WERE YOU BORN IN A TENT

Wednesday 16 October 2013

THE HAVANNAH

Samoa Point, Port Havannah, Vanuatu

Visited: 22nd September 2013

Design: Entering the private manicured grounds of The Havannah Resort the tropical garden path guides you down to this magnificently crafted door. The eye is instantly guided to this towering beauty, you can not miss it. Framed in black slate tiles with water fountains on either side and a mahogany timber beam across the top, this monolithic structure stands in dominance over the entrance like a tribal warrior. The design is a beautiful reflection of elegant tropical resort architecture. The seven glass horizontal panels allow a glimpse into the interior when closed, they also help to create a lightness to what would be a heavy form if it was just solid wood. The panels also seem to reflect the wooden venetian blinds that are popular in this part of the pacific. The handle was a simple carved stainless steel pipe, that felt comforting in the hand to hold. To my disappointment, the door was locked in the open position, so I did not have the pleasure or the opportunity to experience this amazing door in operation. With a door this size in order to gain smooth effortless flow it works on a central pivot system with a counterbalance. In regards to draft, this door was custom built for drafts. The central pivot allows the door to still be on display when open to allow the sea breeze to flow through without been hidden against a wall. Yet it has the strength to keep at bay a tropical storm when closed as gale force winds test its capacity.

The thatch roof above is open to the elements and compliments the door perfectly. These people care about an entrance, quality within a door and the importance of having this door as the main focal point on entry. Folks within my heart. What a pleasure to have had the opportunity to walk through this.

Door resistance: ? Unsure as it was locked in the open position

Closure mechanism: Manual

Draft: Maximum

Squeak level: ? Unsure as it was locked in the open position

Change return time: 38 sec

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PROFESSIONAL DOOR REVIEWER

Searching the world for the perfect door to eat behind.

First impressions are always important, especially for a restaurant or cafe. So many people are focusing on the food these days that I felt there was a hole in the reviews world. No one was looking at the most important thing, THE DOOR! Everyone complains when it is left open, death stares are exchange when the unsuspecting group of friends having a fun night enter the premises from the cold only to walk straight in and go straight to their table totally oblivious they have left the door wide open to allow an arctic strength gale force wind to cut through the previously warm interior. Like a scene from a western film where everyone in the premises stops what they are doing and cuts down the new comers with a deathly stare. Occasionally you will get the confident diner who gets up, walks across the restaurant and closes the door with a BANG! Just to let the new comers know they have done wrong and to NEVER, EVER DO IT AGAIN!!!!! This individual makes their way back to the table staring at the newcomers, just to make sure they got the message. The only problem is, is that 5 minutes later another group come in and do the same thing and he/she feels obliged to continually do this for the rest of the night.

Well hopefully this blog puts a light on the owners of these establishments and encourages them to lift their game and create doors that allow diners to sit and enjoy their meal, to give the diner an experience before they enter the building. It is also a thank you to the makers of quality doors who care about craftsmanship.

I have developed a scoring system based on,

DESIGN:

This is assessed by the materials the door is made from, whether the door is themed, cluttered or minimal and whether there is an element of surprise or not.

DOOR RESISTANCE: 1 to 5

1 = light push

5 = heavy push

CLOSURE MECHANISM: Manual, automatic or

hydraulic arm

DRAFT: Minimal, medium or high

SQUEAK LEVEL: 0 up to 5

0 = No squeak

5 = Ear piercing

Then the last assessment is the,

CHANGE RETURN TIME:

This is the amount of time it takes to get my change once I have given the waiter the money for the bill. Last impressions are always just as important as first.