D-line Handle
Guest-written – Charles Emberson
The door handle – an architectural fetish with an unambiguous purpose! Gripped, twisted, pushed or pulled, it is often the first and only physical contact we have with a building and its lasting impression pervades our whole attitude towards the architecture. It’s a signifier of care and almost every great Architect has had a go at designing one. Often, however, it has been industrial designers rather than architects who have made the perfect handle.
We asked RichingsGreetham friend and renowned Norwich-based Architect, Charles Emberson, what design is top of his list when it comes to door handles. Here’s what he had to say:
“Most Architects and designers will, at some point, attempt to design a door handle – the FSB range is populated with work by Starck, Jasper Morrison, Norman Foster, Dieter Rams and David Chipperfield. The D-Line range conceived by Danish architect, Knud Holscher, has been in production since 1971 and is the default modernist collection; offering internal and external modern door furniture for all buildings typologies. The iconic d handle and lever handle are cased in 316 stainless steel – the operation is ball bearing smooth and robust with a reputation for durability. The lever handles have a comfortable and reassuring heft. Concealed fixings and a signature proportion in that the bend section of a lever handle or pull handle always describes a radius that is equal to the lever diameter.”
Design should be like buttons on a shirt. With character to catch your attention but no more so than you can use it without thinking about it. – Knud Holscher