We may not be in Japan or California, but when it comes to earthquakes, Italy is considered one of the high-risk countries. And, unfortunately, the experiences of previous years have shown us the full drama of earthquake events of which, we have often been totally unprepared.

It will not be possible to change what has happened, but it is incumbent upon us to roll up our sleeves so that certain tragedies never happen again.

With this in mind, first and foremost, legislation has reconsidered construction techniques and systems so that they can counteract, as far as possible, the devastating forces of earthquakes, fully aware that the problems of working on existing heritage sites make the task of making everything safe really difficult.

Research has penetrated the field across the board, uncovering solutions that, at first glance, seemed impossible to find and that, step by step, go on to solve both large and small problems, making it possible to cope with seismic events more confidently.

And while thinking outside the box, who would have imagined that innovative earthquake-proof doors would be a means of promptly saving the lives of people in danger?

When buildings are damaged by the horizontal forces of the earthquake, where the building systems have done their job and the building has remained standing, one of the most important issues is getting out and getting to safety as quickly as possible.

This is where the earthquake-proof door comes in, which becomes so thanks to an “inclined energy sink that is able to reduce the height of the door and pull it out of the frame,” as the patent for the earthquake-proof door technology produced by Cocif states.

Basically, when the weight of the masonry bears down on the frame, the frame is subject to deformations that render the door unopenable.

When the masonry set-up changes, the energy dissipators installed inside the door are activated and, through their inclination, allow the door height to be reduced and the door itself can be opened.

The system grew out of the analysis of the problems found in the accounts of earthquake survivors who found themselves without the ability to exit the building because the door was jammed, without being able to get to safety as quickly as possible when often, every minute counts.

Based on an in-depth study of such events, the ideal solution was found that can be applied on interior hinged doors or sliding doors inside the wall, of all kinds, such as laminated, hollow core, customized, etc.

That of safety is a must, especially in the high-risk earthquake areas that Italy is littered with.

For the sake of safety, we would be willing to fill our homes, offices, hotels, hospitals and schools with unpleasant-looking doors as long as we had the chance to save our lives in case of danger.

So why sacrifice the appeal of a designer door, be it classical or modern?

The system that makes doors earthquake-proof can actually be installed on all doors (as long as they are hinged doors or slide inside the wall), thus allowing us to choose the ones that most closely match our taste or the personality of our living environments.

Also read “How to choose interior doors: a different approach”.

A fantastic idea that demonstrates, once again, Italian excellence in developing new ideas aimed at improving people’s lives. These are small steps, but when the benefits are so concrete, we can only be proud.