I seem to spend most of my time trying to conceal fixings in design details. If we have a panelling feature we don’t usually want to see it covered in screw heads. So we use a variety of methods to join things to other things without seeing how it’s done.
When we recently moved our Birmingham office, one thing I was grateful for was the planning put into a custom desk I commissioned a few years ago. I worked with the brilliant MJM Bespoke to develop a custom design. One challenge was that it was HUGE, 1.8m x 1.2m in plan, with a standard desk height on one side and a standing height on the other. Discussing this with Matt from MJM he introduced me to the brilliant Lamello Clamex system which clamps panels together and allow them to be disassembled. Genius.
This kind of approach is also key when considering sustainability and the circular use of building materials. Rather than glueing and screwing things together which inevitably causes damage when they are taken apart, we can design things to be disassembled to modify, repurpose or reuse the material saving a lot of waste.
I wanted to share some of the clever fixings we’ve used over the years and have used multiple times in our practice:
Lamello
As I mentioned earlier this is a very clever system that allows panels to be clipped or clamped together and can be taken apart if needed. The standard P-System incorporates a clip that snaps together and makes assembly a breeze. They can be taken apart but take a bit of force to pull them apart. The more advanced Clamex system incorporates a clamp, using a standard 4mm Allen Key through a tiny hole to attach pieces together.
Z Clips
An evolution of the traditional split batten method which utilises a piece of timber or ply cut with an angle to allow something to be hung. This is a very thin piece of metal in a ‘Z’ shape that does the same trick in a much thinner profile. This is great to allowing to remove panels for access but needs a space at the top to allow the panels to be lifted off the rail. We used this system in our Orange Street office project to hang the feature timber panels.
Button Fix
This clever system has a few different mounting methods that allows panels to be clipped to a frame. Unlike the Z Clip system they can be configured to pull the panel straight off the wall, avoiding needing a space at the top to lift it off the wall. I particularly like the guide pins they supply which aid with getting the mounting position spot on, which are also reusable.
Soss Hinge
There clever devices are concealed mortice hinges that are fully concealed within the joinery when the door is closed and are ideal for situations where the hinges would be visually distracting.
INVI Convept
One for high end designs, this company is the market leader in frameless door systems. The wall can be plastered up to the frame so there is no need for architraves. When the door and wall are in the same finish it can make doors almost disappear.