubber protected hole points
CONCEPT
PERMEABILITY ADAPTABILITY

TRANSFORMATION
There is never
enough space.
Limited
choice.
Time-
Restrained

DESIGN
IDEA
In our project, we ensure customers to create their own ideal
door in the way which they want to use it. But here, we faced a
problem which is even though customers create their own doors
with their own prospects; there is always a high possibility for
the customer to get bored from that door after a while. This
possibility led us to think about something which would be both
customizable and sustainable. With that, we aimed to change
the way which the door used in accordance with the time and
environmental changes. So, the door should be evolving itself.
With the light of that aim, we decided to create the door with
some panels and shelves in a frame that can be chosen from
different combinations of materials or different functions. With
the help of those which would be merged to the door, we would
serve customers an opportunity to differentiate their doors as
they wish. So, these panels would be useful to change and create
a new appearance and need for doors. With that shelf solution,
the customer would have different usage of their doors. And it
would create a different prospect and different appearance for
the door. These shelves can also be used for different aims. For
example, in the kitchen door, these shelves create some spaces
for recipe books or for some decorative images like flowers or a
place to put herbs and spices. Another example for the shelves
can be seen in the bathroom doors. In the bathroom door,
shelves would be used to put towels, or extra toilet papers which
would make the bathrooms a more organized places. So, as we
can see, panels and shelves which would be added to the doors
would be effective in some different means.
We can say that, with the effects of the modernism which have
occurred in these last years, the images of the doors have also
changed in people’s mind. Now, they are more than just a mate-rial.
28 •
They can be reflected by the characteristic of the owner;
they can be reflected by the changing expectations from the
life. Since the human being is not something which has a stabil-ity,
whenever people changes, the doors will be changed also
in accordance with the new preferences of the people. So, with
our door project, we would like to give customers the chance to
create their own doors with their own wishes. With the panel-door
combination and with the shelf system which we used to
increase the effectively on doors, customers will have the ability
to have just one door with some different usage styles. They will
see the advantage of having a modern door with the environ-mental
changes which time brings and day by day they will enjoy
decorating their doors as they wish to have it.
DEVELOPMENT
Depending on our idea we have produced several real scale
dimensional shelf, panel to test the requirements of the project.
Several functions added to prototypes and documented. User
groups are investigated to create a pattern in user behaviour.
Spaces which desribes the functions are examined such as
kitchen, bathroom, apartment entrance also user behaviours in
these spesific places.
Technical details are also considered development process, it
will explained more in detail in technical information part.
To make sure that door elements can work we have conducted
many tests on partial scale of the object to see the need of
dimension and capabilities of the frame. The idea is not about
the shape of creating holes in honeycomb shape to be used as
shelves but to create a frame to be shaped as whatever material,
purpose or form to create a custom door.

• 29
SHELVES
PANELS
FRAME

• 31
INFINITE
POSSIBILITIES

Frame of the concept is the structure for the whole product.
Therefore the structural materials as wood, metal profiles needs
to be installed in this element. The edges of the frame need
to be sweeped by the structural material and strengened from
the corners. Surface and the constructional materials should be
attached each other both glue and screwing systems. The mate-rial
32 •
on the both surface needs to be a sustainable,light, long
lasting material such as MDF, Masonite board, veneer or OSB.
This material needs to be covered with paint or the finishing
must be very good.
Panels of the door is the key element to shape the door accord-ing
to the preferences. It is the same tickness with the frame
itself to provide a solid appereance. Both panels and shelves
are stabilized wiht magnets in the frames of the door structure.
Material and the purpose of the panel is desribed from the con-sumer
himself.
The shelves needs to be more solid then the panels because of
the force ia been applied to it. It can be flexible one piece mate-rial
or two piece of material. It is not recommended to create
mulitple layer-cornered element. The material of the elemenet
can vary for the company strategy, or theconsumers personal
choice.
There is a certain issue to keep the objects in the shelves, a
rope system that can be formed in different crossing. The detail
should be examined and try to be improved in future design pf
the concept.
Door hanlde of the project is also vital to not to block the
operation system of concept. So it is suggested to achive a thin
horizontal handle like we did in prototyping and use panels not
frames around it’s oppening circle, or have diagonal handles
mostly used in hospital or massive use areas such as conferance
halls, sport arenas.
One other option is to have triangle shape car handle type of
solution
FRAME
SHELVES
PANELS
DOOR HANDLE
TECHNICAL
SOLUTIONS

• 33
PROTOTYPE
CONSTRUCTION
Depanding on our concept it is crutial to pick up the right mate-rials
and tools to use for own prototyping methods. We selected
3.2 mm masonite hardboard panel as surface layers, conducted
a CNC cut with dwg drawings to acquire the right angle and
dimensions. Since there has been 22 holes each in both layers,
fit perfectly with each other inneed, it is the best option. There
has been different difficulties to keep cutted pieces on board,
machine sweeps it and cuts it on its way to the other hole
cut. This part could be improved by the technician or by using
another method to make the cuts.
The structure between 2 panels is strengthenered with wood
profiles sweep edges and supported from corners. PVA glue is
used in joining to elements; structural frame and the surface.
The thickness between holes is covered from cardboards, also
shaped as honeycombs diagonally which is strongly supportive.
Also the other surface panel of the door is carefully attached
with spray glue, PVA.
Panels and shelves are produced from the masonite board
cut out part from CNC, supported by cardboards on edges. For
shelves, used one plate, for plated it is used double sided plates
to gain a more solid surface. The panels and shelves are sup-posed
to attached the frame with magnet solution but with the
lack of time management and communication skills the ordered
materials is not achived. These kind of point also helps us to
comprehend the situation that we are dealing with.
The door frame is painted with RAL 9005; mat black, panels and
frames are differentiated with several materials that we could
achive. The variations is not just as colour or texture but also for
different functions.
The structural coloumns are made from wood profiles, screwed
and attached to the exibition frame. Then the hinges height
is calculated according to door frame weight capability and
attached both in door and structure. Door handle is attached
on it’s place and the panels and shelves are replaced randomly.

USER
TESTING
EXPERIENCE
First experience and the most valuable one for our concept is to
give the joy to user to scrambble the elements to be used in the
project. The pattern created by the user is appereantly different
from each other. For myself instance my height is a key element
for me not to choose shelves in upper frame, the other has a
passion to use transparent one in the frame, meanwhile another
keeps empty in several frame parts then ultimately creates an
idea on mind to use it with foot when they had to use the door
fully hand with stuff.
When the frame is completed with elements, the user have
an urge to look from a distance and decide whether this pat-tern
34 •
is enjoable for them and serve their functions. Even in the
settlement part of the elements choice vary from one person to
another ‘‘not this way, not this one’’. So any inconviences, divorces
and break-ups caused by our design is not meant to and we do
not accept the responsibility.
We clearly see that the magnet solution is neccessary to cre-ate
stable door. With the force that applied to door creates the
detachment of the elements from the frame.

• 35
FUTURE DEV
IMPROVEMENTS
SCALE
A real scale, partial prototyping describes what kind of potential
use can be in the concept. As dimensional constrains got into
a level that is not promising, whole structure settled again to
gain more advantageous dimension. So it is shaped in current
situation.
Concept can be used in several places therfore several dimen-sions,
the parts dimensions should be fixed to serve the
exchange - ability. The further developments can decide two or
three options as sclae to be used in the concept.
DETAILING
Keeping the objects in the shelves and panels in the frame
needed to be considered as user experience researching.
The offered magnet solution needs to be examined to
provide more accurate detail. The materials or functions
which is preffered most fromcan be settled as populer
items in the marketting department.
The holding or gripping mechanism of the panels needed
to be considered in further developments. Shelves control
is easier from the edges of the element, but panels are at
the same surface with door frame which makes it more
hard to grab from the surface.
POTENTIAL
SUSTAINABLE, CREATIVE, SOCIAL, INTERACTIVE
Adaptibility of the concept will create a community about
exchanging the material, ideas, solutions for the panels and
shelves. It can either be through the company sales department
or online sales services. Both ways are creating a branding strat-egy
for the company.
It has a potential for material, technology, technical develop-ments.
The potential is infinite throughout time.
Competitions can be made for ideas and solutions to keep
project up to date, also provide as a situmulator in consumers
purchasing behaviour.

MULTI-FUNCTION
DOOR
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. DIVE
DYRE VAA
DMITRIY MALETSKIY
MART KEKIŠEV
SEMA AKSU
MOHAMMAD ALMUTAWA
KRISTJAN JAGOMANN
MARTINA GRGIĆ
• 37

CONCEPT
In the early stages of this project we explored alternative ways
of using doors. Our process began with exploring different ways
of opening, walking through and using doors. Further on we
looked at what functions we can add to a door, to make it useful
both when it is open and closed.
We started our concept generation looking at our findings in the
research. Our focus was on the finding that people are unaware
of doors, and mainly use them subconsciously. We started to
work out simple concepts, trying to find a way to make doors
more than what it is today, and by that make users aware of
doors. Our findings showed that people walk through, use and
interpret doors without thinking about it. The reason for this
must be that most doors are the same and therefor the motion
of walking through a door is more of a habit than a thought out
action.
Based on this, we started to generate cardboard mock-ups of dif-ferent
38 •
possible ways of opening doors, with the aim of making
doors into something the users would be aware of, and appreci-ate.
We focused on different opening methods based on user
testing done in our research phase were we filmed ourselves
walking through doors, and analysed the footage to get a bet-ter
understanding of how we actually interact with doors. We
tried out concepts where the foot was used to open the door,
opposed to the traditional hand opening of doors amongst other
methods.
New ways of how a door moves and opens was also explored
in the early stages. With the different opening motions we tried
displacing the pivot point of the doors on its normal axis, as
well as moving the pivot point of the door onto other axis’. We
did also try replacing the door panel with multiple panels with
different pivot points.
These early concepts explored many interesting and new ways
of thinking about and defining doors. This concept generation
was done to try distancing from the traditional door to enable
us to see new possibilities for what a door can be. We did this
by doing a simplified definition of the function of a door, and
then trying to give those functions with a different looking
and functioning element. We defined doors as an architectural
element that lets you control your environment. Doors control
your privacy by visual, sound and smell privacy as well as they
control the climate like temperature, wind, sunlight and rain in
your environment. We wanted to generate doors different form
the traditional door, which could still provide the same control
and function of the traditional door.
The most interesting concepts we generated in this early phase
was when we started to open doors in three dimensions. The
possibilities with a 3rd dimensions was definitely greater than
PROCESS
OUTCOMES
OPENING
MULTIFUNCTION

• 39
with the two dimensions of a traditional door. We saw the poten-tial
of opening doors in three dimensions as a very interesting
user experience. As well as finding this as a much more interest-ing
way of opening doors, we saw with one of our first 3D doors,
that there were possibilities of transforming the door into new
objects when we added the 3rd dimention.
With the idea of a door that transforms into other objects, we
were also touching another finding from our research; doors do
only function when they are closed. That mean that doors are
only designed to be closed, and do not have any intended func-tion
in its open state. However, in our research we found that
doors do have a psychological function when they are open, peo-ple
are using doors as a communication tool by having it open to
certain extends. By transforming the door into something useful
in the open state, we could make doors useful when they are
open, beyond the function of being a communication tool.

DEVELOPMENT
From the concepts we generated in the early stages of the proj-ect,
40 •
we found the transforming 3D door as the most interesting
concept to develop further. This concept would give a whole new
experience for the users, and the users would not only be those
walking through the door, as there will be an added dimension
of use to the door as a seating. The existing concept we had gen-erated
consisted of a double door, opening in the usual manner,
before the doorplates folds down to form a horizontal plane as
either a bench or a table.
To ensure that we did not miss anything, we continued the
development by looking at other objects the door could
«become» when it is open. We did also look at objects or pieces
of furniture, and tried to find what kind of objects could serve
the functions of a closed door, but we kept coming back to the
bench/table as the most plausible solution.
The next step led us into thinking about in what kind of context
and location this kind of transforming door could be used. We
started out with the aim of fitting this transforming door into
private houses, one of the issues we found with this transform-ing
door is that the process of opening and closing the door is
made more complex than traditional when we add the extra
dimension. The conflict is that doors are regularly closed and
opened, something that could interfere with the use of the
object it transforms into. We decided that the most appropriate
location for this door will have to be where doors are usually
held open over a longer period of time. Locations and appro-priate
places of use that came to our mind first were bars and
cafes. These kinds of places usually open there doors when they
open in the morning, and keep them open until they close in the
evening. They usually use their open doors as a way of communi-cating
with potential customers, and make people feel welcome.
Furthermore, they do often tend to have outdoor serving, or at
least a bench for smoking outside their entrance.
DOUBLE DOOR

IDEAS
• 41
We had decided where this door could be used, and we had
decided what function we wanted it to serve. The develop-ment
went further with exploring ways of opening and ways of
“transforming” the door. We tried out different approaches; most
of them had similar mechanical solution to the early concepts,
where the whole door panel folds down to form the horizontal
plane. We saw some issues with these concepts, as they could
be very advanced mechanically. We did also see that the size of
a door panel, almost despite dimensions, would be very big for
a bench.
To look for new possibilities, we looked at standard measure-ments
for single doors, as well as standard measurements for
benches such as the traditional picnic table. With these numbers
we saw that the designs we had been working on up to this
point had been very oversized to be benches. We found that even
the smallest standard dimensions of a single door would be a
fitting size for both a table and a bench in the width of a door
panel. On the basis of this we started exploring some new ways
of transforming the door, where one door panel formed both a
bench and a table in the doors open state.
We generated several ideas for how the door should transform
from being an open door into the pieces of furniture when the
door was open, but we felt that most of these were too advanced
for what we were looking for. We wanted the transformation to
be done with little effort and in a single motion.
The main issue we had with most of our concepts was the
mechanically challenging solution of the door detaching from
its upper hinge as it formed the bench. Also, with the door
detaching from the upper hinge, all the stress from the weight of
the bench would be taken up by the bottom hinge. To solve this
we tried out some different supporting legs for the benches, but
we still felt that the detaching top hinge complicated a simple
design too much. The method we found for simplifying the
opening motion was to leave the door hanging on the hinges
in the open state. With the door hanging like a traditional door,
we created panels in the door panel that could fold out, to form
the furniture.
INSPIRATION

DESIGN
Our final design is a multifunctional door called Dive. Dive
functions like all other doors when it is closed, keeping
people, noise and the weather out. When Dive is open
however, in addition to make people feel welcome and
invite them into your space, Dive can give a whole new
experience of seating in your café, bar, restaurant or in
your own backyard.
42 •
Based on the concept of Dive, there are numerous possi-bilities
of use. Dive can be tailored to fit any door dimen-sion.
The possibilities are also more than the transforma-tion
to a bench and a table; based on the same concept,
there can be made racks for displaying of goods in shops
or for serving food and drinks when you are arranging
your garden party, or for whatever you could imagine
using Dive for.
Dive takes a open door that has no intended function,
and gives you a new piece of furniture with a set of new
posibilites.

• 43
PERSONAL
FUNCTIONALITY
SOCIALIZING
VERSATILITY

PROTOTYPE
PROCESS
The materials and mechanical solutions for NAME have
not been specified during the design process, therefor
the prototype have been built to show the functions and
usability of the product rather than showing the aesthet-ics
of the final product. The prototype was built out of a
wooden framework cladded with wooden oriented strand-boards
44 •
(OSB). There were wmade two holes in the main
frame to leave space for the bench and table it would
hold. For the underside of the bench and table, there is
cut out slits in the frame and plate to allow the legs to
stay inside the door when it is closed. This makes the
legs flush with the door surface when they are not folded
down, and the only thing sticking out of the construction
is the handles you need to open the door and fold out the
bench and table.
The door, bench and table are built on separate wooden
frames and are connected with hinges. The wooden frame
in the bench and table provides strength, and enables
them to hold the weight of users without bending too
much to make the seating uncomfortable. The OSB pro-vide
stiffness to the structure and makes the door more
rigid. The bench is fitted with two sets of legs, as this is
the panel that will have to carry the most weight, the
table has one set of leg, which should be sufficient for the
expected loads on the table.
After combining the parts into the final product, the door
was sanded and coated with lacquer. The prototype does
not represent the surface looks of what the finished prod-uct
will have, but it is giving the opportunity for users to
test the door by opening and closing it, as well as using
the bench and table.

• 45
TESTING
When the prototype was finished and surface treated, we fitted
the door into the metal fram provided by JeldWen. With the door
in place we started testing by opening and closing the door,
opening and closing the bench and table panels, as well as test-ing
its strength by testing out the seating.
TESTING RESULTS
We were very happy with how well our prototype worked, and
how well it matched with our intetion. However, the testing did
also confirm our guesses about possible problem areas of the
door. From when we started planning the prototype production,
we were worried about two specific areas of the door when it is
in use. The first issue we identified was the unfolding of the legs
of the benche. One set of legs on the bench does have a handle
and will therefor be fully unfolded by the opening motion. The
set of legs without a handle however, do not fold naturally out
into a secure position. The other two sets of legs do fold out
fully, but they do not have any solution for how to hold them in
a secure position.
Our second issue was keeping a secure position for the door
plate itself. When the door was open, and the panels unfolded,
the door could still move on the pivot point of its hinges which
could make the seating unsafe, as this motion could move the
legs out of its safe position. There was also an issue with sitting
close to the hinge of the bench, if the surface under the bench
is not leveled, there would be put stress on the hinges of the
bench, which is not preferable.
SITTING
OPENING

FUTURE DEV
To go further with the development of Dive, the focus
would have to be aimed more towards the technical
aspects of the door than what it have been in this design
process. At this stage there have not been done any
decision about materials for the construction, locking
mechanisms or the specific mechanical solution for the
transformation from door to furniture.
The materials would most likely be somewhat similar to
existing doors, as this door also needs to have the same
technical properties as a normal door. In addition to have
the properties of a traditional door, Dive would also need
to have enough strength to serve the purpose of the fur-niture
46 •
it transforms into.
An important issue that will have to be solved with NAME
is the locking mechanisms. Because the panels folds out
of the door, Dive does actually have two doors inside the
door that also needs to be locked for the door to be as
safe as a conventional door. To make sure that Dive is not
any more complicated to use than a normal door, the lock-ing
of the panels should be linked to the main lock to do
the unlocking of the door and the panels in one action. A
tailored locking system would be needed for Dive to make
the use of the door as simple and intuitive as possible.
The mechanical solution for the transformation from door
to furniture will also have to be worked out to make sure
Dive is as easy in use as intended. The opening of the
bench or the table should be possible by a single motion.
With the opening of the bench and table comes also the
folding out of the supporting legs, in the state they are
in the prototype they do not fold out as intended, and
they are not secured in a safe position while in use. The
opening mechanism of the panels and the supporting legs
should be done so that opening is easy and safe and the
use of the seating should be safe for the users.
We see the possibility of working out good solutions for
all these areas of development as fully manageable.

DYNAMIC
CURTAIN
WALL
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. VEIL
MOHAMMAD ALMUTAWA
KRISTJAN JAGOMANN
MARTINA GRGIĆ
MART KEKIŠEV
DYRE VAA
SEMA AKSU
DMITRIY MALETSKIY
• 49

When it came to developing a door, we believed we needed to
redefine what a door was and start from scratch. Taking a door
to it’s basic elements we realized a door was merely a piece of
wall that lets you through it, so that generated the idea of cre-ating
50 •
permeable wall that has the ability to let people through
selectively or not let people through in other case.
For inspiration, we wanted to invoke a sense of wonder and
discovery. We looked at how people behaved when encountering
soft permeable objects such as curtains or even tree branches
and leaves and how they were pushed out of the way to get
through and thought it would be interesting to recreate a door
that would have similar elements.
We were fascinated with the idea of transforming a solid wall to
have properties it would not normally have and that is permea-bility.
A wall that could be solid in a certain state and physically
transparent in another, an object that can exist and disappear or
move out of the way when needed yet provide clear boundaries.
PROCESS
PART
In our first design iteration, tried to envision how users would
act when asked to go through a wall and that resulted in a con-cept
called part, in which one would literally part the wall with
their hands, we tried to envision a system in which users could
grab on to wall panels and push them aside to go through a wall.
This concept deals with the issue of a door not having multiple
levels, with being able to be placed at multiple positions to
convey a different levels of openness. It played on an existing
system for doors, which is sliding doors but became more a slid-ing
wall in effect.
The only issue with the design we felt that it only worked on a
single plane, it was very 2-Dimensional and we then opted to
develop something that would work better in 3-Dimensions and
have more depth.
CONCEPT
PERMEABILITY
TRANSFORMATION

• 51
LIQUIFY
In the second iteration, we tried to give depth to a moving wall,
we started looking at exisitng pseudo-walls, (ie. curtains) and
wanted to recreate the same movement and flow but with a
solid material like bricks or some sort of panel. We developed a
system of pivots that would in essence liquify a wall and give it
the dynamics of a curtain.
This system gave us the depth we required whilst still tackling
the issue of levels we dealt with previously. The concept works
on the principle of having a wall thats like a curtain that is
pushed aside when needing to go through or close when not
in use.
The issues we faced with this concept is that it would have to
be operated manually and for it’s sized it was very impractial
and heavy.
DEFORM
A variation of the previous iteration, we tried to try changing the
connections so they weren’t uniform, and try and get different
forms. We were seeking to make it more dynamic in terms of
movement and possibly more easier to use.
With this system, we created more dynamic and deconstructed
forms when opening. It ranges from a clear cut blocky form
when closed and slowly deforms at differen access, angles and
points to create a an opening at a preset point.
The same issue is also transfered from the previous concept, that
for a large structure it would be very difficult and impractical to
operate manually because of the size it has to be and it’s weight.

DESIGN
INCEPTION
We settled on the idea of raising the wall much like a curtain
would rise, that way it would not be in the way when raised so it
would not take up space in the location its placed.
With a system like this, it tackles several issues including but
not limited to level openness which emphasize mutiple levels
of correctness for the ‘door’ to be in without limiting it to the
duality of ‘on and off’ that doors currently have. Also deals with
the issue of access, creating an experience unlike any other for
users to access space in a unique way. It will also deal with flow
control in a space.
We visualized a solid wall lifting when a user tried to access
either by detecting them or by user input and the wall raising to
the correct height for them to walk through. Also, a system that
would allow the wall not to be there at all, and allow spaces to
merge to become a uniform space with the wall completely out
of the way, or a system that would react to environmental inputs
such as sound, light or movement to create a dynamic space.
52 •
DEVELOPMENT
We developed this concept into a working system we named Veil.
We played on the idea of a standard american home garage door
that folds up and developed it into small panels as if it were the
resolution of a curtain. The panels at hinged and afixed on the
ceiling and then they are split up into multiple panels that are
then pulled up from the bottom creating an arc to the observer,
however in section, it works much like the principle of a car jack.
One issue we faced is that while the wall rises, it would create a
hazzard as the middle part protruded outwards, but we fixed the
issue by raising the height of the wall to atleast 3 meters, in this
case the join is at 1.5 meters from the ground and it would go up
and above the users head and would no longer be a major issue.
Another issue is that it could be awkward for users to open
manually as it is an unfamilar system, but would be easy to
mechanise at first and demonstrate how it opens and when it
becomes more common it would be easier to comprehend in
the long run.

CONTEXT
LOCATION AND VALUES
Veil works great in a variety of locations and situations where
there could be a large constant flow of people, in big open
spaces and works great indoors or outdoors. It’s suited to gal-leries,
54 •
conference halls and exhibition areas where the need to
open up spaces or cordon them is a common neccessity as well
as directing the traffic of people and channeling the movement
in one form or another.
Other locations where veil could be used is in outdoor spaces
to divide locations or inhibit the use of motor vehicles by only
creating a human-sized opening and enlarging to let through
specifically designated vehicles. In regards to vehicles, veil could
be an interesting garage solution by blending with existing
walls then open up to let cars or people through.
The idea of blending with surroundings would work great for
situations where you need to hide entrances from the casual
observer and only designate certain users.
SPATIAL
THRESHOLD
Examples of where an entrance can be hidden is in theater
backdrop where you hide the backstage yet open to allow sets
to be changed or actors and performers to come out, or in more
industrial settings where you can hide work shops and loading
bays behind it and yet open up to fascilitate an easy movement
of heavy and large equiptment.
There are situations were Veil isnt required to open but instead
could react to users through movement, lights and colors, the
structure could be hooked to detect sound, light, and motion
and respond accordingly. The add-ons are only limited by the
imagination.
The design is scalable and modular so size is not an issue and
panel dimension can be altered to user desired specifications
and the opening could be modified to open in any sequence or
variety of sequences specified.

• 55
MODULARITY
AND SCALABILITY
PERCEPTION
AND EXPERIENCE

MECHANICS
SYSTEMS
To determine the mechanics of Veil we had to create a morpho-logical
Solutions/Parameters
Working Principle
System integration
System Network
Levels of openness
Safety mechanism
56 •
matrix with all the possible solutions and evaluate them
on the criterias we needed. Criterias include speed, noise, safety
and cost.
There were two systems that outshined the rest and stood out,
the counter-weight system which works on the principle of
balance, by having a counter-weight the same weight as the
structure, making the the user’s slightest touch able to activate
the mechanical system, thus requiring physical interaction. This
system however would only work on smaller scales (3 meter
height) where the weight can be integrated into the wall and
also restrict the number of ways the panels could pop open.
The second system that stood out was the motorized-hinge
system, having a system which use a motor on each panel to
push open the panels would mean it’s has to be automated and
hooked up to a sensor or a form of an activation trigger. It also
means that the motors will have to be integrated into a network
which can then be programmed to open in an way required,
that results in a variety and levels of openning and is perfect
for all scales. The only draw back is that such a system is very
expensive since each panel needs it’s own dedicated motor, and
with such a highly complex system, there are more likelihood of
a system failure.
Pneumatic System Counter-weight system Geared spool system Winch system Motorized hinge Hydraulic system Electronic Muscle Spring and winch Electromagnetic opening
Compressed air Balance Gear Ratios Rolling spool Extending arms Pressurized liquid Electroactive material Potential Energy and rope tension Electromagnetism
Air compressor None Rotary motor Rotary motor Stepper motor Fluid Pump None Rotary Motor None
Holistic Holistic Holistic Segmented Segmented Segmented Segmented Segmented Segmented
Medium Low Medium High High High Medium High Medium
Electric Man-powered Electric Electric Electric Electric Electric Electric Electric
Preset Physical interaction Preset Computerized Computerized Preset Preset Computerized Preset
Mechanical Mechanical Mechanical Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual Virtual
3 2 2 3 3 3 2 2 2
One-way valve Centrifugal brake Locking gear Locking gear Locking gear One-way value None None None
Regular Regular Slow Slow Fast Slow Fast Regular Fast
Loud Quiet Average Loud Loud Average Quiet Average Quiet
Average Light Light Heavy Heavy Heavy Light Average Average
Diagram
Motor type
Complexity
Power
Activation
Noise
Weight
2 Speed 2 2 1 1 3 1 3 2 3
1 Noise 1 3 2 1 1 2 3 2 3
2 Weight 2 2 1 3 3 3 1 2 2
3 Safety 3 2 3 3 3 3 1 3 1
2 Maintenance 2 3 2 1 1 2 1 1 3
1 Cost 2 3 2 1 1 1 1 1 1
72.73% 78.79% 63.64% 63.64% 75.76% 72.73% 51.52% 66.67% 69.70%
Speed
Evaluation
Importance (1-3)
Score
COUNTER-WEIGHT
SYSTEM
MOTORIZED-HINGE
SYSTEM
MORPHOLOGICAL MATRIX

• 57
MATERIALS
CURRENT CAPACITY
While choosing the proper materials for Veil, the most important
things which needed to focus on were how to make every part of
the system as easy to install and light as possible. Manufacturing
has a huge role in this case and needs to be chosen with care.
Composite materials, materials made from two or more con-stituent
materials, are probably one of the best choices for the
panels. Composites are lightweight and because of the fact that
the system consists of a lot of panel components, being light-weight
is important. Composites have high strength and can be
engineered and designed to be strong in a specific direction and
they can be strong without the extra weight Composites retain
their shape and size when they are hot or cool, wet or dry. Wood,
on the other hand, swells and shrinks as the humidity changes.
Structures made of composites have a long life and need little
maintenance. These are the reasons why composites were cho-sen
for the panels.
Connections between the panels are supposed to be easy to
install, flexible and not too complex. Instead of usual connec-tions,
like hinges, we opted to use elastic materials that could
be applied between the panels. These kind of materials make
the movement of the entire door more smooth while keeping
the complexity and weight of the system law and also create a
more uniform aesthetic to system.
POSSIBILITIES
Developing our material portfolio for future possibilities we
thought it is important to integrate texture and color to instill
different moods and evoke different emotions, we consider pho-tochromatic
and thermochromatic material as possible options
for situations when dynamic color change is required.
We’re also looking into materials that change transparency such
as electrochromic glass, in which there is a whole other layer of
permeability to the structure.
Metamaterials have very interesting applications since they are
engineered to create properties that arent found in natural and
could integrate with the panels to create a unique and bewilder-ing
experiences for users.

PROTOTYPE
CONSTRUCTION
The prototype was built to third scale (1:3) because it was easier
and more feasible to build and transport and set up. we started
off with building a a steel frame from rectangular steel tube on
which we would build our system around. It had to be strong and
stable to be able to support the moving panels.
Next we got several sheets of polycarbonate coreflute plastic
sheets and bandsawed them to the correct dimensions to create
the panels. We then attached the sawed pieces together with a
fabric adhesive strip as an analog for an elastomer composite
that would normally go there, then veneered the back of the
panels with fabric adhesive to get a uniform look.
We then attached pulleys to the frame and a central slider bar
which would rise up to lift the panels together, we then attached
the panels around the frame, and hooked up the lengths of rope
from the bottom of the panels to the slider to the correct height.
We added weights to the bottom of the panels to to create a
smoother lifting and lower action as well as smoothing out the
edges between to panels for less interaction between individual
panels.
58 •
TESTING
After attaching the panels and raising the central slider bar we
realized the edges of the panels were too rough because they
caused too much friction between the panels and made raising
the structure difficult, we proceeded to sand the edges to get the
clearance and make a smoother movement, it improved but we
opted to line the edges with clear adhesive for the best results.
Second issue we faced was whilst lifting and lowering the
structure, the panels were too light and would act very flimsy by
moving and bobbing around, so we added weights to the bottom
of the panel to create more rigidity.
Afterwards we faced an issue with the central slider bending and
deforming due to the newly added weight, we rectified that with
attaching an L-section length of steel to the side which gave it
the neccessary rigidity.
Lastly, the lengths of rope attaching the panels to the slider
slack too much and sometimes get caught on the hardware
which stop the mechanism from functioning, so in hindsight we
regret not using a retractable element like a spring or a coiled
rope.
WE MADE IT.

• 59
FUTURE DEV
IMPROVEMENTS
From the testing of our prototype we noticed a few issues we
needed to address, first of all the slack in the ropes which proved
to be problematic when lowering the structure to the closed
position as it seeped out through between the panels, we sug-gest
that we replace the rope with a retractable element such
as a spring or a rope on a retractable coil.
Second issue was the friction generated between the panels
from the cutting, the surfaces have to be really smooth to allow
for smooth gliding and reduce friction but also the panels have
to be alligned with utmost precision.
As the structure is lifted, there were issues of balance from the
lower segments since they teetered on different sides, we sug-gest
having a weight at one side to encourage them to allign
in harmony or using several lifting mechanisms to ensure the
balance.
Structure also needs looking gears between panels to ensure
rigidity and stop panels from taking a life of their own and mov-ing
forwards or back. That could also be solved by having the
central slide on a rail which will increase the stability highly.

60 •
2. DOORS
DIVE MODULAR
PANEL
DOOR
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. MOD 1.

2. 3.
CURTAIN
WALL
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. VEIL
• 61
MULTI-FUNCTION
DOOR
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. DIVE MODULAR
MULTI-FUNCTION
DOOR
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. MODULAR
PANEL
DOOR
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. DYNAMIC
PANEL
DOOR
INFINITE
POTENTIAL. DYNAMIC
CURTAIN
WALL
INFINITE
POTENTIAL.

APPENDIX
RESOURCES
Art Markman, 2011, “Why do you hold the door for others”
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/ulterior-motives/
201105/why-do-you-hold-the-door-others
Wendy Ju and Leila Takayama, 2009, Approachability: How
People Interpret Automatic Door
Movement as Gesture
http://www.ijdesign.org/ojs/index.php/IJDesign/article/
viewFile/574/244
http://dornob.com/liquid-wood-fantastic-100-organic-bio-
plastic-material/#axzz2vkEYYSam
http://www.lightform.com/
http://dornob.com/flexible-led-light-strips-for-diy-red-blue-
green-displays/#axzz2uQMQYduk
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/
S1474034605000480
http://www.houzz.com/
http://www.ivercarlson.com
http://www.core77.com/
http://www.coroflot.com/projects
http://www.dortek.com/
http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/48047/why-do-businesses-
frequently-keep-one-half-of-double-doors-locked
http://ux.stackexchange.com/questions/18238/why-do-most-
public-toilet-doors-open-inwards
http://www.freedoniagroup.com/DocumentDetails.
aspx?ReferrerId=FG-01studyid=2949
http://www.constructarabia.com/wp-content/uploads/
downloads/2012/09/GCC-Windows-and-Doors-Market-
Aug2012.pdf
http://www.constructarabia.com/wp-content/uploads/
downloads/2012/09/GCC-Windows-and-Doors-Market-
Aug2012.pdf
http://web.mit.edu/~slanou/www/shared_docu-ments/
366_06_REVOLVING_DOOR.pdf
ht tps: //www.behance.net/gal lery/Transformer-apt/
6775861

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