A new way in: the entrance architecture of Vela by Oikos

There are many ways to make an entrance. The most accomplished architectural styles find a way to integrate something seamlessly into a structure and the space within. It feels harmonious. Sometimes you can’t even see it. The sensation of opening and closing the aperture you’re passing through is a pleasure, if noticeable at all.

The recent launch of the Vela product from Oikos Venezia is a showcase of just what’s possible with something as simple as a sliding door system for a primary entryway to a home. It elevates every aspect of it, making it functional in ways that haven’t been seen before, while creating an aesthetic that’s minimalist and refined. There’s no lock and key – access is by PIN, Oikos Card or fingerprint reader. It’s revolutionary.

Vela is what Oikos calls ‘entrance architecture’. It is versatile – available in a visible and concealed version, the latter making it possible for the sliding door to disappear into the wall, giving the same sense of openness that a visitor to a museum would feel as they move gallery to gallery. An architect and designer can also select the visible option and make a feature of the engineering and incredible detail it offers.

As an entry point to myriad building styles, Vela comes with a new series of grès porcelain finishes launched to complement it. Architects and designers can choose from neutral to intense and deep. As well as the existing variety of colors in a broad range of woods, lacquers and glass, there are new additions: Formwork Concrete in three nuances, Smooth Concrete in light and dark versions, and Metallic Iron. All of these finishes are being extended to the entire Oikos range of products.

Oikos has been making its product in a state-of-the-art factory in Venice for 35 years, constantly innovating. The fingerprint system for the Vela product can be integrated into the door handle or, for a cleaner design, placed on an adjacent wall or in another room, up to eight metres away from the door. A fully electronic system can be managed remotely via the Arckey app on a smartphone.

While minimalism is a solid part of the Oikos canon, its heritage is also in evidence: the new Vela door system has the option of a handle on the internal side that makes a visual reference to the iconic bow iron of a Venetian gondola. It’s also possible to have an entirely motorised opening and closing mechanism, operated at the touch of a button.

The engineering aspects of the Vela architectural solution are notable. There is an automatic lifting element, allowing the leaf to raise and lower when the door is opened or closed, for smooth movement. For heavier doors of over 120kg, magnetic levitation ensures the same perfect glide. The look of the system is stripped back as far as physics will allow: There is no threshold and rail, nor any visible screws. A patented floor locking system operates with an invisible safety mechanism.

Vela uses thermal insulation technology built into its frame and leaf to reduce condensation and heat loss, achieving an insulation value of Ud 1.3 W/m2K. It comes with a Class 4 break-in class, 42 Db for acoustics, and an air-water-wind tightness, respectively achieving a value of 3-7A-C5, which are among the highest ever attained.

The new system gives designers and architects the scope to shape radical new spaces, liberated from the restrictions of the traditional door. It’s not just a move away from a lock and key, it’s a whole rethink of how you enter a space, which is reflected in the choice of name for the design: Vela is a reference to the way a sail on a yacht glides across the sea on the horizon, with elegance and lightness. As the designers at Oikos say, ‘it symbolises the wind of change, shifting the paradigm of entry, proposing a new perspective.’

© Architonic

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