Working with designers of international note when developing new handle is a worthy tradition at FSB.

Thus it comes as no surprise that Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has now got together with the Brakel firm to define his idea of a handle, one that constitutes a study in proportion and epitomises Zumthor’s understanding of design in equal measure. Zumthor, who won this year’s Pritzker Prize, the highest accolade in architecture, is an individualist in the best sense of the word: he is set apart from other practisers of his trade by an intimate empathy for the site being built on, by the way he handles light and proportions, and by a very fine sense for the right material. The upshot of this is that no two of his buildings look alike and that they are all exceedingly striking in formal terms.

In his FSB 1217 design, Peter Zumthor varies the additive linking of grip to shank with a slimly proportioned and almost sharp-edged section of flat steel: the version for emergency exit doors with its vertically flat grip section and radial curvature mutates into a classic variant with no return end, giving rise to a different approach with a horizontally flat means of connection of the kind familiar fromthe epigones around Wilhelm Wagenfeld. This is a far more filigree product, however, one that is lent structure by means of almost hierarchical proportions at the same time. The lever handle shank is set apart by the way it funnels down towards the surface of the handlerose, from which it is divided by means of a barely discernible recess. The lever handles are available with AGL® heavy-duty bearings or in a fire-safety variant. The collection is compellingly complemented by a window handle with a straight-cornered rose and a door knob. Models are available in Stainless Steel satin nap or mirror polished.