e
Today's Urban Design Observation: Improvised Truncated Anti-Drunk, Anti-Homeless Front Door
Sometimes in New York City you'll see apartment building hacks. In this case, at a building in Little Italy, a dedicated entrance has been added to a basement apartment. This was clearly not part of the original architecture.
Enter a caption (optional)Here's a problem that's well-known, at least locally: If you have stairs descending from the sidewalk, it becomes the go-to spot for urine, vomit and/or feces, deposited by patrons leaving nearby bars and/or the homeless. These types of spaces are also attractive to the homeless as sleeping spaces in inclement weather. (I have a story about that that's not fit to print here, remind me to tell it to you sometime at the bar.) So here a door has been added to block access.
Enter a caption (optional)The door swings outwards, and is necessarily truncated so that it can clear the sidewalk. That leaves this odd gap at the bottom, perfect for rat access.
Enter a caption (optional)
Enter a caption (optional)The door could go all the way down to the floor if it was hung to swing inwards, but:
A) That would be awkward for people exiting the building--you'd have to go up the steps, grab the knob, and go back down the steps to open the door, and
B) It's impossible for the door to swing inwards here. If you look you can see that it would hit the slanted ceiling inside.
Enter a caption (optional)So we have this very unattractive, improvised solution. But it's better than stepping in something.
-
oFavorite This
-
Q9Comment
Directory Company Profiles
Core77
Industrial Design
Resources
Industrial Design
Resources
-
Core77 Directory
Find the Best Industrial Design CompaniesGo -
Project Duo
Project Duo brings proven innovation and key assets to clients of all sizes. From mom and pop busine...
-
Spanner
Spanner, a creative engineering and product development design studio, enables the world’s leading b...
-
Y Studios
Y Studios is an award-winning Industrial Design and Research consultancy in San Francisco with exten...
-
Mixer Design Group
We specialize in electronic product design and engineering for wearables, electronics, bioscience an...
-
PENSAPENSA is an award-winning industrial design and consultancy firm that combines strategy, design, and...
-
Alternatives
We're a full-service branding and creative agency. We specialize in building brands, companies and o...
-
ECCO Design
ECCO Design is a full service product design and innovation firm. We are a team of designers, resear...
K
{Welcome
Create a Core77 Account
Already have an account? Sign In
By creating a Core77 account you confirm that you accept the Terms of Use
K
Reset Password
Please enter your email and we will send an email to reset your password.
Comments
My new band name is Rat Access
Our friend mr Thang again did a great job animating a possible (ideal) solution .
Mr Thang rules! He´s an unsung hero of kinetic design and engineering divulgator
indeed
Rats aside, it's like a mail slot; a great place for the Amazon Guy to leave your packages before you get home!
A hinged section with wheels on it could be added at the bottom, so that when the door is opened outward, the wheels roll up on the sidewalk. When closed, the hinged section drops back down.
Attach an "L" shaped footer to the bottom piece running the width of the door and coming out to the initial step out on the side walk. Design it so the longest piece of the "L" falls short of the step 1" or 2 AND high enough to clear the sidewalk.
Of course the mechanism has to be fliped to fold on the way out though
A "roller door" or a "built-on roller shutter door" may be more efficient in this scenario.