"Open, sesame!"

DESIGN - Are you bored of ordinary doors? This door is different. No hinges, no rail, no door leaf, as you would normally have expected from a door. Instead, as if by magic, like a light airy sail, squares swing apart, fold and offer a clear view into the room behind. And each of these doors is a unique work of art with a clear design statement. The effect on the viewer is amazement and wonder. It all seems so easy, playful and beautiful. The door itself becomes the main feature of the room. 

The creator is Klemens Torggler. Born 1961 in Hall, Tyrol, he has been living in Austria's capital as a freelance artist since attending the Vienna University of Applied Arts. His family environment stimulated his distinct affinity for both technology and arts in equal measure. He is a painter, with a taste for experimentation but also a designer and an inventor. Analytical, practical thinking and solution-oriented, lateral thinking are therefore part of his nature. Both reveal themselves to the viewer in his groundbreaking door system.

"I knew that it would take some time and require a significant amount of meticulous work. Back then, I could hardly have imagined the enormous demands that the development of the idea into the final product would bring. The crucial factor for the success of my endeavor was not only the countless hours of debating a whole range of problem areas with myself. Having the right people at my side was also essential. People who understood my ideas and their potential. They have spurred and supported me through intellectual exchanges and energy right up to the world premiere."

Torggler uses the force of gravity for the mechanism of his door: "The key principle is similar to a balance in the vertical position. In a door consisting of two parts, gravity causes one half to rotate. The physical work is redirected and causes the second, equally heavy door-half to move against gravity." To open and close a gentle touch is all that is needed, after that physics takes over.

There are hardly any limits to the uses to which this door system could be put: a Torggler door can be installed indoors in ordinary frames, but can, for example, also specifically be used for large openings. The door still remains compact and does not require aesthetically disturbing features, such as rails or frames. Safety aspects are taken into account, for example with an anti-jamming protection. The stated goal of the inventor: "The door is extremely long-lived, a Torggler door should be maintenance-free and hold 100 years".

The technical idea is only one aspect of the Torggler door, the wonderful design is the other. Whether glass, wood, fabric, paper or metal, whether bold colors and motifs or rather sober minimalism – each door is unique.

"The main reason for this lies in my work as a painter. Surely my daily painting practice, the keen attention paid to paintings' frames and my experiments with color, gravity, rectangles and square-shaped objects have all influenced the development of the door."

The designs of the doors are closely linked to their technical function and the needs of the customers. The next step is production and broad market introduction of the Torggler door. A new, big challenge but Klemens Torggler is confident. "The worldwide attention and the consistently positive feedback show that I'm on the right track. My heartfelt thanks to all that supported me in my work!"