Old technology rediscovered

It is well known that the Romans were great builders and architects. That they used large double-leaf doors as well as multi-leaf folding doors and sliding doors is less well known. In Pompeii, archaeologists have uncovered floor tracks of sliding doors from the 1st century, which prove that this practical technology was in use at this time at the latest. Track finds from Egyptian pyramids also suggest the use of sliding doors. These would then be significantly older than the Roman ones.

For a long time, sliding doors led a niche existence at best in castles and fortresses and for closing very large barn doors, where hinged doors would have been too heavy for the hinges. During the Renaissance, sliding doors also found their way into aristocratic residences as an aesthetic element, where they were often decorated with elaborate ornamentation. It was not until the industrial revolution with its factory halls and the mechanization of many tasks (including sliding doors open) that sliding doors were brought out of their niches and into a wider field of use - they were now fitted with rails and rollers and separated work areas in large factories, warehouses or workshops without wasting space for turning.

Today, sliding doors in the western world are both an expression of modern living aesthetics and an element that brings a high level of functionality to small apartments or multi-purpose rooms. Tightly closing sliding glass doors are particularly popular, as they allow light to flow through while excluding unwanted noises and odors. With sliding glass doors, living and working, learning and playing, hustle and bustle and peace and quiet and much more can be combined in a small space without dark corners spoiling the atmosphere. For these reasons, the niche existence of European sliding doors is probably over once and for all.

In contrast to Europe, sliding doors have not only been commonplace in Japan since ancient times, but were also the only way to divide rooms in traditional buildings in the form of shōji for a long time. Revolving doors only came into fashion there in the 19th century, when the country opened up after a long period of isolation. The Japanese version was and is not completely made of wood or wood with metal as in Europe, but a light wooden frame covered with paper. There were also heavy wooden sliding doors in traditional Japanese architecture, which were pushed in front of the actual shōji on a second rail during storms or bad weather to protect them from the weather.

The shōji are more like room dividers than sliding doors; the door function in Japan was and is performed by fusuma, wooden frames covered with cardboard or several layers of paper, which do not divide rooms but close passages. They glide quietly back and forth on waxed wooden slats. Fusuma were often artistically painted, especially in the 15th century. The Japanese sliding doors were opened with what we now call a "handle shell", originally known as a "hikite". Centuries ago, these looked just as modern as our CRICLE, BASSO or PLANEO SELECT handle shells.

Today, sliding doors in Japan are only made of paper in traditional houses; plastic is now used in modern buildings.

For anyone who wants to bring Japanese flair into their home, Griffwerk offers sliding glass doors made of satinized glass. With a simple dark metal frame, they look like fusuma, while the version with black pilaster strips is reminiscent of traditional shōji.