There are entrance doors that announce a property, and there are entrance doors that simply open it. Pivot doors are firmly in the first category. By rotating around a vertical axis offset from the edge of the door rather than swinging on hinges, a pivot door can be far larger, far heavier and far cleaner-lined than any conventional door. The result is a piece of architecture in its own right.
RK Door Systems — the German manufacturer we've been the main North West dealer for over the past decade — engineers some of the largest residential pivot doors available. Their XL Pivot range can reach 2 metres wide by 4 metres tall in a single panel, with a hidden hydraulic floor pivot that takes the weight and self-closes the door silently. The frame is fully concealed, the glazing is multi-point locked, and the visible result is a single uninterrupted slab of timber, aluminium or steel with no visible hinges, mullions or sightline interruptions.
Three details separate a great pivot installation from a mediocre one. First, the structural opening: pivot doors place all their load on the floor and head pivots, so the structural design above and below has to be right. Second, the threshold: a flush threshold is what makes the door feel like architecture rather than a door — but it requires careful waterproofing and floor build-up planning. Third, the hardware: a discreet, beautifully made handle is the only thing the user actually touches, and it has to be the right weight, the right finish and the right proportion for the door it's on.
If you're at the design stage of a new build or major renovation and considering a pivot entrance, get in touch early. The structural and floor decisions need to be made before the brickwork goes up, and we can sit with your architect to specify everything from datum points through to handle position.