Robot Doarknop by Davide Diliberto is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2020 A' Design Award yn Sulver in Meubelaksessoires, Hardware en Materialen Ûntwerp Competition Category.

SulverMeubelaksessoire· 2020

Robot Doarknop

by Davide Diliberto

Client: Ento

A' Design Award yn Sulver Winner in Meubelaksessoire Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Robot Doarknop

Robot is in doarknop ûntwurpen as in lytse arsjitektuer. De foarm docht tinken oan in ienfâldich profyl wêrfan oerflakken útwreidzje en draaie om de goede grip foar de hânpalm en de tomme te jaan. In horizontaal flak stekt út de boppekant út sadat de hânpalm de knop nei ûnderen drukke kin, wylst it haadoerflak him yn twa rjochtingen útwreidet om de tomme út te noegjen om foarút te triuwen. Fjouwerkante foarmen en skerpe hoeken litte de knop yngripe mei de arsjitektoanyske omjouwing. De knop is makke fan ien stik messing, oanbean yn poalearre chroom, satynchroom, satyngrafyt of matswarte emaljôfwurkings.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Sulver

Robot Doarknop is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Sulver, in bûtengewoan prestisjeuze erkenning foar topûntwerpen dy't prachtich en yndrukwekkend binne. Sulverwinners binne tige briljante en ekstreem kreative wurken dy't de treflike ekspertize, it talint en de skerpsinnigens fan har ûntwerpers yllustrearje. Fan Robot Doarknop wurdt ferwachte dat it in prachtich foarbyldwurk is, opmerklik profesjoneel en djip ynnovatyf. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Sulver is in tige opfallende, bewûndere útfining dy't foardiel bringt en de grinzen fan keunst, wittenskip, ûntwerp en technology ferleget. Robot Doarknop is in skepping dêr't breed oerjûn wurdt, dy't winsken wekker makket, positive gefoelens bringt en ferwûnderjen en fernuvering opwekket.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Robot is a family of door handles inspired by the concept of transformation. Its shape reminds a regular profile from which surfaces extend and rotate to ensure the right grip and comfort for the palm and the thumb. Squared shape, sharp corners and three dimensional planes made the handle visually fuse together with the architectural environment. It is also intended as an extended range with all the related products and accessories obtained by just three moulds.
Dimensions & Packaging: Size of the handle without any rose or plate, width 133 mm, depth 49 mm, height 26 mm.
Size with standard round rose, width 141 mm, depth 60 mm, height 50 mm.
Tags: handle, robot, transformation, grip, surface
Production Technology: The door handle is one piece of brass, finished in polished chrome, satin chrome or high performance satin graphite. It is also available in a special matt black enamel coating that ensures the same demanding performances of the faucet industry. It features special 6 mm thick rose and escutcheon.
Design Challenge: The moulded raw piece needs to be finished by tool grinding and polishing. Due to the geometric shape, a particular care is required in order to keep regular planes, sharp edges and the original design. All these operations have to be manually executed, especially for the satin finishes where the grinding lines are visible and must be perfectly oriented. Is one of the most complex door handles of the market.
Research: The brand philosophy is based on the door handle as a complementary part of the whole project. In order to design a product which embodied such a concept, I wanted to give it an architectural look by flat surfaces and squared shapes. I had to verify if multiple planes and sharp edges were feasible. This handle has been unveiled as a prototype in 2018, so together with the company, I made a market research to test the best expected length of the grip for the final production version. Sales managers suggested to slightly increase the overall length about 5 mm compared to the first prototype.
Inspiration: A door handle is usually a piece of metal without special features or moving parts. I figured out a technological tool shaped with a different idea of ergonomics, inspired by robots and the way they change their shape to better operate specific tasks. As a micro architecture, Robot handle ideally extends and rotates surfaces in order to offer the right grip for the palm to push it down and for the thumb to push it forward. This way material is used just where it is needed, with weight and size reduction.
Project Duration: The first concept has been shown to the company based in Brianza on November 2017. Then a refined prototype was unveiled at 2018 Milan Design Week, with all the range of related accessories. Following some suggestions from clients, the production version is slightly longer and has been unveiled at 2019 Milan Design Week and permanently placed into the Archiproducts Milano headquarters, in Via Tortona.
Operation Flow: The shape is intended to suggest the most efficient way to operate it. An horizontal plane protrudes from the top to give the palm the right surface to push down the handle; in the same way, the main surface extends in two directions to visually invite the thumb to push forward. Even if the overall design is squared, the body is thick enough and the rear is rounded to ensure a comfortable grab.
Image Credits: Image #1 : Photographer Davide Diliberto, Robot door handle on a door, 2020.
Image #2 : Photographer Davide Diliberto, Robot door handle polished chrome, 2020.
Image #3 : Photographer Davide Diliberto, Robot pull handle polished chrome, 2020.
Image #4 : Photographer Davide Diliberto, Robot Door Handle on a door, 2020.
Image #5 : Creator Davide Diliberto, Robot door handle photomontage, 2020.
Video Credits: Creator Davide Diliberto, Robot door handle concept, 2020.