The Unfolding Apartment: Think of it as Cabinetry Origami

We stumbled across something cool this week, and even though we don’t know if there is any Häfele hardware in this project, it doesn’t really matter because it could.

The video below is a tour of a small Manhattan apartment that was transformed into an amazing living space by the creative use of sliding and hinged panels on a large built-in “cabinet”.  The cabinet contains a fold away bed, a closet complete with hidden compartments, book shelves, storage for kitchen appliances and even a desk.  The architectural firm that designed the “Unfolding Apartment” was Normal Projects and their goal was to maximize the functionality of a 450 square foot studio apartment.  By the looks of the results we believe that they’ve done just that.

According to the architect’s site:

“The challenge is to incorporate all of the aspects of a larger space for work and entertaining within a compact studio apartment. The strategy is one of extreme density.“

This is a spectacular blend of beauty and functionality, and we are rightfully impressed.

Read the entire story here

 

Does Häfele offer “ADA Certified” Hardware?

We received a call from an architect recently who talked to someone in our inside sales department whom the architect believed gave them misinformation.  As the Trainer this was concerning to me, so I did a little investigating and though I’d share with you what I learned.

The question asked was whether one of our handles were “ADA Certified”  This is a common misconception as the ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) offers guidelines but does not test product for adherence to those guidelines.  A fair question would be does this or that piece of hardware met ADA compliance or not.  After reviewing the handle in question it was obvious that it DID MEET compliance; however in this case the Häfele representative said in error that it did not.

This is not an unusual question to get from specifiers and it is important that all of us in inside and outside sales understand the ADA guidelines so we can answer this question correctly.

So that we don’t risk losing important business and credibility because of ignorance or misinformation, I consulted one of our Architectural Sales Managers, Mr. Brad Borne, who shared the following information:

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADA STANDARDS FOR ACCESSIBLE DESIGN

4.25.4 Hardware. Hardware for accessible storage facilities shall comply with 4.27.4.

Touch latches and U-shaped pulls are acceptable.

4.27.4 Operation. Controls and operating mechanisms shall be operable with one hand and shall not require tight grasping, pinching, or twisting of the wrist. The force required to activate controls shall be no greater than 5 lbf (22.2 N).

Here are some examples to help you understand what meets and does not meet compliance.

The knob pictured above does NOT meet ADA Standards because you must pinch it to operate.

The handle or pull pictured DOES meet ADA Standards as pinching, grasping or twisting are not necessary to operate.

The knob on the lock set pictured above does NOT meet ADA Standards, as you must tightly grasp and twist to operate.

The lever on the lock set pictured above DOES meet ADA Standards as pinching, grasping or twisting are not necessary to operate.

Finally, handles such as the one on this glass door DO meet ADA Standards. Pinching, grasping or twisting are not necessary to operate.