Contemporary architecture features large expanses of glass with minimal framing to support it. Glass by itself can offer outstanding views of the great outdoors, but unless it is mounted in frames that can move the engagement is a passive one of “look, but don’t touch.”
Physical engagement with the outside world can only be accomplished through operable doors from single and French ones up to the most outstanding choice of folding doors that easily fold open to turn what might appear like a fixed window wall into a full opening joining the indoor space with all that is beyond it with no obstructions at all. The problem with this wonderful idea was the limitation of the doors that were provided by just about every “mostly glass” door system in the world. The frames were chunky, bulky, or stout. I use these euphemisms for fat as a chunky, broad-beamed guy myself. Massive frames blatantly express power and dominance, but not beauty and elegance. Doing more with less is magical.
Glass doors made to carry insulating and security glazing systems need to be strong to handle the weight and windloads. Normal manufactures who are totally invested in traditional door framing materials like wood, aluminum, and vinyl are cursed by the need to use large sections to make them work. It works for them, but it doesn’t work for architect’s who want to express a modern architectural aesthetic and provide both visual and physical engagement with the world outside the home. Architects would hear from every door manufacturer rep he heard from that you can have an operable function, but you can’t have it with thin, almost invisible frames.
That WAS the truth until 2Fold® crashed the party and invented a glass and steel door system with 1” wide sash members that are thermally enhanced with Accoya® wood glazing bead frames. This is a system for fans of traditional steel window and doors dating back to the Bauhaus movement which is at the beginning of the modern movement. The elegance of thinness can only be achieved with steel, but now it is thermally and visually improved on the inside through wood glazing beads. The thermal part of the improvement is covered by its pending patent, and the visual improvement is due to the “glazing bead” with miter joints and mortised keys locking it into a rigid frame that covers the entire inside visible part of the sash. NO ugly joints like traditional metal windows. Wood lovers can have wood and steel lovers can have the glazing beads painted to match the steel components of in a color complementary to the interior finishes. Steel windows and doors have aluminum glazing beads in most cases anyway, and paint is paint.
Dear Architect, you don’t have to settle for fat folding frames that don’t complement your otherwise contemporary design anymore. Steel is strength. Steel is thinness. Accoya® is warmth without compromise. 2Fold® has just introduced you to a real solution, not a design compromise. You are a visionary, not a mediator. 2Fold® steel and glass doors enhanced with Accoya® are the future. Find out how easy it is to have your cake and eat it too. The only thing better than our doors is our service.