Possible door of the future

[MrScorpio]

Basic door technology has remained relatively the same for centuries—barring honorable mentions for stained glass doors, beaded curtain doors, and those door plungers that prevent slamming—but Austrian designer Klemens Torggler may be the missing link for the evolution of the entrance.

Torggler has designed a door that, according to his website, "opens up new applications for the door." It uses rotating squares to move the door sideways without tracks, completely eliminating the two to four square feet generally occupied by the swinging path of a conventional door. And it looks fabulous to boot:

http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/the-future-of-the-door-is-unfolding-right-before-our-eyes

[Hoyt]

1. I like that. I have a few doors I'd replace with something like that.

At least when they make it to Home Depot at affordable prices.

[longship]

2. Or maybe these:

Whoosh!

[SheilaT]

3. And how is this substantially different from a sliding door?

[penultimate]

5. Seems like this is a simpler design that can be put up easily

without tearing things up.

[X_Digger]

12. Hrmm, not really.

A sliding door requires two to three anchor points (depending on size) for the track.

This looks like it requires two anchor points.

And I'd argue that the design is much more complex / prone to malfunction- it appears to have two piano hinges and three pivot points.

And balance appears to be important for function, so god help you if the opening isn't perfectly plumb.

[penultimate]

14. You wouldn't have to tear up the other half of the wall where the sliding door would

sit when it's open? That was my thinking, and why I thought it would be harder to install.

[X_Digger]

16. For a pocket door, yeah, but not a sliding hanging door type one.

I love industrial looking stuff, I'd kill for an old factory sliding door.

[DebJ]

9. No tracks on the floor. Tracks get dirty and are a pain to clean. And

doors jump the tracks too.

[X_Digger]

13. Sliding doors can be hung from just the top, track down.

Pocket doors are a good example.

I know the doors you're thinking about, though- 80's mirrored closet doors that *always* seem to stick and squeak- I have some in my house that need to be replaced.

[Warpy]

4. Until they make one that slams

it's just not going to catch on.

Now show me one that takes up less wall space when it's opened, I might be interested.

[truedelphi]

6. Funny synchronicity - you posted this, and

I saw it on the screen, just as spouse was taking our door apart to fix it.

Is this the NSA at work? (She mused paranoi-aclly)

Anyway totally kuhl set up. Two big thumbs' up from me for this modern door. (Spouse gives it one thumbs' up, as he needs the other thumb to finish the door repair.)

[Fumesucker]

7. The guy doesn't have kids

That wouldn't last a week in a house with a hyperactive six year old.

[sue4e3]

11. right

[Yo_Mama]

17. Or even a good sized puppy

Toooooooo tempting.

It's a nice idea, but it doesn't seem very durable at all. Maybe for fancy offices or expensive penthouses, but not for standard living.

[Blanks]

8. Notice how he guides it up when it closes...

There's a pinch point that he avoids by carefully placing his fingers as the two come together.

Small children and drunks would get their fingers bit regularly.

[ZombieHorde]

10. I think it looks really neat, but it's not much of an improvement. nt

[PATRICK]

15. Technically it doesn't look that elegant

pinch points, moving parts, alignment issues, which could be solved as much as any door's I suppose. Doesn't look to great for action movies and the hero busting in, the geometric pleasantness of irises and Star Trek sliding whooshes.

[btrflykng9]

18. Kinda Nifty nt