FSB 1242 by John Pawson
An evergreen now also in Aluminium and Stainless Steel
FSB 1242
Design: John Pawson
FSB 1242
Door lever in Polished Silver Anodised Aluminium
FSB 1242
Door lever in Stainless Steel Brushed Satin Matt
FSB 1242
Door lever in Dark Patinated Waxed Bronze
FSB 1242
Plug-in handle for doors in Polished Silver Anodised Aluminium
FSB 1242
Plug-in handle for doors in Stainless Steel Brushed Satin Matt
FSB 1242
Plug-in handle for doors in Dark Patinated Waxed Bronze
How delightfully this handle nestles in the hand is immediately plain to see from the grip’s upright oval styling. The British architect John Pawson demonstrates with his door lever FSB 1242 that a design idea that has undergone myriad variations over the past 90-odd years can be compellingly optimised to meet the demands of the modern world
“Reich Shape” revitalised
John Pawson draws on the design vocabulary of one of the most familiar Modernist door levers – the “Reich Shape” lever handle by Hans Poelzig – whilst at the same time revitalising it. This oldest antecedent of FSB 1242 was conceived in 1930 and fitted in, amongst other buildings, Broadcasting House in Berlin and the IG Farben office block. The latter, the “Poelzig Building” in Frankfurt am Main, now houses part of the city’s Johann Wolfgang Goethe University.
Upright oval shape
Particularly striking about Hans Poelzig’s handle was the upright oval shape of its grip, which originally performed a sharp “L” turn into the handle’s neck and rose. This proved to be somewhat impracticable from a very early stage and would not have conformed to modern-day standards. John Pawson ably took account of the latest normative requirements in his re-interpretation, specifically those relating to doors and windows, without falling into the trap of producing a purely functional design. He went on to expand FSB 1242 into a fully-fledged product range – one that includes a variant suitable for emergency exits as set down in DIN EN 179, in-line and cranked models for narrow-frame doors and a window handle.
Now also available in Aluminium and Stainless Steel
FSB 1242 was originally developed for a former telecommunications bunker converted to a commission by the Berlin-based art collector Désiré Feuerle. John Pawson has since also included the handle in various other projects planned in his London practice.
His handle collection, originally supplied in Bronze, is now also available in Aluminium and Stainless Steel.