BULA BULA I'm on island time

                                                                               Image courtesy of Fiji Tourism Bureau


In the next week I will be heading over to the lovely island of FIJI to review some incredible doors of the South Pacific.

Last year I had the pleasure of visiting the island of Vanuatu and reviewed some amazing doors. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the heart of the South Pacific has to offer.

Stay tuned.

THE LUI BAR - VUE DE MONDE 

Shop 55/525 Collins St, Melbourne

Visited: 24th July 2014

Design: I have reviewed so many styles of door since I began this blog, this is was definitely an experience. Upon entering the building I noticed a reception desk with a sign for Vue De Monde. At first I thought this was just to help you find the way. Only later did I discover this was "the" reception desk for Vue De Monde. This is the first door I have had to go to a reception desk and get them to escort me to the door as they were the only ones able to activate the lift. Led into a marble foyer, I was taken to the personal and private Vue De Monde elevator. This would have to be the longest entry through a door ever, in fact 236.07 metres or 55 stories high. It is the most surreal experience to enter a door, ground floor, stand in this black Matrix-like box, accelerate at a decent speed up 55 stories in a matter of seconds and feel your ears pop from the pressure on the way up. As the doors opened, I was greeted by a friendly staff member who could of stepped out of the 1920's with his magnificent moustache and debonaire attire who took me across to my seat by the window. What a view. 10 out 10 for entrances. That makes walking through a door one hell of an experience.      

It was strange as I was currently reading H.G. WELLS' novel, The Time Machine when I reviewed the door. I find there is always a sense of being transported somewhere magical when one steps into a lift. To leave a corporate foyer and emerge into this contemporary bar high above Melbourne after a few seconds, still astounds me that we can do that and it is safe. Philosophically, the idea of entering a door, only to come back through that door in order to enter a building is something to ponder as well.   

Door resistance: 0.2

Closure mechanism: Automated doors

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 20 sec

SUPERNORMAL

180 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

Visited: 19th July 2014

Design: In 2006, Jasper Morrison and Naoto Fukasawa put together an exhibition of 204 everyday objects that they considered 'Super Normal design'. 

A book accompanied the exhibition: SUPER NORMAL - Sensations of the Ordinary. 

In an essay by Jasper Morrison, he describes a set of hand-blown wine glasses he found having an, "atmospheric spirit" that gives the object a, "mysterious and elusive quality."

http://www.jaspermorrison.com/html/8851725.html  

This door is a masterpiece, to take a basic glass panel door and to infuse it with what appears to be a distorted and gnarled tree branch referencing bonsai on the exterior handle, only then to mirror this form through what I think was carved stone on the interior handle, is Zen at its finest. I really hope it was stone and not some resin cast made to look like stone. This is what I believe Naoto Fukasawa refers to as Super Normal. Here the designers have taken a simple door to a restaurant and simplified it and refined it by using wood, stone, glass and steel to give it an atmospheric spirit and what Jasper Morrison describes as having a, "mysterious and elusive quality." The thing is, I can't put my finger on it. It is so simple and yet so beautiful at the same time. The feeling of the handles and their contrast to each other, the weight of the door combined with the effortless ease at which it moves for such a large door, creates a perpetual sense of wonder and fascination. It was almost like that scene from Planet of the Apes on the beach where they come across the Statue of Liberty. There is something about the primitive natural elements of the handles combined with the highly precise, man made manufactured glass door that form an ethereal union. The bright neon red glow of the SUPERNORMAL sign is echoed in the reflection on the stainless steel framing of the window beams. Purples, yellows and hints of blue intermingle to create a dance of light on the panels. Upon entering you are presented with a combination of polished concrete, besser blocks and blonde wood alongside a mesh of soft and harsh neon and fluorescent lighting that meld together to form a unique first impression. It's modern, it's sleek, it feels Asian, it felt out of this world, almost beyond its time. To me, this is the Ikebana of door design. True mastery.   

Door resistance: 3.5

Closure mechanism: Hidden pivot

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 39 sec

BANGPOP

35 S Wharf Dr, South Wharf

Visited: 11th July 2014

Design: The old double door scenario, the perfect way to eliminate the draft of a cold wintery day. I always find these entrances unique, it's like entering a decompression chamber or a radiation decontamination shower. The act of going into a sealed glass cube to then enter the premises has an almost transducer effect on ones perception. The idea of this system is to have two doors just far enough apart to allow the first door to close just before you are about to enter the second door, to limit any cold wind that may blow in. The problem is when a large group come in and bank up with both doors held wide open. That very rarely happens though, doesn't it? The double door is a very thoughtful solution to a very common problem. They are usually on a 90 degree angle to each other so that if the two doors do happen to be open at the same time, you can limit the amount of draft through the passage by creating a barrier for the wind to work its way into the building. Brilliant. On this occasion we have two black wooden framed doors, the classic u-tube steel handle. Pretty much full view of the interior with the complete glass interior panels. The trading hours were in black so that made it a little hard to see as they blended with the background. You are greeted by succulents and turf on entry. I found the entrance to be a neutral space before you are exposed to the unique and colourful interior of the building. Both doors were easy on the open and closed within good time.

Door resistance: 2

Closure mechanism: Hydraulic arm

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 1

Change return time: 1.10 sec

LITLLE HENRI

850 High St, Thornbury

Visited: 5th July 2014

Design: I have always loved this entry, along with the exterior and interior of this building. The gentle cement ramp, the white painted brick, the black framing of the windows and poles against the white walls. I love the fact that from the street the Crittall Windows that wrap across the front, through the entrance and around the side of the building, create an effect like someone has sliced a whole section right out of the the middle of the building which you can see into. The building has a beautiful Art Deco feel, almost like and old theatre. These windows form a beautiful unity where you have the old building marrying the new slick contemporary edge. It is a perfectly sized door for this entry, it feels spacious and solid and almost protective. It really grounds the entrance. There is minimal clutter on the entry with only a well designed printed menu and hand designed opening hours sign and a simple CASH ONLY. Which in my opinion, I think the CASH ONLY sign detracts from the beauty of the door, but people need to know these things. I love the ribbed glass paneling across the two top rows of glass above the door. It breaks up the clear glass to give a feeling of texture. The two black metals panels at the base ground the door and are a smart safety element as well as stylish. The gold handle in contrast with the black of the door just makes it glow. Great on the hand and very comfortable to grip. There was a nice heavy resistance on the open. The handle on the right was interesting, not sure if this was a design issue and it had to be on that side, but I found that rather than creating a natural flow into the building if it was on the left, you have to do an s-bend snake manoeuvre to enter. All good though. There return on the close was smooth and defiant with a nice click.     

The thing I love about this blog is the history behind door design that I discover as I go along. Like for instance, I have just discovered this glass and steel panel design you see here at Little Henri is called the Crittall Window. Popular with Art Deco and Modernist design there were also incorporated into the Titanic. The Crittall Window was introduced and began being manufactured in Australia back in the 1920's. Incredible to think 90 years later this design still feels so contemporary and fresh. Timeless.

Door resistance: 4.5

Closure mechanism: Hydraulic arm

Draft: Minimal

Squeak level: 0

Change return time: 50 sec