As an entrance and exit, the door is not only a connecting element between rooms and areas, but also a separating one. At the front door, friends are welcomed and granted access to the private sphere, while uninvited guests are denied entry. The front door protects against intruders and is therefore of central importance to the residents. But how do doors actually differ in different cultures? How important is the security aspect? Here are some specific examples from different countries.
Safety first - Doors in the USA
Especially in urban areas, Americans attach great importance to their privacy and security. While the average homeowner makes sure to always lock their doors, this is far from enough for others.
In the USA, more and more homeowners are upgrading their homes to high-security bunkers. Whether ordinary citizens, Hollywood stars or politicians: Americans increasingly want to protect themselves as well as possible not only against burglars, but also against natural disasters or even nuclear wars. An extreme security mindset demands a house that offers refuge even in extreme situations. The doors of such houses are particularly solid and secured with multiple bolts.
The special high-security houses are often equipped with additional security features. Fence systems, roller shutter systems or panic rooms with reinforced concrete walls several centimetres thick, surveillance monitors, separate ventilation and their own telephone connection are not uncommon here. In an emergency, these facilities are designed to protect residents from uninvited guests and disasters.
Guarded life in gated communities
Why protect your privacy alone when you can also do it in a community? In gated communities, residents live in closed residential complexes with various types of access restrictions and security measures. Whether walls, fences, dedicated security staff or surveillance measures - residents feel particularly well protected against burglars and crime. These estates even have their own infrastructure such as shopping facilities, hospitals and schools. This means that it is no longer necessary to leave the secure residential community. The concept of the gated community has its origins in the USA. This form of housing - if you can afford it - is very popular. There are already over 20,000 of these residential complexes.
Of course, it can also be very different: While most Americans in the big city actually lock their doors several times due to high crime rates, residents in rural areas in many places simply leave their doors unlocked. Here, neighbours still know each other and the crime rate is low.
Wafer-thin doors in Japan
Instead of solid high-security doors, lightweight sliding doors are particularly popular in Japan. While the so-called shōji serve as a boundary to the street, fusuma are the sliding doors and room dividers inside the house. Both usually consist of a wooden frame with lattice bars covered with fabric or paper. They are not only used as doors, but also as partitions or as doors for walk-in wardrobes.
In large cities, many Japanese people close their conventional front doors. In rural areas and quieter urban neighbourhoods, however, the doors are often left unlocked or even ajar.
A village without doors
It's hard to believe, but in the west of India there is a village with no doors at all. The 5,000 inhabitants of Shani Shignapur have been living without doors for many generations and still feel safe. They believe in the protection of the Hindu deity Shani. Even the bank in this village remains unlocked at night.
https://www.sueddeutsche.de/leben/dorf-ohne-tueren-shani-wird-s-schon-richten-1.2295079
Smart solution in Germany
Security is also an important issue for people in Europe, and flats and houses cannot do without appropriate doors. In addition to a wide range of door variants, people are increasingly opting for so-called SmartDOORS, the perfect combination of security features paired with state-of-the-art technology, which is becoming increasingly popular. Using keyless access management, these intelligent front doors can be opened with a private smartphone via WLAN technology, for example.