conturno by orlena dupree from italy

our concept was created from a strong desire to design a door handle that meets the high aesthetic demands of contemporary architecture and offers a clever design solution to a common user interface problem.

as industrial designers we have observed how much difficulty people experience when opening doors. a lot of confusion is caused because the design of door handles does not indicate whether a door opens in or outwards. people always correctly understand to rotate a door handle to unlock the door, but then experimentally push or pull the handle to try and open the door.

we set about to create an aesthetically pleasing design solution to this problem. in our concept we reinvented the standard configuration with rose plate and door handle by adding a separate highly visible design element. this new element is made from a three-dimensionally curved piece of sheet metal. this metal plate attaches to the side of the door and curves over the door lock and handle mechanism, hiding them from view and eliminating the visual need for a rose plate.

the door handle is attached to the pin of the lock in the standard way. the part of the door handle that is hidden by the plate element is flat and extends sideways parallel to the door until it comes into view, and curves forward in a u-turn around the plate element following its curvature.

the plate element and the door handle come in two design variations to indicate in which direction the door opens. in the first version the plate and handle have a concave curvature that naturally invites the user to grab the handle with his fingers and pull the door open. the second version comprises a convex plate element and door handle. the palm of the human hand fits into this shape, suggesting a pushing motion is required to open the door.

next to one or more standard versions, the general shape and size of the plate element can be customized to meet the design requirements of a particular architectural project. while preserving the functionality and shape of the door handle and surrounding area of the plate, the general shape and size of the plate element can be customized, for example to incorporate the logo of a company, hotel or restaurant.

in our entry we show one design example in which the shape of the plate element is based on the flowing lines associated with modern free-form architecture. the door handle has a simple elegant shape that follows the curvature in the plate element.

our door handle design easily fits standard door and lock sizes, whilst creating a customized look.

production
the door handle has a simple elegant shape that can be produced in the same way as standard door handles by casting it as one solid piece from a material such as brass or cromall. after casting the door handle is polished for a smooth surface finish.

the plate element can be manufactured by first laser cutting the contour shape from a sheet of stainless steel. in this way the general shape and size of the plate element can be easily customized to fit the design needs of individual architectural projects. after the laser cutting, the plate element is pressure formed to give it the required three-dimensional curvature.

both the door handle and the plate element can be finished in either the same or contrasting surface finishes, such as mat or shiny chrome, polished brass, oroplus and gold.