Emily T.’s Single Knob Door System
Emily T. from Australia sends this one in: A door with a single knob that pivots/revolves to either side, preferably facing the side you are located. The thinking behind this:
“This is not for every door,” she writes, “only those ones that you really want people to stay out of, like a dressing room, a public toilet, or a hotel suite.”
Clearly Emily has endured an awkward moment or two - who hasn’t? Or the Koalas in Australia are really invasive. Probably the latter.
Emily does concede eventually you’ll end up on the wrong side of the door, and that swinging the knob around would be a “pain in the butt” quote unquote, but she wants these darnit.
I have to say it’s an intriguing idea. I’m really surprised with the ideas people have submitted - some very imaginative and abstract minds out there.
Like this:
Posted on March 30, 2011, in Architecture, Safety and tagged Architecture, Design, Idea, Safety, Security. Bookmark the permalink. 11 Comments.
A keyhole on the opposite side of the knob could solve the problem of ending up on the wrong side, yes? I know it’s not the easiest to pull open a door using only a key, but I do it every day on the heavy door to the stairwell at my apartment.
I was thinking the same thing too, but I think the design could benefit from a deadbolt-like latch, so you’d have to hold the knob open so the door could go flush, then release the knob for the door to close/lock.
A normal door latch is curved on one side, allowing it to close easily. So my solution would be a pain, but would ensure you are on the right side of the door (It would be impossible to close if the knob was on the other side).
Exactly my thought. Serves as an ignosecond preventer.
I’m sure fire and safety codes would require a key on the reverse, at least in commercial establishments. …plus have to be a panic escape option, in case your “friend” locks you in at just the moment some true emergency occurred. Fire marshals would certainly require just a thing. I could imagine some secondary mechanism that allows the panic escape from only one side (the “inside”). The key would actuate the bolts from both side a and side b, while the panic latch might only work from side a or only from side b.
The mechanism itself would allow customers convenient self access to a changing room, without having to bother an attendant, while leaving obvious evidence that _someone_ is in the room, unless it was closed with the aforementioned key.
May seem a bit Goldbergish, but once built and demonstrated I bet there would be an actual market for the device, both as a “cool thing” and as a low-security privacy measure.
Fire marshals would certainly require just _such_ a thing…imts.
Of course! I think this is one of those designs which are not too practical for everyday use, but at times would be so ideal.
As long as there is a way to safely open the door from the knobless side. You never know.
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