Specialty Products Allow Architects to Dream Bold Designs

A building can reflect an architect's dreams and desires to turn the ordinary into something remarkable. Frank Lloyd Wright dared to build Fallingwater. Le Corbusier's urban ambition is evident in the U.N. Headquarters. The twists and curves of the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao are an extension of Frank Gehry's imagination. Although the designs may not appeal to everyone's taste, they all demonstrate the willingness of architects to dream new concepts and turn them into reality.

But what would buildings look like if limits were placed on those dreams? Believe it or not, the door and hardware industry actually plays a pivotal role in nurturing these dreams. Imagine if architects were told they had to work only with standard products available in a manufacturer's catalog. Bold and creative entrance ways would give way to cookie cutter openings.

Fortunately, many companies are able to create specialty door and hardware products that dare architects to dream. So while some companies look at things as they are and say, why? Others-to paraphrase Robert F. Kennedy-dream of things that never were and say, why not?

When an architect working on the Nissan Design Center in Farmington Hills, Michigan came to RIXSON Specialty Door Controls and asked if they could create a pivot to support a door 16 feet wide and 20 feet tall, the company looked at the plans and said, why not?

RIXSON has always been a resource for architects in search of specially created pivots that meet challenging doorway designs. In fact, the company has created more than 5,000 special layouts. If a desired pivot is not in the catalog, the company can create one to meet the specific application.

The atypical door at the Nissan Design Center was typical of a RIXSON special order. First, the architect-Jennifer Luce, of San Diego-based Luce et Studio-contacted the company and discussed the parameters and function of the door. After establishing the project was within RIXSON's realm of expertise, the two sides proceeded to design an extraordinarily large pivot. The process began with an overview of the door's importance to the overall facility design.

To understand the function of the large door is to understand the function of the entire building. The Farmington Hills facility houses a group of Nissan designers who are responsible for imagining new and innovative automotive concepts. The facility is meant to inspire creative thought and open the door to new ideas. The door itself is located between the design center and an existing adjacent building. Yes, the door is symbolic of the entire facility's role in dreaming bigger, better ideas.

"A door is a transitional marker; a point that identifies a perceptual change and can prepare the visitor for what lies within," said project architect Jennifer Luce, describing the significance doors receive in her design plans. "The scale of a door, if altered from that which is expected, can provide a memorable moment in the sequence of movement through a building. These are the elements that make architecture lasting and timeless. To open a door, whether it be a kitchen cabinet or an airplane hanger, is to reveal a secret world behind that begs for exploration and experience."

How big is the door? There's actually a door within the door; a standard-sized 4 foot by 8 foot door in the bottom corner serves as the pedestrian passageway between the existing building and design studio. In addition to the height and width dimensions, the glass and steel door is six inches thick and weighs approximately 3,000 pounds.

"This door is the threshold between the public face and the inner sanctum of a highly secure design world," Luce explained. "The framework is stainless steel tubing and the infill is recycled pressed aluminum; a material borrowed from the aeronautical industry. There are 2 pivots offset from each other. The smaller door pivots outward and is used on a day-to-day basis by staff and managers. The larger door pivots from its center point and is used for events, launchings and to transport large scale vehicles into the studio."

A door this big requires a pivot of equal proportions. The actual size of the pivot was determined through a number of engineering calculations that determined the lateral load supported by the device, the degree of cantilevering and the weight distribution based on where the pivot is placed in the width of the door.

Why choose a pivot over a hinge? In this case, the size of the door was the determining factor; a pivot is better able to support heavy loads. In applications that use hinges, the screws are held in tension which places stress on the frame and the entire opening. With a pivot the screws are held in shear and most of the weight is borne by the floor rather than the frame. Larger pivots, such as the one used in the Nissan design center, are encased within the floor to give additional support.

Transferring the weight to the floor allows a door hung on a pivot to move more freely. In fact, the 3,000 pound door can be swung open or closed with a pinkie finger. The ability of pivots to accommodate large weight loads allows the use of specially designed doors that otherwise would not have been possible with hinges. Companies that make specialty products such as the oversized pivot have the design staff to turn grand ideas into working solutions.

"The pivots were specially designed for the doors by RIXSON and are similar in capacity to the door at the base of the Statue of Liberty. Trend Millwork managed the fabrication effort and their collaboration with RIXSON and the architects was crucial to the continuing success of this important portal," Luce commented. "In an effort to express the client's pure vision of their identity and conceptual approach to design, it was this collaboration that has made the entry to NDA's studio a great success. The wonder with which each visitor pulls either door is a testament to the fascinating work that happens within."

The architectural community has taken notice of Luce et Studio's work, bestowing an Honor Award at the American Institute of Architects San Diego chapter Design Awards. Unfortunately, the building's creative designs will be enjoyed exclusively by employees of the Nissan Studio. Industrial security concerns place the building off limits to the general public.