* Naval Brass Flat Stock

* Cold Rolled Flatstock Steel

* Blackened Socket Cap Bolts

* Naval Brass Washers

* Quarter Sawn (zebra'd) Oak

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Client

AIA (American Institute of Architects) Atlanta + Georgia

 

Design, Fabrication & Assembly

OrchestraONE_Studio

 

Steel Fabrication

Taylor Workshop

 

Photos by

CaptisLUX

Michael Parmelee

In becoming an official donor for AIA Atlanta + Georgia, we were asked to design and fabricate the main gallery door pulls for their new joint headquarters. Working as one of the two designers of the actual space as well (while at 5g Studios Collaborative) gave us access to the same locally sourced oak and locally supplied steel.

 

Multiple iterations were studied to reflect variations in height, hand size and elbow bend height as well as the haptic nuances one experiences when grasping the pull. We took into consideration the relationship of the average height of one's hand at their side as it relates to the correlation in head height as you approach the door. The pull’s main handle is made of zebra’d oak and is dato’d in the center but left smooth and rounded at the edge angles. This is to give a different experience of touch depending on where you may grab it. The taper also accommodates for smaller hands and its drop in height is for people who may be approaching on a wheelchair. There is also a left hand, or overhead cross arm pull running the entire length of the left side of the steel frame. Not only does it serves as a cross body pull but it also adds all of the structural stiffness to the length of the steel frame. The left pull is also a right angle in shape to allow one’s fingers to curve around it in the back for a better grasp.