doorhandle „welcome“

a friendly door handle made of zinc

supervised by prof. andreas kramer

„welcome“ is a friendly door handle. The outstretched hand is a symbol of openness and friendliness, it gives one the feeling of being welcome.
The hard and cold apperance of the metal is combined with the warm connotation of the gesture and thereby creates an elegant and fascinating aesthetic.

The project was the winning design of a cooperation between the University of Arts Bremen and the „Initiative Zink“. Other partners were the Fraunhofer-Institut for manufacturing technology and the design manufactury PHILIPPI from Hamburg.

The assignment was to develop a product that represents the material zinc in a optimal way and could serve as a flagship for the „Initiative Zink“.

In a potential usage as private entrance door, in public Facilities, catering and hotel sector or in other
prestigious premises „welcome„ can serve as an eyecatcher and subtle reference to the hospitality of the house.

The first experiments were cut from foam.

In the next step I modeled a more precise version from clay and generated a virtual model with a 3D scanning.

After I refined the digital shape I used a CNC milling machine to prototype it in different variations and shapes.

With the final shape I than finally poured a model out of bronze. Sadly there was no possibility to use the real material zinc, but the whole process was nevertheless very interesting.