Range 270

In the object

Series 270 comprises a complete range of fittings for buildings in accordance with DIN EN 1906 and DIN 18255, supplemented by fittings for fire doors (DIN EN 18273) and escape routes in accordance with DIN EN 179. All models are designed in the tried-and-tested H-technology and comply with usage category 4 in accordance with DIN EN 1906. Series 270 fittings are thus designed for frequent use in medium to highly frequented buildings. The associated framed door fittings also comply with the applicable DGUV guidelines.

HEWI: HEWI is a company rich in tradition. 90 years ago Heinrich Wilke founded the company, which is still owned by the family today. What do you associate with HEWI?

Hadi Teherani: HEWI as a brand and also HEWI products stand for architects in a range of design icons such as the Stelton EM77 jug, Vola fittings or also Thonet's coffee house chair 214. There are very few design products that are so iconographic that they have influenced the architectural style.

HEWI: With System 111, HEWI has created a design classic. Was it a challenge for you to develop a new range of fittings?

Hadi Teherani: The challenge in working with a company like HEWI, which is characterized by a strong design classic, is to achieve further development while leaving the company's DNA untouched. This challenge has attracted us! We have dealt intensively with HEWI and analysed exactly what constitutes the company's DNA in order to develop a product that not only continues HEWI's history but also transports it into the present.

In order to be able to develop something really new, you must therefore understand the brand's DNA. Such a strong fire creates a field of tension, because you might not be able to avoid the classic System 111. We believe we have made this leap with the 270 range: we have developed a design that is fit for the future. It embodies the HEWI brand without being arrested in the past.

HEWI: How did Range 270 come about?

Hadi Teherani: Our task was to develop a lever handle based on the greatly reduced mini rosette developed by HEWI. The new design should be in perfect proportion to this new, very compressed fastening technology. Initially, we intensively dealt with the HEWI classic System 111, among other things. What System 111 and Range 270 have in common is that the lever handle attachment stands out from the door leaf as a round tube element. On the 111 the tube bends and becomes a handle.
 

With Range 270, on the other hand, we translate the radius of the handle attachment into the surface of the handle. This makes the design more complex. Nevertheless, the form is convincing with its clear design. The surrounding edge gives the handle a high degree of precision and value. Range 270 made of stainless steel is modular, i.e. it can be expanded to form a larger product family and offers further possibilities for individualisation. This makes the 270 very versatile - it can be integrated into practically any room and architecture.

HEWI: What makes Range 270 stand out?

Hadi Teherani: The proportions of the lever handle have been matched to the shape of the mini rosette so that design and technology are in perfect balance. Range 270 is characterised by clear lines in combination with a shape that is easy to hold. Fine details such as the joint between the handle attachment and the handle and the inclusion of the radius of the handle attachment create a harmonious overall picture with the mini rosette and give Range 270 its own unique character. In addition, Range 270 offers potential for expanding a larger product family.

HEWI: How does the design of a building differ from the creation of a product? Are there parallels in the creative process?

Hadi Teherani: The design of a large building is naturally subject to greater complexity. But the solution finding is similar in architecture and product design: the design must be worked through in the different areas of the building or product family. Depending on the task, this can be a longer process - designing the Silverchair office chair for Interstuhl, for example, took just as much time as developing the Dockland office building. The maxim "form follows function" applies to us both in product design and architecture.

We attach great importance to ensuring that the result has a certain added value in both disciplines. Only in this way does the work, be it building or product, stand out and differentiate itself.