moveable_walls.pdf

Published by The Architects Newspaper www.archpaper.com

TRENDS: Sliding doors have grown up into versatile, operable wallsHARDWARE: The latest, sleekest mechanisms arrive with a whisper, not a crashGREEN: High-impact doors for stormy weather offer good insulation, too

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Born of the demand to minimizebarriers without forgoing all privacy, a new breed of partitionis emerging. Whether three feetwide or 300, sliding doors providethe impact and sophistication ofmoveable walls, with designs thatfold, glide, or hide away. Thesenew models allow for more flexiblespacecreating two conferencerooms out of one, or turning a cozy kitchen into an alfrescodining areaand blur the linebetween indoors and out.

For homes, restaurants, hotels, and offices, there havenever been so many choices available from both domestic and European designers. High-techsystems are redefining what the world expects from a door. JENNIFER KRICHELS unlocks some of the newest designs making a grand entrance.

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1 GUILLOTINE WINDOWVITROSCA

Vitrosca uses glazing as astructural element to supportthe window, allowing for aminimal frame. The guillo-tine design, available inaluminum or stove-enam-eled colors, has stainless-steel bearings and a precisepulley mechanism. The 18-mm profile accommodatesall types of insulated glass,with a maximum glazingsurface of 65 square feet perpanel. Handles and press-button or cylindrical locksare integrated into the frame.

www.goldbrecht-systems.com

2 COMMERCIAL SYSTEMPK-30 SYSTEM

PK-30 panels are cushionedby a proprietary clear sili-cone gasket, ensuring easyoperation and long life in commercial applica-tions. Doors include slid-ing, hinged, pocket, andfolding configurations, and major componentsare extruded from a high-grade recyclable aluminumalloy that creates a rigidyet lightweight panel. The satin anodized finishresists corrosion and iseasy to clean.

www.pk30system.com

3 MODEL 175 TWIN FRAMERAYDOOR

A lighter, thinner versionof Raydoors patentedtwin-frame design, theModel 175 is a new 1-inch twin frame thatallows for the use of oneor more multiple panels in a narrower opening. Thesystem, manufactured inBrooklyn, is available withfolding, bypassing, tele-scoping, pocket, and stack-ing tracks that do notrequire a floor track.

www.raydoor.com

4 RESIDENTIAL PANEL SYSTEMRAUMPLUS NORTH AMERICA

Manufactured in BritishColumbia and NorthCarolina, Raumplus North Americas German-designed sliding door systems can be installed as replacements withinexisting openings and on top-hung, double-hung,and barn-door tracks.Though panels are avail-able in 18 styles, systemhardware is sold separatelyshould a design require aunique panel material.

www.raumplusna.com

5 LIFT/ROLL DOORDURATHERM WINDOW CORPORATION

With an extruded-siliconeflap gasket weather stripthat is compressed as a multi-latchpoint leverhandle lowers the door,Maine-based Durathermsdoors are designed for arange of weather. Woodframes in teak, mahogany,redwood, and jarrah produce no condensation,making them ideal for high-humidity environments.

www.durathermwindow.com

6 MOVEO GLASSDORMA

MOVEO Glass operablepartitions combine trans-parent, flexible designswith noise-reduction indexes of up to 50 decibels,making them ideal foroffice, hotel, and educa-tional applications. Double-skinned safety glazing canincorporate electrical blindsand customized patternson panels controlled by a ComforTronic actuator,which brings together mating aluminum profilesequipped with sealing strips.

www.dorma.com

7 HORIZONTAL SLIDING WALLSUNFLEX

Horizontal sliding wall panels from German manufacturer Sunflex canbe stored in any positionwhen open. The turningpanels can be locked inplace and are available in frameless, aluminum,and insulated wood andaluminum styles.

www.sunflexwall.com

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8 SERIES 2000 HINGEWAY DOORRENLITA OVERHEAD DOORS

The Renlita Series 2000includes counterweight-balanced doors for industrial/commercial andresidential applications up to approximately 33 by 20 feet. The door suitslocations with little head-room where minimuminternal projection isdesired, and accepts a range of cladding andglazing materials.

www.renlitadoors.com

9 LIFTSLIDE DOORWEILAND SLIDING DOORS

Working with Europeanhardware manufacturers,Weiland has developed arange of oversized liftslidedoor systems available up to 16 feet tall (and up to 10 feet tall for hurri-cane-rated models). Allsystems are custom-builtin Oceanside, California,and are available in woodand aluminum with orwithout interior woodcladding.

www.weilandslidingdoors.com

10 WAY COOL SERIESPORTAL DOORS & PARTITIONS

Available in a range ofwood and molding options,Portals Way Cool designcan be customized in hang-ing or fixed configurationsfor closets, hallways, andpartitions. Frosted, opaque,or satin-etched glass ispaired with melamine orwood veneers; aluminumextrusions and hardwaresystems are imported from Europe, and wood-and-glass panels are manufactured in SouthernCalifornia.

www.portaldoors.com

11 WINDOW-DOOR COMBO WALLNANAWALL SYSTEMS

NanaWalls window-doorcombination system, avail-able in FSC-certified woodand recyclable aluminum,creates a weather-resistantfolding glass wall. Thecompanys systems areavailable from eight to 320feet, and are certified forenergy efficiency by EnergyStar and the NationalFenestration Rating Council.Each is tested to exceed airinfiltration, water penetra-tion, structural performance,and forced-entry standards.

www.nanawall.com

12 WALL SLIDE DOOR LINE 204SLIDING DOOR COMPANY

The Sliding DoorCompanys sliding doorsystem allows glass panels to be customizedwith wood or aluminumdivider strips that can beremoved or reconfiguredwithout marking the doors.A patented panel-safetymechanism ensures thatdoors will not leave theirtracks, which are 3/8-inchhigh and meet ADArequirements.

www.slidingdoorco.com

13 STAINLESS STEEL SLIDING DOORMODERNUS

Modernus sliding doorshave a stainless-steelframe with an inset ceilingtrack, making the door a good solution for low-profile room divisions in which a floor track is undesirable (as shown onfront page). Glass panelscan be customized withany finish or pattern, and framing is also available in aluminum.

www.modernus.com

14 ROLMATIC CORNERKLEIN

A manually operatedmechanism simultaneouslyopens Rolmatic Cornerdoors, creating a 67-inch frameless glass open-ing. The top-hung, clearanodized aluminumclamping system eliminatesboth glass drilling andfloor tracks, moving 3/8- or 1/2-inch panels of upto 198 pounds along a ball-bearing system specifiedfor commercial and residential applications.

www.klein-usa.com

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SLIDING DOOR

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FOLDING WALLS

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versatile stainless steel fittings for wood and glass sliding doors

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