30X40 Design Workshop

Rethinking doors (a visual essay of architectural possibility)

Subtly shifting our thinking about doors as apertures or openings to thinking about them as wall elements that pivot or slide can create myriad design possibilities. These possibilities can transform the proportions of spaces and more seamlessly integrate the humble door into the architecture of a space.
Length 05:55
Price Free of charge
Subject Architecture
Languages English
Video Transcripts English

About the video

The massive doors of the great cathedrals in Europe were intentionally designed as humbling constructions. That’s because door size and treatment in architecture are excellent ways to shift scale with little effort. By contrast, residential construction has historically employed essentially one size door: 3 feet wide and 7 feet tall, drawn from the rough proportions of its inhabitants.
In this video I explore a variety of ways architects have been rethinking the way we use doors in architectural design today.
Architects featured:
Olson Kundig
Dick Clark + Associates
Taylor Smith Architects
Andrew Snow
John Lum Architecture
TLMS Architects
AT6 Architecture
Michael Abraham Architecture
Architecture Workshop PC
Charlie Barnett Associates
Glen Irani Architects
Robert Nebolon Architects

Meet the instructors

Eric Reinholdt is a founder of Thirty by Forty Design Workshop which was established in June 2013 in a home he designed overlooking Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island. In 2016, he designed and constructed the Long Studio to complement the Longhouse and serve as a full-scale model of his design principles and the latest in building science; this is the home for 30X40.
“My work celebrates humble materials, subtle contrasts and finely-crafted details. I have a strong interest in modern regionalist design, local materials and familiar building forms juxtaposed against modern, open floor plans. I employ a minimalist, Shaker-like palette of details inspired by the site and natural surroundings.”

Video syllabus

Doors from another perspective
Shifting our thinking