Opportunity knocks: how one company is opening the door to new spaces

It’s often said that acoustics are the most under-considered piece in the architectural jigsaw, but my money is on doors. In large part because they are thought of in the negative – as apertures, as openings that punctuate walls and allow passage from one space to the next. But, rather than a form of absence, when properly considered they are of true architectural value, an integral part of how the spaces we inhabit are shaped and experienced.

It’s no wonder then, that doors occupy a special place in the popular imagination (think poet William Blake’s ‘doors of perception’ or Jim Morrison’s legendary band), given their fundamental presence in any spatial design. The door connects room with room, and, in doing so, allows us to connect with each other, while experiencing interiors as a kind of story as spaces unfold themselves to us.

Connections are the stock-in-trade of Swiss manufacturing heavyweight Arbonia, which, with an origin story that goes back to the 19th century, has cultivated an enviable body of solutions-oriented expertise and developed a comprehensive portfolio of internal doors, door frames, door handles and access control systems – in addition to showers, room-partition systems and services such as installation and maintenance. ‘Offen für Anspruch’ (or ‘Open to ambition’) is their slogan, intended to convey that the brand, which actually comprises a total of 15 companies, is ever ready to put its pooled, deep know-how to the service of creatives and their visions for anything-but-ordinary interiors.

‘We pride ourselves on being match-fit’, explains Arbonia’s CEO Claudius Moor. ‘We’ve worked hard to develop a deep understanding of the project business, serving architects, interior architects, planners and interior designers ‘aus einer Hand’ – from one single source.’ That’s a demanding set of clients, I suggest. ‘Absolutely,’ replies Moor. ‘But, we’re up for it. We’re the partner at their side. An active ally, making things better together.’

Producing exclusively in Europe and with a transparent set of sustainability initiatives and plans, Arbonia possesses a scale of ambition that is matched by the scale of the architectural aspiration evident in its reference projects. The manufacturer’s glass, metal and wood door products are defined by exceptional design and have been specified for such stand-out builds as the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts by architect Barozzi Veiga, Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Riken Yamamoto’s The Circle at Zurich Airport, the Masaryčka building in Prague by Zaha Hadid Architects and Ferdinand Heide Architects’ RheinMain CongressCenter in Wiesbaden.

‘Innovation characterises us,’ Moor continues. ‘We have an inventive spirit for new solutions, new materials, more comfort and quality. We see our products as masterpieces, each and every one of them.’ Hyperbole aside, there’s no doubting Arbonia’s drive to improve upon the status quo. Take its collection of linoleum doors, for example. Leveraging a material popular with such modernist grandees as Mies van der Rohe and Walter Gropius, they not only deliver on the aesthetic front, but also pack a sustainable punch, being climate-positive.

But there’s no resting on laurels. Next month sees Arbonia Next25 open its doors at the Zentralheize, the former industrial heat plant and nowadays cherished architectural landmark in the German town of Erfurt. An ambitious 11-day programme of keynote talks, panel discussions, workshops and networking events, it’s designed to be a platform for a diverse group of stakeholders – from architects and planners to property developers and expert installers – to come together to the pressing questions facing the branch, as well as defining further of course the role Arbonia can play here. Developing ideas together for the good of the industry. Making things better. Together.

Arbonia Next25
17 to 28 March 2025 at the Zentralheize in Erfurt, Germany
A few tickets are still available, so hurry if you’d like to attend!
Click here to register

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